Wood Sub Floors » Do It Yourself

Applying Epoxy Floor To Your Garage

Floor Guy — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 08:45:53 +0000

If there is a floor with a high chance of being damaged, then the epoxy coating is the best solution that you can decide for. The reason for this is the strength of epoxy coating. There is no other type of floor that is as durable as this one and that has the power to withstand so many influences.

There is no type of flooring that has such high resistance damage as epoxy other than plain old stained concrete but who wants to go through everything you have to just to learn how to stain concrete floors? Besides being able to resist dust and dirt, they also resist to tear and wear. You can clean them with ease. We all know that the garage is the best place to use for epoxy coating. Since there are many activities in the garage that are dangerous for the floor, this has to be done and made. Doing this is the best epoxy flooring option after all.

Applying epoxy flooring in the garage is quite easy. You can achieve this if you follow few simple rules. The total process can be divided in to four main parts. The first part or the first step that one has to take is to etch the concrete. You will do this in order to prepare the garage floor for the epoxy. Before applying the epoxy, make sure you cleaned the floor first.

You will get better adhesion of the epoxy coating if you keep etching and cleaning your garage floor. Another step is very important, and that is to check is there any moisture present on the floor. You have to make sure to seal the concrete so that your floor doesn’t have any moisture or you will lower the quality of your epoxy coating.

To bond the epoxy paint and the floor, you should make sure sealing is done correctly. The floor can now receive epoxy coating. And how to apply epoxy floor paint? This can be done by using a brush, roller or even a spray. In case you have a damp garage floor, you can’t expect that the epoxy paint will bond the way it should.

The final step that has to be made is the top coat. Applying the topcoat to the epoxy floor is very necessary. Do not forget that you should not forget about the top coat if you are aiming to have top results for your floor.

Choosing the Right Flooring for Your Kitchen

Floor Guy — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:47:52 +0000

The kitchen received the most abuse of any room in the house, so choosing the right flooring material is important. It also has the unique distinction of possibly having to deal with the effects of water, sharp utensils, materials that stain, and hot substances. Because of this, it is important to make sure that the flooring you choose can stand up to all of these elements so that it can last for years to come. Each house will have it’s unique requirements, so I have highlighted some of the pro’s and con’s of the most common materials.

CARPETING- This may be one of the worst ideas for flooring in a kitchen. While it may make for a nice cushion under your feet, the probability of spills, mold, and stains makes it an inpractical material for kitchen flooring. Be prepared to replace the carpeting quite frequently in a kitchen that receives even average use.

VINYL FLOORING- From a cost stand point, vinyl flooring is going to be one of the most economical. There are endless possibilities when it comes to colors and patterns, which makes it easy to find something to coordinate with the rest of your kitchen. Vinyl holds up pretty well, but it does have some drawbacks- It can stain, heel marks can be tough to remove, and sharp objects, like knives, can cut the flooring. One of the advantages to vinyl is that it can be laid in one big piece, and maintain is simply using some standard household cleaners.

LAMINATE- Laminate is also available in a wide range of colors and finishes. It can take the wear and tear of heavy traffic with ease, and is easy to clean. There are not a whole lot of drawbacks to laminate, unless you go for a cheap version.

TILE- Tile is a great choice for warmer climates, since it stays cool. It is available in a wide variety of finishes and the patterns that can be created are endless. There are a couple of drawbacks to tile that should be noted. First, you will have to deal with the grout lines which tend to stain and make cleaning the floors more difficult. The other drawback to tile is that is can easily chip or crack if something heavy is dropped on it. With tile, it is also important to make sure that your sub-floor is perfectly level because any dips or bumps could result in cracked tiles over time.

WOOD- Wood floors a lot of warmth to the kitchen and are available in a wide variety of stains and wood grains. That comes with a price though, since wood floors can be expensive. Wood floors can scratch and dent, but they can be re-sanded to bring back the original beauty. How well wood flooring holds up is also dependant on what type of finish is applied. Multiple coats of polyurethane will help seal in the beauty. If properly maintained with routine cleaning, wood floors can last a lifetime.

