Flooring

 

Flooring

Question:
I have a 50-year-old house and will be putting down laminate flooring through the living room into the kitchen/dining area. The living room is hardwood that would have to be refinished otherwise and the kitchen has vinyl. Once I take the three layers of k
Answer:

You don't have to worry about the black sticky stuff, however just make sure there are no bumps when putting the foamy sheeting down on top of it.

Question:
I have a squeaky floor (carpet over particle board and plywood) how can I cure the squeak?
Answer:

Remove the carpet and put wood screws in your sub floor to fasten it down.

Question:
I am putting porcelain tiles in a powder room and vestibule. They are going over old vinyl tiles. I am going to cover them with 1/4" plywood. I have two questions: -Should I nail or screw down the exiting floor to make sure it is solidly attached to the
Answer:

You should remove the old vinyl sub floor and add nothing less than 1/2 inch plywood for a stable floor.

Question:
We just put down wood (ASH) flooring and would like to know the best product to use to finish it. We want something low luster and durable.
Answer:

There are many out there to choose from, each with different claims. If you are going to keep a natural finish, than a low luster urethane, applied in several coats, should be the ticket.

Question:
I run a daycare in my home and I'm looking at replacing the kitchen and living room into something that is nice looking but extremely durable any suggestions? My home is a four level split.
Answer:

I will start with your kitchen. The options you have are ceramic tile, vinyl, laminate flooring, or hardwood. I would rule out hardwood right away. Laminate flooring is durable but it can scratch or dent with heavy traffic. Ceramic tile is probably the most durable flooring but it can be very hard and cold, plus there are sub floor issues that have to be considered. Vinyl today is still very good value mainly because they have made them a little darker and with less shine. My recommendation would be to go with a darker pattern mainly because it will hide things very well from underneath and on top. The trend is going darker not only in flooring but also wall paint and things like that. Now, for your living room. The most durable carpet for homes right now is Berber styles. These are made with low tight loops that will help keep its appearance longer. The tendency with carpet is that they mat and pack and ugly in the traffic areas, every carpet will do it but Berbers will prolong its appearance a little longer. As with vinyl, color is also important. There are so many choices for flooring these days it can be confusing trying to figure out what the best value is. You could have an estimator come to your house, measure what you and get a bottom line price with your materials labor and taxes on the different options. Then you can decide what's best for your home.

Question:
I have hardwood flooring under carpet throughout my house. I would like to remove the carpet. I have heard radio commercials that advertise a method of restoring the hardwood without all the sanding and mess. Do you know anything about this? Possible?
Answer:

Be careful in taking up your carpet. Do not cut through the carpet, pad & scratch the wood floor. Most likely you will have a lot of padding staples in the floor and tackless strip around the edges. Be careful in removing the staples and tackless strip. You will know right away on how good your floors look after you remove the carpet and the pad. You could get away with a floor wax or a thin coat of a water base finish. It is possible that this can be done. If you have any more questions please call 630-325-4132.

Question:
I live in a mobile home I pulled up the original linoleum and laid peel and stick vinyl 5 years ago. Now I would like to rip up the peel and stick and just paint the floor as money is tight. The floor is made of press board and the glue from the peel and stick is now sticking to the press board. My questions are: Can I paint my press board floor? If so what kind of primer do I use if any? What do I use to get the old glue up with? And finally What do I use to seal the paint?
Answer:

Painting the floor in your situation right now is not a good idea it would be too messy. I would buy some more cheap tile to go over your old floor or a cheap piece of carpet and loose lay it over your floor. The paint and primer might be more expensive than the tile or carpet.

Question:
I am looking for durable flooring that would be suitable for the kitchen livingroom hallway bathroom and stairs. Is there such a product??
Answer:

If you are looking for the same flooring for all those areas, I would probably suggest a good quality laminate flooring. It would be the one that would fit in all those areas. Hardwood would also fit except for the bathroom but the laminate is probably a little more durable. Laminate flooring are durable but not indestructible they can scratch or chip with abrasive traffic. There are many different kinds of laminate, many different qualities, and many different prices, which can make it quite confusing.I would suggest you visit a showroom and have someone walk you through all of your options, give you all the facts, and help you with your decision.

Question:
I have jatoba (Brazilian Cherry wood) installed in my house. What % humidity should I maintain in the house?
Answer:

A constant humidity level of 35% to 45% must be maintained all year long. If you would like some information sent to you on general Hardwood information we would be happy to do so.

Question:
We need to put a new floor in the kitchen/dining room--would you choose real wood or one of the laminates?
Answer:

Are you replacing the cabinets? If not, then you may have to limit the thicknes of the flooring to service the dishwasher. If decreasing the height opening to the dishwasher is not an issue, then I prefer the look and feel of 3/4 plank flooring. 3/4 plank flooring can be purchased prefinished which eliminates the initial finishing and can be refinished in the future.