Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with floor

Dummies' guide to installing laminate flooring

feathermeat — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:18:52 -0800

Hot tips on laying down laminate floor? So we have decided that we are beyond sick of the disgusting carpet in our living room and boring vinyl in our kitchen and want to replace both with some kind of laminate flooring (the kind you click together, not the kind that needs glue). For cost reasons, we need to do it ourselves. We are utterly clueless in these matters, so I'm looking for any advice from people who have done this themselves. Also, if anyone knows of a really, really good step-by-step guide on the net, please point me to it.

Paint to go with Bamboo floor?

marlys27 — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:50:24 -0800

Decor Filter : What colors of paint go with blond bamboo flooring? We just bought a house and are looking to paint before we move in. Presently the room with the bamboo floor
is a lovely light green that makes the room look sunny and large. We would like to keep the effect but have the room painted a more neutral color so as to be able to match more of the room's furniture etc. Concrete suggestions of actual paint colors would be appreciated. We are looking to use Benjamin Moore Aura Paint.

Help me protect my new bamboo floors.

markblasco — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:29:13 -0800

Help me protect my new bamboo floors Just installed some engineered bamboo wood floors in the basement of our house. Installed with moisture barrier underneath, and the slab tested dry, so I am not worried about that. I would like to wax or somehow put some sort of additional layer of protection on the top, since we got a less expensive floor, which I know probably has a very thin finish layer. This is what we got:

http://www.lumberliquidators.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=6550

I have heard that certain products do not work well with prefinished floors, so I don't want to get anything that will cause damage to the finish.

My wife is pregnant, and we have several cats that live in that area, so anything toxic is out (I won't be putting on a poly finish or anything like that), but I am wondering if there is some sort of floor wax that will work well, and won't cause finish problems. I can keep the cats at bay from walking in that area for an afternoon or overnight if needed, but can't remove them from the area entirely.

I don't mind a little "wax on, wax off" elbow grease, but I just don't want to put something down that will cause the floors to look hazey or that will chemically react with the finish.

Any suggestions?

eeeew, that tile is tacky...

sandra_s — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:05:11 -0800

There is a tacky (as in sticky) film on top of my newly installed tile floor. Help me make it go away! (the tacky film, not the tile floor, mind you) Just had a professional, total rip-out and reinstall of a real tile floor (as opposed to vinyl tiles) in my kitchen, hallway, guest bathroom. I waited the requisite time, plus 2 days, for everything to be set and sealed and dried and ready to go. Then last night I gave it a good scrubbing with the same tile floor detergent I used on my old floor. Then a thorough rinsing.

Now there is a subtle sticky-ness to the entire surface. I realize I will have to clean it all again, but how do I make the stickiness go away?

I heard that some suggest vinegar for cleaning tile, but the smell of vinegar makes me gag, and I have guests coming tomorrow night, and I have concerns about the odor.

Thanks in advance!

Should I buy it filter: Flat Screen floor model.

Mastercheddaar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:58:31 -0800

I am looking for a TV to put downstairs. I was shopping at bestbuy and I found a floor model for sale. It is an LG 37" 1080p 60hz. They are not carrying this model anymore so it was marked down to $499.00. I talked to the manager and she said the lowest she was willing to go was $435.00. This seems like a decent price but my hold ups are that it is a floor model with no in store warranty (all it has is a mfs 1 year warranty.) It has been on all the time and Lord only knows how long it has been there. They also told me that they would have to look for the remote. My question is: Is it a steal for the price? Or should I quit being cheap and spend another 100-200 bucks or so to get a new one in the box? Bonus question: Where could I get a 37-40 inch 1080p 60 hz flat screen for around $500.00 bucks brand new from a good manufacturer?

How easy are self-leveling cement compounds to use?

markblasco — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:00:20 -0800

How easy are self-leveling cement compounds to use? In remodeling our basement, we have decided to put in some engineered hardwood floors. I have removed a couple of walls, all of the carpet and pad, and scraped the glue residue off of the concrete slab. The installation instructions say the floor must be flat to within 3/16 of an inch over 8 feet. Our floor is not this level, with some areas dipping down by about 3/8 of an inch.

The suggestion to me has been to use some "self-leveling" compound on the slab, to even things out enough for the floors to be installed. I have a feeling this is going to be one of those things which sounds easier than it actually is. I have been told to either pour the leveler into the low spots and use a level to even it out into a thin layer, and then the compound will even itself out. Another person told me to do the whole room, starting furthest away from the doorway, and ending at the door, so that I can just walk out and leave it to dry.

Should I just be filling in the lower dips (assuming that evens it out enough), or do I need to do the entire floor? I would prefer to not do the entire thing, but if that is required for some reason than I will just bite the bullet and cover the whole floor.

