| Subject | Date Asked |
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| Laminate installation problems | 7/19/2006 |
Q: I'm installing laminate into my sunken living room. I'm starting against a railing as if I start ...
A: I would consider glueing them as the first resort. Complications deem the unusual, so do what makes ...
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| countertop tiling over uneven concrete board | 7/18/2006 |
Q: We are trying to lay tile in our kitchen over the cabinets. my husband attached 3/4 inch plywood, ...
A: At this point I would try to save what you can. Mix a small portion of thinset...wet down the ...
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| Concrete Prep | 7/18/2006 |
Q: I'm trying to get my concrete floor ready for tile. It's a small bathroom that had carpeting and ...
A: You can, but I dont recommend it. Get a wallpaper scrapper, and just scrape off the old whatever ...
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| Subfloor | 7/18/2006 |
Q: The 3/4 inch plywood is under the tub and not all in one piece, so removing it would be difficult. ...
A: If you have a 4' level or longer, that would help, you can mix a small amount of thinset, and use ...
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| floor prep on second floor bathroom | 7/17/2006 |
Q: My children and I want to lay porcelein tile in our second floor bathroom. My question is what, if ...
A: I strongly recommend the 1/4" hardibacker board and use thinset and screws to bond it to the current ...
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| lifiting ceramic tiles | 7/17/2006 |
Q: Our 10" ceramic tiles were installed 18 years ago and today we noticed a lifting of 2 rows of tiles ...
A: The most logical are expansion and contraction of the slab and/ or the tiles. Movement will break ...
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| porcalan tile | 7/17/2006 |
Q: I had home depot come to my house to install some tile in my front landing and in my living room to ...
A: Yes, yes and more yes. The installation was totally wrong. Home Depot has some of the worst ...
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| Jerusalem Stone Travertine | 7/17/2006 |
Q: Is it normal for the height of the floor to raise 1 1/2 inches when placed over a cement slab? It ...
A: This is strange. Are you implying that the whole floor is now 1 1/2" above what it was when the ...
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| removing vinyl from hardwood floors | 7/17/2006 |
Q: how to best remove vinyl (glued down; black tar-appearing glue) from hardwood floors? House ...
A: The only two options that I know work, even with alot of effort, are lacquer thinner and mineral ...
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| Laminate flooring is cupped | 7/16/2006 |
Q: the flooring is Wilsonart, it's a wood composite as far as I know, snap lock style. The entire floor ...
A: Tomorrow morning you contact your state Contractors board and open a claim of defective workmanship ...
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| Laminate flooring is cupped | 7/16/2006 |
Q: I wanted to check with someone knowledgable is this area because I feel I'm getting the run around ...
A: I applaud you in your research. I will make some assumptions that arent necessarily true. Your ...
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| Acid Etching Poured Terrazo Floor Before Tile Install | 7/15/2006 |
Q: I have asked a question in the past on the need for acid etching of poured terrazo floors before ...
A: I have had differing advise on this myself. Some say it is a 10/1 mix, some say 50/50. As long as ...
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| marble floors | 7/15/2006 |
Q: i am planning on remodeling a beach apt. currently the floors are 12 x 12 shiny marble tiles with ...
A: This is a bit unusual. If I understand, you are not likeing the shine of the marble, is the color ...
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| hardwood floors | 7/13/2006 |
Q: I have Brazilian cherry wood floors in my kitchen, hall and living room. Recently I had an installer ...
A: You have certainly gone the normal route. I am curious as to what the footprints are. Cement, ...
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| vinyl flooring | 7/12/2006 |
Q: I am having trouble deciding between Tarkett Granit and Mannington Biospec commercial grade ...
A: This is not a fair comment for me, but I stay away from Mannington anything. I have installed their ...
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| Concrete slab preparation for engineered wood floor installation | 7/10/2006 |
Q: Dave, We are installing (glue down) a three ply engineered hardwood floor over a concrete slab. ...
A: You have the standard mess. A wallpaper scrapper is what I use. It will take the floor right down ...
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| vinyl tile | 7/9/2006 |
Q: I have taken up an old carpet and it left behind adhesive. I have used adhesive remover and now gone ...
A: Unfortunately, the rougher surface is going to be enhanced thru the vinyl tiles. The floor levelor ...
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| Marble Tile | 7/4/2006 |
Q: I have several marble floor tiles that have a hairline crack. I am concerned that if I try to ...
A: Not knowing the color of your marble, I may be a bit off. If you can get some unsanded grout that ...
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| old ceramic tile floor cracked from | 7/4/2006 |
Q: I have a bathroom ceramic tile floor which (1) is an ugly color and (2) is cracking at the edges ...
A: Of course a floating floor will work. The key is to make all cuts tight to the walls or baseboard ...
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| painted floor | 6/25/2006 |
Q: i want to paint a previously carpeted floor. it is in the bathroom area ,which has the ...
A: This might sound strange, or it might make perfect sense. If you can get some "bondo" or sometimes ...
