Painting Pine Flooring

 Pine flooring is simple to deal with. Many people get bored of the look of plain pine planks. Fortunately, painting pine flooring is simple and can change the look of a room without much effort.

There are a few things that need to be done in order to create a flawless painted floor. You should also know that this process can take several days, so you should plan accordingly.

What You'll Need:

•  Vacuum
•  Floor enamel
•  Soft paint rollers
•  Masks
•  Painter's tape
•  Sponge brushes

Step 1 - Clean the Floor

Before you start taping or painting, you want to make sure the floor is completely clear of dirt and debris. Sweep, vacuum, and go over the floor with a lint-free cloth to ensure it's clear.

Step 2 - Turn Up the Thermostat

A warmer floor will take paint much easier, and it will allow for a quicker dry time. Make sure your thermostat is set on at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and keep it there for a full day before you start to paint.

Step 3 - Add Tape

Just as you would with painting a wall, you want to tape off the areas that you don't want paint to bleed through. Tape and cover the baseboards or floor molding to prevent the paint from accidentally getting on them.

Step 4 - Start in the Corners

It's best to start in the corners of the room and cut the paint in with an edger or small roller brush. You want to use a thin layer of paint for this. This way if you need to go back over the edges while you work on the rest of the floor, it doesn't become a darker color or stick out.

Step 5 - Paint the Rest of the Floor

Working in sections, start to roll the paint onto the rest of the floor. Use thin layers of paint and work slowly to reduce the risk of bubbles and wrinkles forming in the finish.

Step 6 - Add the 2nd Coat

After the paint has been applied, leave the area for at least 24 hours to allow the floor to dry. After this time you can begin to work with the second coat in the same manner in which you applied the first.

Depending on the color you choose and the condition of the floors, you may need to repeat this process several times.

Step 7 - Clean Up

Once the floor has dried and you have the finish you desired, you can remove the tape from the baseboards. Any areas around the edges that need to be touched up can be done with a sponge brush and a small amount of paint.

Clean up the area, and wait a full day before moving the furniture back into the room.

Tips

Painting on a rainy day, or during humid weather, can lead to wrinkles in the dry paint that are very hard to deal with. Try to paint during a time when the weather is clear and not humid.

Floor enamel is toxic. Be sure to wear painter's masks while working with it.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

What You Should Know About Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring imitates the aspect of traditional wood. Its biggest advantage is it’s very easy to install and very durable.

Laminate flooring is suitable for many of your rooms: hallways, family spaces, bathrooms, kitchens. It’s also perfect for an active home.

At first look, laminate flooring seems to be a natural wood floor, but in fact is a layer of paper under a tough protective film that is glued and pressed to a high-density backing board.

There are also types of laminate planks that are installed over a moisture barrier which levels any uneven areas of the floor.

You don't need any glue or nails for them because the planks snap together.

Before choosing a laminate flooring material you should think about the type of traffic in your house.

One other advantage for laminate flooring is the durability. So this type of floor is one of the best choices for households with heavy foot traffic, kids, or pets.

But, best of all, laminates will look like new for years.

Laminates are also highly resistant to stains, fading, and moisture.

Many laminate flooring manufacturers offer warranty protection against them for a long period of time (usually from 10 to 25 years).

Laminate flooring can be installed over floors like wood, tile, vinyl, or linoleum because most of them are floating, which means they do not fasten directly to the subfloor.

Also, at this moment, many manufacturers offer snap-together laminate flooring systems.

A typical laminate flooring is an extremely economical solution, if you take in consideration the costs of alternate flooring solutions.

Solid hardwood floors will require four or five refinishings, and carpets and vinyls will need to be replaced at least twice (depending on traffic loads), while laminates don't require anything.

Laminates come in different styles and types. You can find transition strips, end caps, stair nosings, moldings and baseboards.

Almost anything you need you can find at a laminate flooring manufacturer. There are companies that offer floor registers for heating and air vents.

Laminate flooring provides a much cleaner and healthier living environment when compared to other floorings such as carpets, with regular cleaning cycles.

It accumulates less dust, pet dander, allergens and it doesn't hold residual stain contaminants on the surface.

Allergic people will often be recommended to remove the carpets from the living space.

In conclusion laminate floors are a very good choice for your home because they are durable, resistant, economical and easy to install.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Gel Cleaning a Victorian Hallway Floor in Surrey

It had been a while since this Victorian tiled hallway at a property in Reigate had received a deep clean and re-seal and it was now looking quite unloved. The sealer had almost worn off and dirt had become ingrained in the pores of the tile leaving it dull and lifeless. Hallways floors receive a lot of foot traffic so do need regular attention if they are to look their best and this example was no different. 