Do I need to worry about preparing or priming the slab ahead of time (some of it is painted currently, and some of it is bare cement), if I am going to not be walking directly on it (I will put down an underlayment/moisture barrier between the floor and the slab)?

Is this something that I can do myself, or will it require more than one person?

slip sliding away.

mecran01 — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:19:18 -0800

I've installed laminate flooring about a year ago, and individual pieces are sliding around. I don't know if this is because the ridges on the short ends have broken, or whether it's a change in weather, or crud has slipped into the spaces.

Shameful confession: I have not installed the baseboards or transitions yet. Will they help reduce slippage?

Can I glue the sliding pieces together? I have seen recommendations for "blue fusion" a pv 2 glue.

This only happens in two high traffic spots.

Floored

pised — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:11:13 -0800

I've been to many, many concerts in the past but have always had seats and have no idea how it works when you have floor tickets. What can I expect? My partner got us floor tickets for U2 at Skydome (I refuse to call it Rogers Centre) in Toronto, which I'm pretty excited for, except for being concerned about a couple of things.

1) Our tickets do have seat numbers on them, but my impression was with floor tickets is that there's no actual seats -- true? (If not true, the rest of my question is pretty much moot.) My main concern with this is that standing for long periods of time tends to make me feel faint (I suspect I have orthostatic hypotension). That said, as long as I'm concentrating on other things/being entertained (a given with U2) and not thinking about how I feel off, I'm usually ok.

2) I'm also short and I'd like to be able to see Bono and co. I know that they have the huge screens and all, but if we will be standing the whole time, should we go earlier (i.e. when doors open) and stake out a good spot? Should we stand near the outside edge so I have an exit route in case I do get fainty? Or should we just try to get as close to the front as possible?

3) Anything I should be aware of, whether about being on the floor generally or about the floor area at Skydome specifically?

Thanks in advance!

Does it matter?

blue_beetle — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:08:06 -0800

Should hardwood floors always be installed perpendicular to the joists?

Should I get a Marmoleum kitchen floor?

Bardolph — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:13:59 -0800

Flooring-filter: Talk to me about linoleum in general, and Marmoleum brand linoleum in particular. Is it nice? Is it DIY-able? What should I know before choosing it for our kitchen? So we're looking to replace our current, ugly, vinyl kitchen floor with something non-vinyl. Our original idea was ceramic tile ($2/sqft), but our contractor is claiming we'll have to replace our Luan subfloor with concrete backing board in order to stabilize the tile, bringing the final total to ~$13/sqft installed (!). At those prices, we've been considering alternatives, and Marmoleum in particular has looked interesting. We love the environmental friendliness, its warmth and softness underfoot. The material itself is pretty expensive, though ($6/sqft), so in order to make it competitive with tile we'd have to be able to keep our existing subfloor and DIY the installation.

I'm worried, though, because while I really really want to love Marmoleum, both the installation and the material itself get perplexingly mixed reviews on sites like this one. There seems to be some concern, for instance, that it bubbles up when installed by anyone but a super-gifted and experienced professional, and that regardless of installation the material is hard to clean and not very durable.

If you've got a lino floor yourself, or know of anyone who does, I'd love to hear some more reliable perspectives on this. In particular, is linoleum or Marmoleum attractive/comfortable/durable? Does it work with DIY installation? And is there anything else (alternative brands, caveats, tips and tricks) I should know before I make this choice?

If it helps, our decisionmaking criteria are (1) durability/livability, (2) cost, and (3) aesthetics, in that order. Thanks!

Curse you Pepsi!

sporaticgenius — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:45:03 -0800

How do I clean this gunky stuff off my floor? Please save my sanity and help! I have been given the wonderfully pleasant task of cleaning out an old garage.

It has tile floor - the peel and stick kind. I moved a piece of furniture and found an awful gunk. Judging from the cans nearby, I'd say it's alot of pepsi that was spilled and left for a year.

I tried spraying on a cleaner and moping it up... The mop stuck to the floor.

So far the only thing that has worked is getting down and literally scraping it off. It doesn't come off easily scraping it, it's hard and when scraped off because very sticky and sticks to my tools.

Any suggestions that will save my back and my sanity? I know you can steam clean carpet, is there an equivalent for peel & stick tile floor? Please help...

Economical flooring suggestions

specialk420 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:53:47 -0800

Looking for suggestions/recommendations on economical home flooring solutions after a carpet de-install in a 70s era home. Looking at hardwood, laminate, bamboo, pergo. probably wont be in the home more than 5 or 6 years - neighborhood calls for an nice economical solution. modern, cool, dark are intial thoughts. Any suggestsions? recommendations?

Is sleeping on the floor medically approved?