So when choosing the flooring that is right for your home, take into account the amount of traffic, how often it will get used, and what type of decor you are planning on using. If properly maintained, your kitchen floors should last for years to come.

Stone Flooring

Floor Guy — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:30:51 +0000

Many of the people in the world are now very environmentally conscious. For this reason when they look for flooring material that will not only look nice but wear well many of them will choose to have stone flooring in their homes. There are various types of stone flooring materials that you can select to place on the ground.

Now as with most material you will get the inexpensive flooring and you can get the expensive flooring material. The quality of the stone flooring will therefore depend upon the type of stone that you get. There are certain types of stone that are traditionally used in flooring. These are marble, travertine, granite and agglomerated stone tiles.

There are two types of marble that you can use for stone flooring. The normal polished kind has a veined appearance and it is a soft stone. To keep the polished marble in the best condition you will need to have it sealed with a natural stone sealer. The other type of unpolished marble has rough somewhat sponge like texture.

Unlike the normal marble stone flooring the unpolished marble comes in variations of its color pattern. There will not be any sign of other patterns or veins. As this stone flooring has a somewhat rough feel to it your feet will feel comfortable while you are walking or standing on this floor. Since many of the qualities of polished marble are apparent in the rough cut marble stone flooring you will still have that sumptuous and luxury feel to your flooring.

The best way to apply this stone flooring to your home is to fist prepared the ground. So you will need to select a base floor that is smooth, stable and very strong. You will need to set the marble tiles on the ground using white thin set mortar. Make sure that the position of the marble is how you want it before you press down on the mortar backing. As the marble is of an irregular shape your grout lines will not all be of an even width. This however adds an interesting touch to your stone flooring.

The final process for most stone flooring once they are ready for wear and tear, is being cut with a wet saw. As this stone flooring is made from marble you will need to apply an acrylic sealer before you apply the grouting. Otherwise the grouting will seep into the stone flooring and stain them.

The other materials that you can use for your stone flooring will need to be chosen for the type of room that will have them. All of these stone flooring are quite attractive and they have they added advantage of being natural materials which counts when you want your home to be in harmony with the environment.

Rubber Flooring

Floor Guy — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:25:53 +0000

By now you have finished decorating most of your house and all that remains is your floors. You have seen the many different types of flooring that you can buy for your home. So with all of these choices you need to ask yourself what are the inexpensive flooring choices that you can make. Well many people will tell you that you can use laminate flooring but I suggest that you look into the world of rubber flooring.

Now I know that many of you are saying that there is no way that rubber flooring will make your home look great. In fact you are probably thinking that with rubber flooring the quality and value of your house will decrease. This will only occur if you install the wrong type of rubber flooring.

So what is the right type of rubber flooring that you can use in your home? You can buy your rubber flooring in different types of shapes and sizes. There are also many different types of colors that you can buy for your home color coordinating. With rubber flooring you can be assured that the flooring is slip resistant and very hard wearing. Since there are many new technological advances to rubber you will find that these materials are ideal for many uses in our homes.

So where can you look for the different varieties of rubber flooring. Well the best place to start your hunt should be on the internet. Here you will be able to select different types of rubber flooring. You can also find out the various discounts that you will offered. Now of course you may not want to go through the many pages of rubber flooring that is listed on these pages.

Now for those of you have decided that you will try out the different types of rubber flooring you are in for a surprise. You can get the rubber flooring that you want in tile format. This means that you can arrange your flooring in various patterns and shapes. The best fact that many people forget about rubber flooring is that this flooring is material is very quiet and warm on your feet.

In addition you will note that rubber flooring is made of rubber that can withstand all of the high traffic that can be expected from a home and therefore it is highly durable. So now that you know these new facts about rubber flooring you might still want to buy this type of flooring.

