How to Glue Engineered Hardwood Floors

Gluing engineered hardwood floors is not a difficult job. If you take your time and have everything ready, you should be able to lay a room in a day. Don't skimp on adhesive, buy a good hardwood floor glue.

Remove the Baseboards

Remove your baseboards as they will not usually be the right height to slide the new floor. Make a chalk line on the floor 31 inches from, and parallel to the longest wall (across the floor beams). Pre-sort the boards according to color according to your likes. You may need to trim the door casing if it will not swing easily over the new floorboards.

If you are installing your engineered floor over tiles, use a grinder or sander to smooth down the surface of the tiles and allow the glue to adhere to them. Sweep or mop up any dirt before filling in any holes or gaps. Vacuum any dust. If you are starting with a linoleum floor, remove the linoleum first.

Nail Down a Straight Edge

Take a straight-edged piece of plywood and nail it into place along the chalk line, on the inside of the line.

Spread the Glue

Trowel glue on a 20-inch strip according to the directions on the adhesive can, using the trowel. Don't spread more glue than you can cover within the open time of the glue or there will be a poor bond. It is better to do smaller areas at a time. If you get glue on your fingers, clean them immediately with solvent or you could get stuck to the wood. It will not come off easily when it has dried.

Glue Down the Boards

Kneeling in the 31-inch area, line up the tongues of the boards against the straight edge. Working from left to right, press the board into the glue. Before you use each piece, discard any ones that are warped or you are not happy with. If necessary, tap the boards into place with a rubber mallet. Make sure you only glue the bottom of the boards, the boards will not fit tightly if the grooves are filled with glue. Don't line up two end splices at the same place, they should be 6 inches apart. Cut the pieces at the end using the miter saw.

Fill the Original Gap

When you have finished the main section, remove the original straight edge and install the flooring to fill the gap. You will now be fitting groove into your tongue instead of the other way round as you work in the opposite direction.

Roll the Floor

There should be a rolling weight value on the adhesive can. It will probably be around 100 pounds. Don't let the glue get too dry before you roll. Rolling seats the wood firmly into the glue and squeezes out blobs; this is difficult if the glue has dried.

Cover the rollers with tape or foam sheets to avoid damaging the floor.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

A Guide to Bamboo Flooring Hardness

The subject of bamboo flooring hardness is commonly debated in the market. Some people say that bamboo is extremely hard and durable. Others argue that it is easy to dent and is not very hard. Here are a few things to consider about the hardness of bamboo flooring.

Janka Scale

When looking at the hardness of bamboo or hardwood flooring, the industry uses a tool called the Janka scale. This is a scale that is used to compare the hardness of wood flooring against each other. In order to perform this test, they drop a steel ball bearing on the floor from a particular height. Depending on how it reacts to having a ball dropped on it, it will achieve a score on the scale. The higher the score, the harder the wood is.

Carbonized Bamboo

One type of bamboo that many people consider is carbonized bamboo. Carbonizing bamboo is a process that is used to change the color of the bamboo. If you see a dark, caramel color bamboo, generally it was made this way by carbonization. When a bamboo goes through this process, it is going to make it softer. This is the softest type of bamboo that you can purchase. On the Janka scale, it has a score of 1180. This is softer than red oak, as it has a score of 1290. This means that it is the most susceptible to dents and scratches of all of the different kinds of bamboo on the market.

Natural Bamboo

Another type of bamboo is natural bamboo. This is a very common type of bamboo that you frequently see in the market. You will be able to tell that it is natural bamboo by the yellowish, gold color in the floor. Natural bamboo is a little bit harder than carbonized bamboo. On the Janka scale it has a value of 1380.

Strand Woven Bamboo

The hardest and most durable form of bamboo flooring is called strand woven bamboo. This type of bamboo flooring is made differently than traditional bamboo flooring. In order to construct this, they use small slivers of bamboo fibers. They take the pieces of bamboo and mix it together with a strong adhesive and resin. They take this mixture and press it together very tightly. It is constructed under extreme heat as well. Once the mixture is pressed together, they allow it to dry and it forms a very hard board. On the Janka scale, it can achieve values as much as 3000. This is comparable to some of the hardest hardwoods in the world.

Compared to Hardwood

Although people use the Janka scale to compare hardness, there are other factors that you need to consider as well. Pieces of bamboo are held together with adhesive. If something sharp drops on the surface of the bamboo, it will be much more likely to scratch or dent when compared to a hardwood with an equal Janka scale rating.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

How to Lay Tile Properly

In order to lay tile properly, there are a number of steps that have to be followed. Laying tile is something that most people can do if they have the proper knowledge. Here are the basics of how to lay tile properly.