KMH — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:16:45 -0800

Hard medical evidence about sleeping on a hard, flat surface? There's a good discussion of the anecdotal pros and cons of sleeping on the floor already, but I'd like to know if anyone can point me to something more scholarly / Government health department guidelines or anything vaguely authoritative?

Best tips for installing linoleum

msalt — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:05:25 -0800

Please give me advice and tips for a DIY linoleum installation. First my bathroom (5' x 10'), then if all goes well the kitchen (8' x 10', so a seam). I've already removed the 1" tile in the bathroom, though some adhesive remains on the plywood. Specific ?s: what's the best way to smooth the floor (sand down? fill up?), and how precisely smooth need it be? How does one handle seams? What about thresholds to adjoining rooms? Thx.

Hardwood floor protective coating?

Mid — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:44:52 -0800

How to protect hardwood floors from my dog and child? We are moving into a new house that has very nice new-ish floors. The floors were either refinished or perhaps replaced about 1-2 years ago. They look great. I'm told they are "cherry," if that matters.

In the house we are leaving, the floors are destroyed. Our dog and our kid have just beaten the heck out of them over the years.

So, here's the question: is there anything we can do for the new floors before we move in to protect them? We have talked with a couple of floor guys, who both say that they would put "a couple of coats" on the floors before we move in. But, other people have told me that putting coatings on the floors will just make the eventual scuffs and scratches look worse. I have no idea what kind of coats we are talking about.

Obviously, we will put rugs and runners where we can.

Any clues here? Thanks

Help me paint my floor!

corey flood — Mon, 25 May 2009 12:30:11 -0800

Have you ever painted a floor? I would really like to paint the 5'x12' masonite floor that I use for dance practice. Have you ever painted a similar surface? What kind of paint would you recommend? And what can you tell me about drying time?

Thanks!

How to build a false floor for use in an art gallery?

ThaBombShelterSmith — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:40:53 -0800

I need help with building a false floor. I am an artist and I am needing to build a false floor in the future in which to plant this work in what appears to be a concrete floor. Google-fu has failed me in only bringing up how to build a false floor in reference to cars to conceal stereo mods, so I am wondering if any MeFis have had any experience in building a false floor for art gallery use. Thanks in advance, and my apologies if anyone has asked this question before!

Tile over linoleum?

and hosted from Uranus — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:23:43 -0800

Can I lay tile over (real) linoleum? Maybe I should prime the existing floor first? I am remodeling a small bathroom and recently bought some reclaimed tiles for the floor. Around 2001, I had Marmoleum brand (aka the "real" linseed oil stuff) linoleum installed. (The existing floor seriously needed replacing and, since I was having the Marmoleum put into the kitchen I was doing at the time, I had them do the bathroom too, knowing I couldn't live with the color for very long.)

Can I put the tiles down on top of the linoleum? The plywood sub floor under the linoleum was new in 2001 and is in the pretty good shape, as is the linoleum itself. I don't think I can rip up the linoleum without ruining the sub floor. They're stuck together pretty good.

My thinking is that since the existing floor is basically water proof ... why not just tile over it? As long as the tile mastic adheres ok to the current floor, I should be good to go, right? Maybe giving the floor a coat of primer will help with the adhesion? Is there something basic I'm missing here?

I'd really like to avoid the expense, effort and environmental implications of buying new tile backer board unless it's really necessary.

no longer pretending my kitchen floor is't revolting

A Terrible Llama — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 03:50:39 -0800

How can I do the best job cleaning my floor for the least amount of effort? We have a white kitchen floor of your standard kitchen floor material. It's pitted with these grooves that are basically just little paths of dirt, and it's old and whatever was supposed to happen and keep the non-pitted part from getting etched is way gone, so basically it's a gray floor with deeper pits of darker gray.

Plus, we're a high traffic outdoorsy household, and while in general we're quite tidy, nobody ever wants to clean the kitchen floor and haven't done so in over a year.

The last time we did it we used Dr. Bronner's cleansing suds and scrubbies. It's not a small kitchen and took forever, but it wound up looking pretty decent. Mops don't work. ("Do you want it to be clean or do you want to use a mop?")

What are your tips for the best bang for my buck, in terms of time, effort, or materials, for cleaning my kitchen floor?

what kind of mat would be good to sleep on every night (instead of a bed)?

nevers — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:46:45 -0800

are there any roll-up/fold-up mats i could be comfy sleeping on every single night for, let's say, a year? i'm about to move to a teeny tiny room (about 11'x5'4"). i have plenty of common space available to me in the larger apartment but would love for my room to contain more than just a bed. it would be great if i could quickly roll up my bed every morning and gain floor space. i fear that the foam pads/mats made for hikers aren't meant to be used daily (in terms of comfort and/or durability), although i have no idea. another thing that came to mind was a thai massage mat (i remember getting a thai massage and thinking the mat was so comfortable i could sleep on it). again, i don't know how long one would last if it were used for 8 hours every night.

i know that plenty of people all over the world sleep on mats/the floor and their bodies survive just fine. any recommendations?

i'm a professional acrobat, so it IS important to me to have a sleeping situation that is good for my back and my body in general.

and i don't want a loft bed.