Fortunately, the floor was intact with no broken or loose tiles to deal with, there were a few chipped tiles in the floor but I think that adds character to a floor of this age. I worked out a quote to deep clean the tiles, flush out the dirt and add a fresh sealer to protect them. The quote was accepted and a date set for the work to commence.

 

Deep Cleaning a Victorian Tiled Hallway Floor

I started the work by applying a generous coating of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel and left it to soak into the pores of the Victorian tiling for around 30 minutes. I used Oxy-Gel so as to minimise the use of water which can exacerbate efflorescence salt issues which is a typical problem of floors of this age that don’t have the benefit of a damp proof membrane.

Then using a very coarse 100-grit diamond encrusted pad attached to a rotary floor machine the tiles were given a good scrub. This process skims away a small layer off the surface of the tiles to remove the dirt and old coatings such as sealers. All the soil was extracted from the floor using a wet vacuum and I repeated this process twice for maximum effect.

At this point the tiles were already looking significantly better but I hadn’t finished yet. I still needed to deal with the edges and corners where the pad can struggle to reach. For this I use handheld burnishing blocks and more Oxy-Gel, you need a lot of elbow grease to do this but its an important step and can also be used to deal with any stubborn areas.

Once finished I used a little water to help rinse off the floor and the wet vacuum again to get the floor as dry as possible before leaving the floor to dry off completely overnight.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Floor

The tiles need to be dry before sealing so the next day my first action was to test the floor for moisture using a damp meter. They passed and were ready to take a sealer which for this floor I used Tile Doctor seal and Go Extra. It's super tough and ideal for doorways and hallways and leaves a nice sheen without being too shiny.

 

Before leaving I left advice on how to maintain the tiles using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle tile cleaning product that will clean the floor without impacting the sealer which can be a problem with many of the strong products you find in supermarkets.

Source: Victorian Tile Cleaning and Renovation Service in Surrey

4 Options for a Carpet to Tile Transition

Finding the right flooring transition for a seamless look in your home can be tricky. When dealing with tiling and carpet, you have two completely different materials that have different dimensions and long-term wear differences.

You have to consider the height of the different flooring options, which could cause a person to trip if not accounted for. Plus, you want to make sure the transition is careful rather than clumsy; a lazy overlap just won't cut it. And, if the flooring is installed at different times, you've got even more of a challenge to make the transition look natural and flawless.

Here are a variety of options that can help you overcome some of the challenges of carpet-to-tile transitioning.

1. The Tuck-in Method

Pick up a simple transition piece on Amazon.

This is the method that is most often used for transitioning from carpet to tile. In this method, you make use of the often-used carpet helper, the tack strip.

It is highly recommended that you lay the tiling before you install the carpet if using this method. Carpet can easily be cut and positioned easily, or at least, it can be moved more easily than tile, especially after the tile has been set into place.

After the tile is installed, put in a tack strip 1/4 to 3/8 inches from the edge of the tile. The next step should be to cut at the direct edge of the tile. However, you can also pull the carpet across the space between the tack strip and the tile’s edging. Then use a knee kicker so that the carpet has extra edging, allowing it to be pushed into the space. After that, use the tack strip to hold it in place.

2. Z-Bar Transition

A Z-Bar transition is another great option for carpet-to-tile flooring. This option will not only deliver a seamless transition but also ensure your carpet has an added level of security, as it hides the carpet edging to keep it from getting pulled out.

Unlike the tuck-in method, this transition works best if you install the carpet before the tiling, that way you can secure the carpet to your preference first. The Z-bar can be nailed or screwed into the floor. Then, the tack strip is glued on top of the Z-bar.

3. Reducer Strips

Reducer strips can be found at most hardware or home improvement stores, and they can be found in a number of different shapes and styles to provide a seamless carpet-to-tile transition. The T-shaped reducer strips are popular and are used to bridge the space between the materials.

Unlike some of the other transition options, this one locks the two different kinds of flooring into place using either glue or screws. All you have to do is place the strips over the spot where the tile and the carpet edges meet, providing you with a simple and elegant way to bridge the gap between the two types of flooring.

4. Mount Tack Strips to Sub-Floor

If you have a strong-enough subfloor, this is a viable option. You can also proceed with this if you have cement underneath your tiling and carpeting. However, you should not nail down or use a general adhesive to do this.

Instead, visit your local home improvement or hardware store to find glue specifically designed to mount a tack strip to your subfloor or concrete. Many recommend using specialty glues that come in a hot-glue application style with a caulking gun, as these types will harden more thoroughly after cooling.

In this method, you mount the tack strip, pull the carpet to catch on the hooks and install the tile so that the height of both flooring materials are level. In this case, there is nothing covering the transition. However, it is a simple and easy way to make the transition look nice without having to worry about something ripping or breaking.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com