What You'll Need:

• Tile
• Adhesive
• Trowel
• Wet saw
• Tile spacers
• Grout
• Grout float
• Bucket
• Tape measure
• Chalk line
• Concrete board
• Hammer
• Nails

 Measure

Start out by measuring the room in which you are going to install the tile. You need to get the dimensions of the room. Multiply the length and the width to get the square footage of the room. You will then need to add 10 percent to that number to allow for waste.

Prepare the Room

You will need to move everything out of the room and take up any old floor. You need to get down to the subfloor. If you have a concrete subfloor, you can lay the tile directly onto it. If you have a wood subfloor, you are going to need to install a concrete board. Put some tile adhesive on the bottom of the concrete board and then nail it down to the floor.

Mark Center

In most cases, you are going to want to lay the tile from the center of the room out towards the wall. This is going to center the tile and make it look more professional. In order to do this, you need to measure the center point of both walls and snap a chalk line in both directions. Where the lines cross is where you should start laying your tile.

Spread Adhesive

You will now want to spread out some of the adhesives onto the ground. Using your trowel, place some tile adhesive on the ground and spread it out evenly. Make sure that there are no uneven spots in the adhesive.

Place the Tile

Take your first tile and press it down into the adhesive firmly. Make sure that there are no gaps in the adhesive underneath and that it is solidly down in the adhesive. Put a tile spacer on each corner of the first tile.

Continue Laying

Take your next tile and press it directly up against the tile spacers from the first tile. Make sure that the second tile is pressed firmly down into the tile adhesive. Place tile spacers around the second tile as well. Continue putting tiles up against the previous tile and using the spacers for alignment.

Cutting the Tiles

When you get to a wall or the cabinet, you are going to need to make a cut. In order to do this, measure the appropriate size that you need and then place the tile in your wet saw to make the cut.

Dry

After the entire floor has been laid, you are going to want to allow the adhesive to dry overnight.

Grout

You will then need to remove the tile spacers and start grouting. Use your grout float to apply the grout to the grout joints. When you are done, use a sponge and water to clean the tops of the tiles. This will remove any extra grout and smooth everything out. Let the grout dry overnight before anyone walks on it.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Putting the Shine Back on Encaustic Floor Tiles in Hemswell Cliff Lincolnshire

The photographs below are of an Encaustic Tiled Floor which had been installed some years prior in the kitchen of at a property in the village of Hemswell Cliff which is between Gainsborough and Market Rasen.

I paid a visit to the property initially to survey the floor and discuss the problem with the client. The main issue was the tiles had become dull and she couldn't keep them clean. I explained that Encaustic tiles are porous and need to be kept sealed to prevent the dirt from becoming ingrained in its pores; over the years since installation the sealer had simply worn down and now dirt was getting into the pores of the tile and once that happens it can be difficult to get it out. 

To prove my point, I carried out a demonstration on how I would clean them and explained the different sealer options available and how each sealer can have a different effect. She was pleased with the demonstration and was happy to accept my quote to deep clean the whole floor and then re-seal it.

Deep Cleaning Encaustic Kitchen Floor Tiles

I set about scrubbing the floor using a hot water dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean Tile and Grout cleaner combined 50:50 with NanoTech HBU Remover which adds tiny abrasive particles to the solution to make a more effective cleaning product. The solution was worked into the tiles by scrubbing with a rotary machine fitted with a Black scrubbing pad.

The pads struggle to reach into the recesses between the tiles so to get the grout clean I scrubbed them by hand using a stiff brush. Once done the soiled solution was removed using a wet vacuum and floor inspected to ensure it was as clean as possible. Any stubborn areas were spot treated by hand and then the whole area thoroughly rinsed down with clean water to remove any trace of cleaning product.

Finally, the wet vacuum was used to dry the floor as much as possible with assistance from a Turbo Air blower to help reduce the drying time.

 

Sealing Encaustic Floor Tiles

It wasn’t a particularly large floor and a warm day so I was able to complete the cleaning process by lunch time and after a few hours later with the assistance of the air blower the floor was dry and ready to be sealed.

Having discussed sealer choice with the client earlier a decision had been made to seal the encaustic tiles with Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds a nice subtle sheen to the tile. Five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go were needed before the tiles were fully sealed, it’s a water based protective sealer so it doesn’t give off any odour whilst it dries and it provided the finish the customer was looking for.