Recommend kitchen flooring that's green

theora55 — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:54:50 -0800

I like cork flooring. Will my dog ruin it? Looking for ideas for kitchen flooring, preferably green* and not very expensive. Wacky ideas welcome. *green - least environmental cost The subfloor is plywood, with ugly, beat up, vinyl tiles. I like commercial grade vinyl, but it's not green at all. Cork is warm and quiet underfoot, but I have a klutzy dog, and I'm worried it would get trashed. Same w/ bamboo. I don't want ceramic tile. I love real linoleum, but it's pricey.

By wacky, has anyone used reclaimed pallets? or? It may come down to what I can pick up on Craigslist. I expect this to happen no sooner than April so I have time to shop CL. A lot of recycled products are not avaiolable here, so would be costly to get.

Cat floor soap?

cgs — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:32:50 -0800

Cat-sensitive wood floor cleaner? I currently use Murphy's Oil Soap to wash my painted wood floor... do you think that is too strong of a scent for my cats? If so, do you know an alternative? I'm looking for something I can use to wash the entire floor, not spot-clean (like a special $$ enzyme cleaner). I'm hoping one of the major brands works...

Thanks for your help!

I knew hardwood floors can be expensive, but this expensive?

barc0001 — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 01:45:03 -0800

What's a relatively reasonable amount to expect to pay to repair a hardwood floor in an office? I know, how long is a piece of string, etc. but this seems just a bit out of whack to me... Long story short, we used to rent a very small (150 sq ft) office in downtown Vancouver near Gastown, but moved on to bigger and better quarters recently. The building is old and the office has hardwood floors which were apparently recently "discovered" under the rug that had been there for decades. The building was undergoing some upgrades when we moved in and it seems tearing out the carpet and spiffing up the hardwood beneath was all the rage at the time of our move-in. I noticed the day we moved in that these floors were pretty fragile, as just getting down on my hands and knees to run a bit of CAT5 cable I was getting a few splinters here and there despite the floor being freshly refurbished, so we went out and got some mats for our chairs to prevent wholesale destruction. However, despite our best intentions a couple of years later there are a few spots where our chairs sat that have what I would consider minor damage, as in about a millimeter or so of wood is worn/splintered away in spots.

The property management company is telling us that we're looking at $1500 to repair this. The total affected area that is damaged is less than 10 square feet, so this seems to me to be more than a little high. They're saying the entire suite will have to be sanded down and then resealed/varnished to do it properly. Again though we're talking a total "suite" size of 150 square feet, so even if they did have to go all scorched earth on it, would it really be $1500 worth of work to use a floor sander on 150 square feet and then apply varnish/sealant? Also are they correct that the whole floor has to be done to effect repair, or are they just trying to squeeze a few extra bucks out of a former tenant when it seems they're having trouble renting the (growing) list of vacant suites out?

Name this flavor of travertine!

jewzilla — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 07:06:33 -0800

What kind of travertine is this? We found photos of two floors that we really like, but haven't been able to find anyone selling something quite like it. We're pretty sure it's travertine, but the color and color variations are moderately different than anything I've seen at a store or online. Floor 1 | Floor 2 | another shot of floor 2

mosaic tile floor has weak spots

nzydarkxj — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:54:54 -0800

My mosaic tile floor is crumbling. I suspect its because the floor gives a little under weight. If I repair it, will the same thing happen again? Or, what else could I do to avoid giving up on it completely? I put together a mosaic on the floor of a small open area and the bathroom, (cement glue, grout, small pieces of heavy floor tiles), but recently random tiles which seem like they should be squished solid in the middle started coming out, and then a weak spot is formed when the ones around the hole can lift up.

It feels like the surface of the floor below the mosaic (which unfortunately is not concrete but I;m not sure what it is) is not 100% immobile, and tends to move a little under weight (probably similar to stepping on an older wood floor, pressing less than a centimeter down under weight).
I am guessing this causes the grout to somehow break in between the firm tiles and the ones that have the possibility to move when stepped on.

I don´t think I have the resources/ money/time to pull up the mosiac and the material beneath it to resurface and redo the mosiac completely. Most areas of the floor are completely secure and dont/wont need repairs.

Is there some way I can redo these trouble spots where a couple pieces lifted up and make them more firm or able to overcome this problem?
If not, what could I possibly do to salvage my mosaic or floor, aside from calling it a complete failure and putting something flexible like linoleum on the floor?