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Posts Tagged ‘Installing Flooring’

Laminate stair nosing

Saturday, October 17, 2009
posted by Craig

This is a monumental post and it really means alot to give back in this manner. As much as the overwhelming response that we have received, the reply is we are eternally grateful to be of service and thank you very much. How to install laminate flooring, stair nosing. This will depend on which type of laminate flooring your using more than anything else, but our opinion is every manufacture has a website that breaks it down for us. Hardwood laminates are best in this area because of the traffic and abuse stairs incur from human feet.fastening a laminate floor stair nose

This illustration has the nose being locked down with an actual carpentry screw after the glued installation. Plugged the hole with same product, finish, etc. Do the layout well and install all fasteners into and through the wood meat below for a good sound application. Almost every home improvement center stocks or can easily order any parts from their suppliers. The point is you can obtain exactly what you need for the proper installation required, from the same laminate flooring maker, in the same finish……….. thanks again.

The Staff

2nd Floor bath Tile Floor

Tuesday, October 13, 2009
posted by Craig

We recently got the job of tiling a upstairs bathroom floor. With the linoleum demoed off, we knew before hand that the height restriction were minimal. The owners selected the tile they wanted to use and we had to figure out how to install tile floor with a 3/8″ product and had to stay  built up a maximum of about 5/8″ total to finish floor. A 1/4″ backer board was first thought but we wanted to lay a moisture barrier and then thin set of coarse.expanded metal sub-float

So the remedy was to apply 2 layers of jumbotex paper first, rolled up behind the future baseboards,  then an expanded screen metal tight and flat, nailed 6″ o.c. throughout. Then with a  mortar mix, spread a well mixed batch completely covering the mesh metal, that gave us a strong water proofed, low profile cementitious substrate to adhere the thin set tile to. All the while keeping just under our elevation restrictions.

Tile over Wood

Tuesday, October 13, 2009
posted by Craig

Hardy backer board or Wonderboard is 2 common brands out there to use when you need to know how to install ceramic tile over a subfloor or wood surface. This cementitious flat panel is sold in manageable sizes to work with, they can be bought in 1/4″, 1/2″ or 3/4″ thicknesses. Many contractors will use these type of products in lieu of floating a pretile surface.cement board pretile application

The simple beauty of this approach is enabling a bang-bang, skip a step, screw it down and off to setting tile procedure. We recommend whatever you decide will be fine, as long as you follow manufacture rules and restrictions. That being said the down side to this is, however in-congruent the preconditions are this cement board will follow suit. Where as the float method is way more messy and laborious, but the end result is any thickness and any surface can be made perfect when applicable.

Tile Borders

Saturday, October 10, 2009
posted by Craig

When the designing a floor pattern with tile any marriage of colors or pattern schemes is fruitful. It can be how to install tile floor with borders. The essential idea is bringing about a perimeter edge that accentuates the main area tile.Tile floor with laminate border Just about any variation is doable in this case. This image shows a laminate border and is quite attractive.

The blond wood laminate gives a nice compliment to the lite colored tile. The border can also encompass any cabinetry as well as the surrounding outside edge of the room at the walls.

Solid Tile Floor

Friday, October 9, 2009
posted by Craig

Often times in this industry we come across an anomaly when arriving at the home of a repair service call. The existing kitchen had a nice tile floor. But in 4 different spots the tile had been chipped or broken. As we exposed beneath the marred tiles the thin set used was hollow in just those small areas that needed repairs.surface chipped ceramic tile

On how to install ceramic tile this was typical of some things we have experienced in the past. The former tile guys had used the right materials and the floor looked real nice but all these broken tiles had a common thread. The adhesive they applied was sparse and had left hollow voids on each of these. When the setting the tiles we need to create a solid coating underneath to keep the strength needed for traffic and normal usage. If a kitchen utensil drops on top of any particular voided spot it’s almost guaranteed to damage the tile and cause the need to replace it. The ceramic is baked on and not too thick, so it will leave a chip mark that ends up standing out like a cockroach on a wedding cake.