Once completed the colours in the tiles were really vivid and resulted in one happy customer with a clean easy to maintain floor. On the subject of cleaning, I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild but effective tile cleaner. The problem with many of the tile cleaning products you find in supermarkets is they contain bleach which is simply too strong for use on a sealed tile as it will strip off the sealer.

Source: Encaustic Floor Cleaning and Sealing Services in Hemswell Cliff Lincolnshire

How to Finish Walnut Flooring

Walnut flooring is a great way to add beautiful detail to your home. The strongest type of walnut flooring is Brazilian flooring which is ideal for kitchen flooring. Brazilian walnut flooring is more durable compared to the standard black walnut flooring. It is also three times more durable than oak.

Applying finish to your walnut flooring will increase the lifespan of your walnut flooring as well as protect it from damaging elements such as water. Below are the materials that you need along with the instructions on how to finish walnut flooring.

What You'll Need:

• Trisodium phosphate
•  Wood putty
•  #36-, 80-, 100-, 220-grit sandpapers
•  Drum sander
•  Edging sander
•  Wet/dry vacuum
•  Tact cloth
•  Wood sealer
•  Stain
•  Polyurethane
•  Orbital sander

Step 1—Floor Cleaning

Using warm water and trisodium phosphate, clean your floor well. Be sure to rid it of all grease, dirt, debris, and dust particles. Let the floor dry for a few minutes prior to sanding.

Step 2—Prepare the Wood Surface

Make sure to sink all protruding nails back into the wood of your floor. If you find any cracks or holes, use your wood putty to fill them in. Allow the wood putty to dry first before proceeding to Step 3.

Step 3—Sanding

Use a drum sander (such as a 36-inch drum sander) to sand the floor. If you encounter sections of the floor that were missed by the sander, you can manually fix that with your edger. Sanders can usually be rented at your local equipment rental store.

Step 4—Use a Vacuum Cleaner

Remove all residue of the sawdust generated from the sanding. Use either a wet or dry vacuum to clean up the floor.

Step 5—Second Sanding

Using 80-grit sandpaper, sand the floor a second time. Also, be sure to vacuum the floor to rid it of sawdust after sanding.

Step 6—Third Sanding

Using 100-grit sandpaper, sand the floor again as with the previous steps. Vacuum the area again. You can use a tack cloth to remove the dust found in between floorboards.

Step 7—Apply Sealer

Apply the wood sealer onto the floor to close the wood’s pores in order to avoid blotching or streaking when you apply the stain.

Step 8—Apply Stain

Coat your floor with the stain using a brush. You can also use clean pieces of cloth or rags to apply the stain. When applying the stain, make sure to follow the grain of the wood. Leave the stain on the wood for 30 seconds up to 15 minutes. Allow the stain to dry on the wood completely before proceeding to Step 9.

Step 9—Stir Polyurethane

Stir the polyurethane to equally distribute the solvents, all the particles, and the solids that are found at the bottom. Slowly stir so as to not create air bubbles in the polyurethane.

Step 10—Brush Polyurethane

Carefully brush the polyurethane to coat your walnut flooring. Brush the polyurethane in the wood grain’s direction. Allow it to dry.

Step 11—Fourth Sanding

Using an orbital sander with 220-grit sandpaper, sand the walnut flooring again and vacuum after. Repeat steps 10 and 11.

Step 12—Brush Another Coat Of Polyurethane

Coat the floor again with another layer of polyurethane. Make sure that this dries before you bring back your furniture into your room and onto your new walnut flooring.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Lancashire Stone Expert Details how to Resurface Old Flagstones using Coarse Milling Pads

 The client said when he moved into this house in Lytham St Annes late last year that this room had a really bad smell of damp. The Flagstone floor was covered in carpet and he had the impression that the previous owner’s cat had been known to use it as place to pee!

   

The smell was rank and probably bad for your health so he decided to remove the carpet and the thick underlay underneath. Under that there was some old Vinyl flooring which all came out to reveal the original flagstone floor. As you can see from the pictures it was in a poor state covered in red and white paint, bits of bitumen here and there and the pointing had been lost in several areas of the floor. Additionally, all those layers over the stone would have prevented any moisture from naturally evaporating at the surface thereby resulting in damp.

 

The client had seen what we could do on our website and sent us some pictures of his floor which covered approximately 16m2. I priced for milling the flagstone as a deep clean would not resolve the shaling issues on its own and only a good mill of the stone would do that. Also, it needed all the pointing that was still in place knocking out and new flexible breathable pointing put back in place.