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| Oil based polyurethane on hardwood floors | 6/16/2006 |
Q: About 2 weeks ago I got my hardwood floors sanded to bare wood, stained and refinished with an oil ...
A: It sounds like the wax was not totally removed, and in fact is trying to come thru the surface. Is ...
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| flooring | 6/16/2006 |
Q: I am installing 3/4" hardwood floor. Can I use a pnumatic gun using 2in. long staples with a 1/2" ...
A: You dont have to use nails. The staples are acceptble as long as you gauge the gun correctly. Not ...
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| hardwood over VCT tile | 6/12/2006 |
Q: I am looking to install hardwood. We have a main floor currently carpet over tile over concrete. ...
A: Several concerns here. Yes the tiles could have been made with asbestos. The good news it, it is a ...
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| OAK FLOOR | 6/2/2006 |
Q: Dave HI, There was water damage done to my oak floor. How to I repair and replace pieces of an oak ...
A: If you dont have leftover pieces, you are in for a challenge. It would take me days to make a ...
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| Hardwood install on concrete | 5/22/2006 |
Q: I bought 3/4” X 3.5” Solid Brazilian Cherry from the Floor and Décor and they told me that I can use ...
A: I will only warn you that the concrete needs to be clean. No overspray, no compound residue, no ...
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| Wavy floor decking..... | 5/17/2006 |
Q: This is a rather unique problem I have. About 5 years ago we had some dryrot happening on our ...
A: You might be ahead to take up the plywood floor, out the perimeter of the walls and make whatever ...
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| Saving money on building model home | 5/6/2006 |
Q: I'm buying a model home and will be deciding on what upgrades I will want for the home such as ...
A: When you are buying from builders stock....take NO upgrades at all. If you can buy it with out ...
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| VCT Tile Removale | 5/3/2006 |
Q: We are going to be removing very old VCT tile (12x12) that is on concrete and replacing it with ...
A: It is conceivable that the old adhesive....if that old, is a better bonding agent than the mortar to ...
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| white vinyl with blue spot | 4/26/2006 |
Q: I have a white vinyl bathroom floor that has a blue spot or stain that is about 1 square foot. It ...
A: Mold can range from black to purple...glue discoloration is usually a yellowing. It could be the ...
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| Changing birch floor to tile | 4/24/2006 |
Q: I have a prefinished yellow birch floor in my foyer, great room and dining room. It scratches and ...
A: You may have a warrantee issue to deal with. If that flooring is less than ten years old....it may ...
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| Hardwood floor instalation (follow-up question) | 4/7/2006 |
Q: it is appreciated very much. Your coments obout vapour barrier made me realise thet I was not ...
A: The prefered vapor barrier for flooring is a kraft type with an oiled interior and or back side. ...
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| Wood floors | 4/5/2006 |
Q: We are planning to install a Wood floor in our living and dinning rooms,approximately 330 sq.ft. We ...
A: Most hardwoods are manufactured and kept at 15% humidity, so you are in the appropriated atmosphere. ...
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| laminate flooring | 4/5/2006 |
Q: My lamintae flooring is bubbling up in a few places. Is there anything I can do to have the bubblles ...
A: Because the term "laminate" is so widely misused, I can only tell you some situations that might ...
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| Hardwood flooring | 3/19/2006 |
Q: I am trying to determine which is the best for my new home: (1) new 3/4" oak harwood and to finish ...
A: You can bet the bank on the 3/4" oak flooring. It will outlast and outwear anything. The trick is ...
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| squeaky floors | 3/10/2006 |
Q: How canI get rid of squeaks in our floor. We have hardwood that was installed about 5-6 years ago ...
A: If you can make access under the floor, you can get to the joists at or near the squeaks and adjust ...
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| Wood floor installation | 3/7/2006 |
Q: My husband and I are installing new, prefinished, 3 1/4 inch wide maple flooring in our kitchen, ...
A: I assisted my church in installing a 2 1/4" maple floor, with a power hand nailer. It took nearly a ...
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| Tile flooring-grout | 3/5/2006 |
Q: When trying to clean my newly installed tile floor, dirt gets in the grout and I can't clean it. I ...
A: I will recommend a method that might help. If you can get "OXYclean" the powder, make a solution ...
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| Subfloor preparation | 3/4/2006 |
Q: I am interested in installing laminate flooring in my home. The subfloor is wood (second story). ...
A: If you had said 1/2" I would be a little concerned, but 1 1/2" is scary. No matter what your plan ...
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| hardwood floors and pools | 2/27/2006 |
Q: I live in Florida, one story, concrete sub-floor home. I am remodeling and would like to install a ...
A: Sales people are the worst people to listen to. Part of the answer deserves some explaination. ...
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| 35 year old oak flooring | 2/22/2006 |
Q: Most was in great shape. There was an area that had a long, relatively black streak, that may have ...
A: I wish I was more of a chemist. It sounds like you have used too much acid, considering oak is a ...
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