Installing Laminate Flooring

Floor Guy — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:00:05 +0000

Many of us prefer to leave the laying of flooring materials to the experts. There are times when you will need to do the job because for various reasons you just weren’t able to find anyone to do the job. Now while some types of flooring can be very difficult for the novice (average) home builder there are some flooring materials that are very easy for you to do. More over companies will instruct you on how to go about installing laminate floorin g.

With laminate flooring you will get a rich look finish. You will find that laminate floors of today are made in different finishes. There are various textures that you can see about installing laminate flooring caters for this type of look. You can buy laminate flooring that looks like stone. You can also buy laminate floors in many hardwood finishes. There is inexpensive looking walnut, beech, oak, or even cherry wood finishes.

You will also be able to find different varieties of laminate flooring. With installing laminate flooring you can get laminate flooring that has textures that look like real wood, high gloss finishes. There is also laminate flooring where you will get a rustic and worn texture.

Beyond these finishes laminate flooring is very durable and quick to install in your home. You will find the process for installing laminate flooring simple. The main way to assemble your laminate flooring is to use snapping tongue and groove flooring. There are different types of laminate flooring where will not have to use any adhesive or glue to fix your laminate flooring

In addition you will find that by installing laminate flooring in this manner you are creating a very secure and strong, interlocking planks that are joined across the entire width of the room because of the snap lock process. However before you start installing laminate flooring you will need to get the floor ready.

Any old flooring material that you find in your laminate to be rooms will need to be removed and the base floor will have to be cleaned and made ready for the rest of the process. The next step is to see that the floor is one level and even. Any grooves and holes in the floor must be filled in. You will also have to check that your base floor will not become damp.

Once you are ready you can start installing laminate flooring over the newly prepared ground floor. Make sure that all of your laminate looks correct before you press down of the flooring material to fix it to the floors. After the floors have dried you are ready to get your room ready for living.

To Do-it-yourself Or Not: Tactics To Save With Home Enhancements

Floor Guy — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:30:50 +0000

The first few steps of any home improvement project are about asking a few key questions. What is the scope? What is the budget? Should I attempt to do the work myself? Determining the answers to these questions will save you both money and time on your next home improvement project.

To learn how these three, simple questions will save you money on your home improvement project, keep reading.

1. What is the scope?

Start by having a clear understanding of what you want to do. Essentially, you need to have a plan. If you decide that your only goal is to make cosmetic changes, like new paint or some flooring, then great – you can budget accordingly and probably take on the job yourself.

Meanwhile, if you want to make major structural changes, you can plan out the new layouts. Some builders recommend laying out mock-ups with masking tape and cardboard so you can get a feel for the new space before you commit to it.

2. What is my budget?

This is your most important money-saving step. More than getting a great deal on tiling or saving on a contract hire, planning out a budget and sticking to it will save you the most money.

When budgeting, always pad your figures by about 20 percent to account for unexpected supply costs, hidden expenses and surprise purchases. Don’t deplete these reserves unless it’s absolutely necessary. Reserve funds tend to dry up fast on large renovation projects.

For example, with new flooring, you need to take into account not only the cost of the material and labor (even with steep discounts), but also care and maintenance afterward.

Finally, save more money with low-interest financing or by paying for the project with cash. Cash is the simplest and cheapest way to fund any remodeling projects – no lenders and no interest.

3. Should I do it myself?

We often think we can save money on a home renovation by doing it ourselves, but our limited knowledge or skills can sometimes cause more damage than good.

Before you grab those tools, ask yourself if you have sufficient understanding of the work involved to take on the project? Do you have the right tools or access to the right tools? Can you do the project safely?

Do you have enough free time to get the project done in a timely manner? Are you confident that you can hit an acceptable level of quality? Are you sufficiently physically fit to take on the job? Can you obtain the required permits? And, finally, is this actually something you want to do?

If you can answer yes, to all those questions – go for it. Otherwise, look for a contractor who comes with personal referrals, a stable business, a strong track record and a thorough, itemized price estimate.