I love flooring tile. It’s easy to install, most of its affordable and it looks good in just about any room. So why don’t I marry it already? Because my lawyers can’t quite figure out the prenuptial yet. Although I’m no tile contractor, I’ve installed my share of this fantastic flooring material and I love to show everyone how easy it is to install themselves. Whether you’re thinking about installing a bit of tile in your entryway, or you’re filling your whole house with the stuff, use this overview on tile installation to pick up a few basics to get you started, and see for yourself how easy it is to start becoming a tile master. [Read more...]
Tile Flooring Basics
Engineered Wood Flooring – An Idiots Guide
I have a million funny stories about flooring guys – too many to fit into this article in fact. It certainly doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put down an engineered, floating or laminate wood floor. Most of the flooring guys I’ve dealt with in the past can barely write their name, are drunk by noon and have just as many bad tattoos of old girlfriends names on their chest as they have front teeth. So if you’re deciding to do your own engineered wood floor; don’t fret about it being too difficult. Just about anyone can walk their way through the project without running into too many snags. So kick back to some good-ole-boy hillbilly music, open a beer as soon as you wake up and use these tips and techniques for installing your own engineered wood floor. [Read more...]
Roll up the Red Carpet
I certainly don’t want to offend anyone, but carpet sucks. It’s not a DIY friendly material, it’s not very ecofriendly and it lasts about as long as a virgin on their wedding night. Wall to wall carpet to me is a waste of money and I’d much rather spend it on a flooring material that looks elegant, is safe for the environment and is easy to keep in good shape, even when your family treats it like a red headed stepchild. Although I’d rather have sawdust and peanut shells on the floor over carpet any day, here’s a list of my favorite flooring options that are easy to install yourself, look good and give you a great return on your investment. [Read more...]
Squeeeeek No More – Floor Repair Kit for Sneaks
I swear you will find this in every thriller written these days, “As (insert hero’s name here) silently crept up the stairs, he kept his feet close to the walls where it was less likely to squeak. Then…” Yes, those nasty little squeaks can take away the element of surprise, all right. They can just ruin a hero’s day. They can also ruin your day (actually night) when those nasty little squeaks can give away what time you actually got home or went to bed. [Read more...]
Schluter-Ditra Universal Underlayment – The Undergarment Every Tile Floor Needs
Schluter-Ditra understands that tile, being a hard, brittle substance, expands and contracts due to moisture and temperature related conditions, at a totally, different rate from whichever substrate material lies beneath, be it plywood, concrete, cement, etc. This can be a problem when using traditional, thin-set mortar bed applications, which bond the tile directly to the supporting structure. The result is usually cracked, ruined tiles. In order to ensure both layers can move independently, an additional layer in between the two materials, is a must-have. (And no, you can’t just lay any, random thing down. Just in case someone out there is thinking, “Huh. I don’t see any reason I couldn’t use this old comforter.”) The Schluter-Ditra Universal Underlayment is the better option. [Read more...]
Skil Flooring Saw Review – A Portable Flooring Workshop
We know, we know. The Skil Flooring Saw has now been on the market for about a million years. Actually, it’s closer to one year, but that’s a long time in the tool world. We’re a little (ok, a lot) behind the curve on this one, but since Skil is a HomeFixated sponsor, we figured we’d better get a move on. Skil sent us both the 3600-02 7 amp Flooring Saw, and one of their Contractor Series Premium Flooring Blades (75536). The saw is designed to cut solid, engineered and laminate flooring. Although we didn’t have a flooring job underway, I grabbed some leftover 3/4″ white oak flooring scrap from a previous job and put the Skil Flooring Saw through it’s paces. [Read more...]
3-D Hardwood Floor From Scratch How To – In Case You’re Not Busy
This is another product from an incredible mind showcased on instructables.com. And wowsers, it’s a doosey. So, there’s this guy and he wants to put down hardwood floors but he wants them unique. None of that straight-line crap, herringbone is for sissies, alternating squares yawn. Let’s use 2” rhomboid shaped tiles and lay them to give the floor a 3-D look. Oh, yeah and one more thing, let’s make the hardwood rhombuses from scratch from three different logs – from our own trees. I know what you’re thinking – how long does it take to cut, mill and plane 2” tiles out of logs? [Read more...]
Moving Heavy Furniture – Sometimes DIY Is Really Best
The offending product has been removed from this photo!
AWP Knee Blades – Exuding Laziness While Working Hard
AWP maker of tool belts, heavy duty suspenders, knee pads and other construction/home improvement gear has come out with what I think will lead to the next major Olympic sport. The Knee Blades are knee pads with rollers on them, I know right, shut my mouth; but that’s the simplicity and brilliance of this gear. Now they tout the Knee Blades for their ability to simplify jobs like tiling, base board installation, and trim painting. But to me that’s small picture thinking. [Read more...]
Installing Hardwood Floors? Great Online DIY Resources
Image Source: One Project Closer
After my raging catastrophe with our engineered hardwood floors, Marc asked me if I wanted to talk about “real” hardwood floors on HomeFixated. While I’m certainly pro-hardwood floors, the truth is, is that I’ve never had to shop for or install them myself. This means that my ‘expertise’ on the matter is limited to walking and dancing (badly) on them and thinking certain varieties and stains are pretty. Not exactly helpful. [Read more...]
