| Subject | Date Asked |
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| Hardwood flooring repair | 11/27/2006 |
Q: I have a home I'm renovating to sell. the HW flooring has some spots where it needs repair. Is it ...
A: It sounds like you are taking on a project beyond the necessary. Are the boards repairable? Can ...
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| Mud to Underlayment transition | 11/27/2006 |
Q: I'm in the process of tiling an entryway and hallway to match them to a dining and kitchen area. ...
A: Hardibacker is a cement replacement for wood floors. If you already have a concrete slab....that is ...
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| water damage on laminate flooring | 11/24/2006 |
Q: I had water damage to my lamiante flooring and it has 'lifted' the top layer of laminate ( it is ...
A: To my limited knowledge, once the laminate delaminates from moisture....it is history. It is ...
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| Hardwood vs. laminate | 11/22/2006 |
Q: We are looking to have installed wood flooring in our living, dining and kitchen. We are stuck ...
A: A real wood floor is always the best choice for durability and resale. If you go with a solid wood ...
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| ceramic floor tile installation | 11/21/2006 |
Q: It was reccommended by the representative at the Home Improvement Center that I use a Multi Purpose ...
A: Multi purpose adhesives are for carpets and linoleums. Moveable flooring. If you put down ceramic ...
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| Floating floor advice for near the door jams. | 11/20/2006 |
Q: I know you can always put up trim later so you can leave 1/4" to allow expansion below the trim but ...
A: That 1/4" gap is a nuisance. It creates more problems than it could relieve. I put my flooring up ...
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| tile | 11/20/2006 |
Q: Is there a difference between floor tile and tile that I would like to do the inside of my shower ...
A: You do need to be carefull wht you choose for inside a shower. Some materials are not suited for ...
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| install laminate flooring but really bad squeaky floor | 11/19/2006 |
Q: Ok. I check it very closely. Wall is not the problem as it is atleast 1/2 inch above the sub fllor. ...
A: If you havent laid the floor yet..start making access holes to get to the root of your squeak. Now ...
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| Water Damage | 11/17/2006 |
Q: My humidifier leaked and water was everywhere seeping into our laminate flooring. Now the floor is ...
A: Unfortunately, I cant imagine a fix for particle board that has gotten wet. If it is ...
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| Marble bathroom floor | 11/17/2006 |
Q: I just had a black marble floor installed in my bathroom (not grouted yet)and the joints are uneven ...
A: 1/16" is the maximum deflection on elevations. If you have any thing over that...the installation ...
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| Marble tiling fireplace surround facing | 11/17/2006 |
Q: Im a newbie (sorry!). Our 17 year old fireplace has the original black front facing ( I guess its ...
A: You will need to remove the existing facing to see what the support structure is. You need a sound ...
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| floor leveling | 11/16/2006 |
Q: I would like to install laminate flooring in a poorly built addition. I pulled up the carpet - and ...
A: I did a job like this in Boulder City Nv. We actually took 3/4" plywood and used an electric plane ...
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| cement slab floor vs. wood | 11/15/2006 |
Q: What is your opinion on whether the cement slab is a problem with people walking and living with it ...
A: Not many people ask this question, and it is a very interesting answer. A concrete slab and its ...
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| Hardwood floor installation | 11/12/2006 |
Q: I own a capecod and would like to install red oak hardwood floors in the second stoery bedroom. It ...
A: Remove the old tile first....I recommend a glue and nail job, it removes the squeak element, and the ...
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| grouting 1/2" joints in large (24"x24" slate tiles | 11/11/2006 |
Q: I've laid some beautiful 2'sq slate tiles in my kitchen and can grout tomorrow. Joints are 1/2". ...
A: Home Depot does carry "grout bags". Very similar to you icing description. One of the easier ways ...
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| Question asked on November 7 | 11/10/2006 |
Q: I asked about tile in a bathroom and problems with the wall tile that goes to the floor. I received ...
A: It is very possible that My computer glitched. If I recall, you have wall tiles going to the floor ...
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| looking for "wood" alternative | 11/8/2006 |
Q: I'm looking for options for a "wood" floor for the entire first floor of my house which includes 1/2 ...
A: Laminates vs. wood vs Engineered flooring. Education time. Laminates are basically a plastic ...
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| concrete prep | 11/7/2006 |
Q: 1) What is the best solution to remove black mastic and vinyl glue on my concrete floor? 2) What is ...
A: I use a razor scrapper like a wallpaper scrapper...4" wide blade. There are many concrete patch ...
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| particle board underlayment | 11/7/2006 |
Q: Someone else touched on this elsewhere but I would like more clarification. Want to install Costco ...
A: I dont like the particle board underlayment, but the pneumatic nailer will help with its ...
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| cement backer board | 11/6/2006 |
Q: How do I attach the cement backer board to a slab floor? Do I liquid mail it to the cement? I am ...
A: Normally you would not use backer board on a slab floor. It is a cementous layer for wood floors. ...
