http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/ en Copyright 2008 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:00:29 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss As a "floating" product what are the weight restrictions for Konecto plank flooring ? ie; furniture, free standing kitchen islands, refrigerators, stoves, and in particular free standing hearth & wood stove with a total weight of about 600# ? I have 1/4" separations of planks around the wood stove area. Floor was professionally installed - and now they are going to replace/repair. No one seems to know if there are weight limits - they say not but it doesn't make sense to me. A: If this is only happening around the stove, I'm willing to bet that this is a matter of environment. With the Konecto line, the adhesive in the seams remains somewhat active so that planks can be removed and replaced at any time and heat could cause this adhesive area to lift away when it normally would not with the weight on the floor. Now if your stove is one where it has very few contact points to the ground, rather than a larger base, and it happens to contact right near a seam this could be another issue, but typically a 250lbs. roller is used to ensure that floors like Konecto are properly laid down, so it should be able to handle 600lbs. worth of weight. Your best bet would be to contact Konecto directly and ask for their load bearing information. Most vinyl floors can handle quite a bit of weight, but the best source is always the manufacturer. ]]> http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/09/konecto-prestige-plank.html http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/09/konecto-prestige-plank.html Other Flooring Types Konecto Vinyl Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:00:29 -0800 I am opening a dance/yoga studio and of course, on a shoestring budget! I am interested in bamboo for ecological reasons, and wonder if you know if it is a good choice for this use. My floor (1350 sf) concrete covered by linoleum. I believe the recommended treatment is to spring the floor by laying down slats first. Do you know about this? And have you ever heard of a sprung bamboo floor? Thank you, Christie in Hatfield, Mass. A: Most dance floors nowadays are sold as kits and the typical surface, much like most basketball courts, is maple. Most commonly these are sold unfinished so that the floor can be sanded flat and site finished after installation to ensure there is no area with variance in floor height and to ensure a finish formulated for this traffic level is used. There are some other kits out there that use a tile like set up or larger floor piece similar to sheets of plywood in size which are done by professional dance studio finishers. Does this mean a sprung bamboo floor can't be done? No. If you were to go with bamboo you would need to use something other than the traditional 3' planks. These are simply too small and the slight flex the floor has would be murder on the floor. Your best bet is to look into a floating product, as these are naturally built to flex slightly. Look into something like Springwood's click-together line and use a 3mm cork underlayment as this will maintain enough support under foot to prevent the floor from being too springy, while giving just enough flex to cushion movement as the sprung floor is intended to do. Keep in mind that most dance floors receive regular finish schedules, where the floor is re-screened or refinished every couple of years (depending on traffic levels of course). In you case, screening will become something for your floor to keep the finish look good after a few years of use. I will caution here that if you choose bamboo, go with a natural bamboo as it is more likely to resist denting than carbonized and if you intend to have folks in high heels (ball room rather than ballet dancing for instance) then you may want to look into a more resilient species than bamboo as high heels will cause denting to bamboo over time. Another ecological choice here would be something like an engineered cork. I know several yoga studios which use cork and now swear by it for comfort, but this can be a matter of taste as cork has some very unique appearances that might not fit what you are trying to achieve.]]> http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/09/bamboo-for-dance-and-yoga.html http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/09/bamboo-for-dance-and-yoga.html Bamboo Installation Advice Bamboo Flooring Springwood Sprung Floors Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:00:44 -0800 I'm a new condo owner and would like to install hardwood (like the BR-111 Engineered Tigerwood or Triangulo Tigerwood). The builder didn't offer hardwood on the main level, citing the need to minimize noise transmission from my unit to the unit below. However, there's nothing in the building codes or condo bylaws to restrict the use of hardwood, except a line about "flooring must be replaced with the same type (e.g., carpet) and quantity (i.e., square footage) as originally installed." I've known a few other owners to replace their floors without problem, although they bypassed the builder and the condo association. But I'd like to get condo association approval to avoid any risk. It's a 4-story, townhouse-style condo (a 2-story unit over another 2-story unit), with wood frame construction and a gypcrete subfloor (ugh). The base carpet/pad is a 25oz plush carpet with a 6lb pad. I noticed in a previous post that you suggested