Prep for Tile Install

Wednesday, October 7, 2009
posted by Craig

When preparation is paramount before approaching a how to install tile floor in any room or area, it’s worth noting that the area that will be covered needs the proper prep work initiated to accept the new materials, so they may adhere to and sustain the future traffic and any abuse. I’ve been successful in applying a ceramic tile over an existing ceramic tile floor. For the extra labor involved it came to that we should wash the existing surface with muriatic acid in which this gave us the tooth we needed for the thin set bond. But by no means where it could have been possible until then.

laying a tile floorCement products will typically only stick to another like substance. So whether it be a raised foundation plywood floor or a slab the application will vary quite a bit. The new floor has to have a sound (non broken) unchipped surface for this to work . Often we have seen a tile of some sort be thin set onto a drywall surface and at the time it appears OK, but not for long or as soon as it start getting damp from bath humidity or any other kind of abuse. We highly recommend taking the extra steps in helping your projects survive longevity.

Laminate Flooring Options

Tuesday, October 6, 2009
posted by Craig

One of the basic tips of how to install laminate flooring will be to allow enough room for expansion and contraction, if the laminate is a true wood product it has to be able to breathe and acclimate to its new environment. After purchase set in the room it will be installed in and unwrap it, and give it a chance to acclimate.Pergo Laminate with Spots

Laminate flooring has a dense inner core and a glued-on layer or fused layers of outer material. Many types of laminate flooring simulate wood, but some look like marble or granite. A popular alternative to other hard surface products, high-quality laminate flooring resists staining, wear, and fading much better than wood and natural stone while providing unique looks and appeal. It is durable (about 20 times stronger than a kitchen countertop) and is water-resistant, offering use in bathrooms and kitchens in addition to high traffic areas. Unlike most hardwoods, laminates are quite dent-resistant.

Detail’s

Tuesday, September 29, 2009
posted by Craig

Perhaps the things that appear on the surface are not always what they seem. But when a job falls short of expectation’s in our minds it’s relative to unfinished business. How to install ceramic tile properly is the easy segment here but how to incorporate the other elements involved and do it as if we were never ever even there is the goal.Notching jamb over flooring When this detail has been left undone it never looks ok in the eye of an artist, ceramic tile up against the base boards or door jamb with an added element of a grout line vs. the jamb and base boards sitting atop the flooring and appearing a finished professional product. Would we ever consider tiling up to the toilet as opposed to pulling the loo and tiling to the waste flange first with the toilet now sitting above our tile floor? Exactly our thoughts, do it right the first time or don’t do it at all.new flooring under existing jamb and casing (done right)!

Prelimenary Floor Tile

Saturday, September 26, 2009
posted by Craig

The bathroom is ready for the floor to be covered and we are going with a 12″ ceramic flat tile that will bring a visual marriage to the shower tiles on the walls. After placing a level on the slab floor we have come to the conclusion that it’s very out of level in a relative short distance up to 3/4″ from lowest to the highest peak. Lucky for us the high point is located at the door transition, where tile meets the carpet in the hallway and will not be an issue.Liquid leveling agent

We want to pour a leveling agent that can go from 0″ to 3/4″ and not crack or breakup over time. The liquid will find its own level and fill the low area as we pour. We have marked the borders here as to not over fill. The agent we have chosen is for leveling uneven wood or concrete floors. A quick setting, non-shrinking compound with excellent adhesive qualities for leveling and repairing uneven surfaces before the installation of ceramic tile of a resilient floor. Waiting for the curing process and the we can apply the tile over this with thin set.

To glue or?

Friday, August 7, 2009
posted by Craig

Not to glue? This will depend on which brand of laminate flooring choice to go with and where it’ll be placed. Some of the products out recommend that the need for glued joints is a must in any room that will be getting wet.laminate flooring glue

Baths and kitchen areas for instance can get wet daily, so here is where the glue comes in. Read the instructions to determine what type of adhesive is applicable. Often those products will be in the same aisle’s as the flooring to be purchased, then simply follow the manufactures steps. The glue acts as not only a adhesive for the joints but at the same time a sealer for standing moisture not to be allowed to penetrate and cause future damage.