 

Cleaning and Repairing a Flagstone Tiled Hallway Floor

Milling stone is not a low-cost option, but it is a lot more cost effective than pulling up the whole floor and putting in a modern subfloor. Milling involves using a weighted buffing machine fitted with different grits and grades of coarse Diamond encrusted pads which cut into the surface of the stone to reveal new stone underneath, you then apply finer pads to hone and refine the surface.

In this case I used a set of Tile Doctor Milling Pads applied in sequence starting with 50-grit, 100-grit and then 200-grit. Water is used to lubricate the process and keep the dust down, it’s also important to rinse the stone off after each pad and extract the slurry that is generated with a wet vacuum.

The floor was then cleaned with Tile Doctor Remove and Go allowing the product to soak in for ten minutes to loosen deep seated paint staining. The Tile Doctor Remove and Go was then worked in with another 200-grit pad before another rinse and extract again with the wet vacuum.

Older floors like this were installed before the invention of the damp proof membrane so moisture is always a concern. To counter any issues that might develop later such as Efflorescence the last step in the cleaning process was to give the floor an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up, this neutralises any latent salts trapped in the subfloor.

 

Sealing a Flagstone Tiled Hallway Floor

The milling, re-pointing and cleaning work took two days and we returned for a third day to apply a breathable sealer called Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal. This product is fully breathable and a great choice for any floors where damp can be a problem as it will allow for moisture to rise through the stone and evaporate at the surface. Being oil-based it also adds character to natural stone and adds an appealing low satin finish.

 

The whole process completely transformed the appearance of the flagstone floor and really suits the property which was a late Victorian four-story house with a basement. Original features like this are very sought after so it makes sense to restore them as it will add value.

 

An additional advantage of the milling process is it also reduces the roughness of the stone surface makes it smoother and easier to clean. On the topic of cleaning its worth mentioning that you should never use a strong bleach-based tile cleaning product on a sealed floor as it will erode the sealer prematurely. For a floor like this you need to use a product like Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is a mild but effective cleaning product designed for use on sealed tile and stone.

Source: Flagstone Floor Restoration Services in Lytham St Annes Lancashire

5 Tips to Protect Your Hardwood Floors and Plumbing From Winter

Winterizing your home is a necessary project to take on if you live in colder temperatures. Failing to do so puts home owners at risk of facing costly repairs and consequences come spring. In order to prepare your home for the dropping temperatures, we spoke to experts in the wood renewal and plumbing industries to learn essential tips.

Hardwood Floors - Dave Murphy, Training Director for N-Hance Wood Renewal, a national franchise that is the trusted partner of The Home Depot for the renewal of hardwood floors and kitchen cabinets, provided us with tips on how to protect wood floors:

Prevent Rock Salt Damage

Rock salt can cause severe damage to hardwood floors. Not only can it stain the floor, but the rough crystals can scratch it up. Some people say that salt stains can be cleaned with vinegar and water. However, this method should be avoided. Vinegar can leave residue and excess water can ruin hardwood floors.

To help prevent the problem in the first place, place a sturdy mat both inside and outside of every entrance of your home and have guests remove their shoes upon entering. Furthermore, homeowners should sweep frequently, and mop when needed with a neutral floor cleaner to help protect floors from salt buildup.

Prevent Shrinkage from Dry Air

During the winter, in the air dryness and temperature change can cause hardwood floors to shrink, which creates spaces between boards. If the humidity is not right, it can cause a lot of damage to the floors. Homeowners should have a humidifier on hand and keep the humidity level as constant as possible throughout the year. The same goes for temperature. Huge swings in temperature cause the wood to shrink and expand.

Drain Excess Water

In order to prevent your garden hoses and air conditioner pipes from freezing, be sure to always drain them before the cold temperatures arrive. A frozen garden hose can become the source of various issues, such as a decrease in water pressure or a weakening in the lining of the hose, while a frozen air conditioner line can cause leaks or breaks in the unit. Also, make sure you turn off the AC water shut-off valve.

Insulate Your Pipes

By insulting pipes, you will not only help prevent them from freezing, but it can potentially allow you to save money on bills. It will reduce the amount of time it takes for your water to heat up and will raise temperatures by a couple degrees. The most important pipes to insulate are ones located in areas of your house that aren’t heated, such as in the garage or attic.

Clean Your Gutters

It is essential to make sure your gutters are cleaned before freezing temperatures hit your area. If water can’t flow freely through your gutters, icicles can form causing damage to shingles and backing up the gutter. This leads to clogs, water leaks and various other unexpected issues.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com