using Sound 6 plus 6mm cork underlayment. Assuming I opt for the BR-111 engineered Tigerwood, is this the underlayment you'd suggest for me? What about PadTech FloorArmor, or Maxxon's own Acousti-Mat II, or one of the million other rubber underlayments? Shouldn't the gypcrete help to isolate the sound as well? Should I float the floor? Or attempt a glue-down installation? Is one better than the other for sound transmission/impact isolation? What combination will make the engineered floor sound more like a 3/4" solid (to me)? I've noticed that laminate floors (at least in the flooring showrooms) can be much more "clicky" than the solid floors. I'm hoping that I find an underlayment/installation method/hardwood combination that can achieve STC/IIC ratings similar to the base carpet/pad installation. That way, the condo association would have little reason to deny the request. I'd really hate to spend $15,000 on hardwood floors and then have to rip them out. -J A: Going through a process with your condo association ahead of time is a very good idea. In order to do this, we will need to dig up some information for the carpet currently specified to go into your condo, then compare them to the ratings for hardwood underlayment. Its tough to find builders who are willing to glue to gypcrete. Although most gypcrete is approved for glue down by the manufacturers, but there can be some issues with it when it comes to adhesive curing because gypcrete will absorb more moisture than normal concrete - thus making the curing process for adhesives or thinset mortars different. So I would suggest going with a floating floor, and thus we'll do the numbers based on use of floor and underlayment in a floating system. With a bit of digging I was able to find some STC and IIC testing on carpet, which I will admit has been tough to find in the past. Let's first discuss what each rating means, and how it will matter to your Condo board. STC or Sound Transmission Class, refers to the amount of sound absorbed by a partition or in our case, a floor. This typically applies most to air-born sound such as conversation, music, etc. IIC or Impact Isolation Class, refers to the amount of sound created by impacts, such as walking, which is reduced by a floor. It is important to pay attention to both of these ratings when it comes to sound control for a condo. We'll start by comparing some IIC ratings. Now with a hard surface floor, such as the BR-111 floors you are looking at, they have very little IIC when compared to carpet, so you are relying on the underlayment to make up for this. 6mm cork, over a 6" concrete slab subfloor produces an IIC of 23 on its own, furthering the concrete's IIC of 27 to give a total IIC of 50. Your gypcrete should give very similar results, which means 6mm cork is roughly equivalent to another 6" of concrete. For the carpet's IIC, a 25oz carpet on its own over concrete provides an IIC of 22. Carpet padding is just as varied as hardwood underlayment, but most pads tested provided roughly 5 - 10 IIC, with the median being about 6 IIC. So using the same concrete slab, that would give us a total IIC of roughly 56. If we used a more premium carpet pad, this can be pushed upwards of about 60 or so IIC. Overall, very similar IIC ratings between your basic 25oz residential carpet with pad and 6mm cork. Now let's look into an STC comparison. Our 6" concrete slab has an STC of 27, much like the IIC. 6mm cork's STC on its own is 24, which gives us a total STC of 51. The carpet STC data I found is based on a wooden subfloor over joists with a suspended ceiling unit made from gypsum board. In similar tests with concrete subfloors, the suspended ceiling unit provided and additional STC rating of 14. wood over joists style subfloors will typically differ, and no data was provided for the raw bare floor's STC rating, but we can speculate that this will be somewhere in the range of 20-24 total, including the suspended gypsum ceiling piece to represent the ceiling below the wood subfloor. The overall STC rating provided by the 25oz carpet with a 1/2" thick 6lbs carpet pad was 49. With some quick math that means basic 25oz residential carpet with a typical 6lbs pad is going to provide an STC of roughly 23-29, but to be safe let's assume its going to provide on the higher end and go with 29. This would put 6mm cork pretty close when it comes to both STC and IIC ratings versus our basic carpet and pad which is why we so commonly recommend it for condo owners. As you mention, there is a myriad of underlayment out there, some of it is great, others not so much. Personally, I am big on how a floor feels when I walk on it, which is part of why I am such a big proponent for cork, it just feels more like a solid floor under your feet than any foam underlayment - even the best stuff like Sound 6 and similar modified foam underlayment. When you walked over the laminate, part of that hollow or "clicky" sound is due to lack of good underlayment and also part of the raw thickness of the floor. A 3/4" solid is just that, a thick, solid floor so it will sound more like it, whereas laminate is much thinner, normally 8mm - 10mm in thickness so the sound just has less it has to travel through. Now this gets alleviated by good underlayments, which is why we so commonly suggest against cheaper, foam underlays as they just don't perform as well. So, what's the best set up for you and what will pass your condo association needs while also fitting your own wants? First off, your looking at a couple of very good