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| install laminate flooring but really bad squeaky floor | 11/5/2006 |
Q: I bought this house few months a ago. This home is almost 11 years old so there are no squeaks ...
A: You may need to cut in some access holes in the floor to insert some support blocking. Fortunately, ...
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| transistions | 11/2/2006 |
Q: I am installing 3/4in hardwood floor. It is going to meet ceramic tile at the same height. Do I put ...
A: Normally you would put a piece of tape on the wood edge and grout to the wood. Tape being a water ...
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| laminate flooring | 10/29/2006 |
Q: We just bought a house and 1 week before the movers are to come to move us in, the "friend" that was ...
A: Find out how square the room is. It is critical to start with a square pattern. Get some lines on ...
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| kitchen floor tile | 10/24/2006 |
Q: I have a kitchen floor, not older than 6 years in age. Some tiles are cracked to the point where ...
A: I use a really small screwdriver and slowly chip away the grout surrounding the tiles. Then I ...
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| Laminate Flooring | 10/18/2006 |
Q: We recently had a free floating, lamininate floor installled in our kitchen. Our problem is that is ...
A: You found the flaw. That is the biggest problem with a floating floor. Hollow sounding. The ...
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| Laminate florrs | 10/17/2006 |
Q: Sir, I had a general contractor come to my house and give me an estimate on installing laminate ...
A: Please contact the contractor as soon as possible. HE is in charge of the issue for the purchase ...
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| flooring and stairs | 10/16/2006 |
Q: We are moving into a rehab. Brick Bunglow in Chicago in a few weeks. Basement is finished except for ...
A: The laminate flooring is a good choice for the basement, and not a good choice for stairs. I would ...
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| Tile Setting | 10/11/2006 |
Q: I am remodeling the bathroom and buying a very expensive porcelain tile. How should the tile guy set ...
A: Hardibacker is a prefered method for the walls. The floor IN a shower is another matter. A shower ...
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| Parquet flooring - swelling | 10/9/2006 |
Q: We have rather old parquest flooring and parts of it swells especially in summer. Can I fix these by ...
A: It is possible but not fun. It takes patience to figure the method to pull them up and take them ...
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| tile grout sealing | 10/5/2006 |
Q: I just had a porcelain tile floor installed and they said I have to seal it, however the grout is ...
A: If they do it right, there is NOT residue on the tiles. There may be a "thin" layer of dust that ...
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| Laminate flooring dips and humps | 10/2/2006 |
Q: Dave, Thanks for the info on this problem. I am finally crowbarring off the old parque, a lot of ...
A: Now you may be doing more than needed. The foam underlayment does not need a clean surface, it is ...
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| Hardibacker install question | 10/1/2006 |
Q: Yesterday I covered the floor of a 5 year old bathroom that had 3/4" ply over 2x12's 16" OC. The 1/4 ...
A: If you fear a compromise, think screws and counter sink the heads. As for the seams...not a worry. ...
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| Tile over concrete | 9/30/2006 |
Q: I have a question regarding installing tile over a concrete slab in my basement. I have sanded the ...
A: If the sanding did not expose the original concrete, then an installation of 1/4" hardibacker is a ...
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| Flooring | 9/29/2006 |
Q: I plan,(or at least hope to)put down laminate flooring. The floor currently has carpeting. As I ...
A: The planking direction is largely a perception. Which is the longest run and will your laminate ...
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| painting sub-floor | 9/29/2006 |
Q: We are actually planning to cover the existing subfloor with 4'x8'x0.25" sheets of plywood. We just ...
A: It makes alot more sense and should work. I strongly suggest glue down and finish nails. As for ...
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| Tile Sub-flooring | 9/28/2006 |
Q: I want to tile a small floor area (5'x5')where there is now carpet. I have pulled back the carpet ...
A: You should not lay tile directly over any wood flooring. You should either float in a masonry ...
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| Installing wood floors and kitchen cabinets - which order? | 9/27/2006 |
Q: Dave, My husband and I are having a house built by a local builder. In the kichen, the builder had ...
A: It saves alot of money to not put flooring under cabinets. It also allows the cabinet bases to be ...
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| laminate versus hardwood | 9/27/2006 |
Q: I just spoke to a flooring contractor to get a quote on wood flooring. He suggested that I install ...
A: I am an old carpenter...from the East (OHIO) we had solid wood flooring throughout our home. Cant ...
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| granite tile kitchen countertops | 9/26/2006 |
Q: we are wanting to install granite tile for new countertops. Ihave a few questions/concerns about ...
A: I would recommend a grout joint...1/16" which would only require a minimum of unsanded grout. You ...
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| wood flooring vrs ceramic Tile | 9/22/2006 |
Q: we are building a new home, wood floors come standard however we would like to know which is cheaper ...
A: With all the stories I hear...it is nearly dead even. Alot depends on the price of the tiles vs the ...
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