floors, personally I'm a fan of the triangulo as it is a very good floor and can be installed as a floating with a 5" wide plank - so you get an easier install method and a nice wide plank to make sure its very stable. Combine this with good underlayment and it will both sound and feel like a nailed down solid hardwood floor. If you look into other products, find ones with substantial plies, thicker plies can be very nice for getting that solid floor sound. For underlayment, I would suggest going with 6mm cork as a baseline. If sound is your primary concern, using 6mm cork as a substrate with Sound 6 over the top is a great option, but you will get a bit more movement in your floor than using solid cork. Another option would be 12mm cork or 6mm cork with a 3mm cork layer over the top if your concerned with overall floor height. This secondary option keeps the more solid feel under foot while beefing up the IIC and STC power with a bit more cork. 6mm has met all basic condo standards that we have encountered in the past and the regulations would have to be very strict to rule it out - so adding onto it should put you in the clear, but checking first is always wise. On any of the other underlayments out there, make sure you get STC and IIC test results to get the real ratings for them as this will help you compared them to other underlayment options.]]> http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/09/hardwood-installation-condo-over-gypcrete.html http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/09/hardwood-installation-condo-over-gypcrete.html Advice Engineered Hardwood Installation Underlayment BR-111 Condo Installation Engineered Floor Suggestions Hardwood Floors IIC Ratings STC Ratings Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0800 Can I use a irobot to clean my laminate floor? If not what is the best way to clean them? A: Tough question, and technically the answer here is yes and no. Before we get going, I do want to say that these little guys are pretty cool. The Roomba, being the most well known of the iRobot line is quite the little invention and a few folks around the office here love theirs. Now let's dig into the question. iRobot specifically states their scooba (the floor washing version) is safe for sealed wood floors. Scooba uses a special cleaning solution made by Clorox, which gives me a small amount of concern because I can't tell you if it would cause streaking or a dull residue over the finish of most wood floors. The other thing to pay attention here is that it suggests that any floor which you normally mop, a scooba will work for. With hardwood, you don't do traditional mopping, but think more like a swiffer here, very little liquid, just a light mist, then follow up with a micro fiber mop. Technically iRobot states that it is safe for sealed floors, which all prefinished floors are, but I would be cautious because I'm not sure how much liquid it uses and if too much gets into the seams it can spell disaster. I think you would be a bit better off with something like the Roomba, using it solely to replace sweeping, then follow up with a proper hard surface floor cleaner like BonaKemi or one suggested by the floor's manufacturer and a microfiber mop. Typically when cleaning wood or laminate floors you will want to regularly sweep the floor, or vacuum if your vacuum has an attachment without the beater bar, then follow up with a proper laminate floor cleaner and a microfiber mop. With the cleaner, less is more, use only enough to lightly mist a small area then follow up with the microfiber mop. Once done its a good idea to over the floor with a terrycloth towel or similar, on the end of your mop pole to pull up all remaining moisture, just to make sure it gets fully dry.]]> http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/09/irobots-and-laminate-floors.html http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/09/irobots-and-laminate-floors.html Care and Maintenance Laminate Care and Maintenance Laminate Flooring Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:00:43 -0800 I'm interested in putting laminate flooring in my family room but I have one problem. We have a limestone fireplace, and there is about a 2 inch variation at the bottom of it. So obviously I cant just lay the flooring up next to it. What would be some of my best options? Chase G Here is a picture of Chase's fireplace. You can see the variation he mentions from the different sized and shaped limestone pieces. A: There are two options you can do here. If you are fairly handy with a jigsaw and scribing, then I would suggest scribing each plank to fit around the shape of the stones in the fireplace. This is a fairly common practice in commercial installations, fitting the planks to the stone. As long as the run from the fireplace to the wall on the other side of the room is not very long, you should have little problem with expansion, just leave a very small gap at the fireplace and a proper expansion gap at the opposite wall. This will require a bit more planning, but the benefit is that you are not affecting the stone of the fireplace, so if you change your floor the fireplace is untouched. Don't forget to use a silicone based caulking between the fireplace and the scribe. make sure it is silicone and not latex-based, especially if you choose a colored caulking, which tends to look better, as the latex based colored caulks can bleed color into the stone. Although this method will take a bit of time, a couple of hours or so to scribe and cut all of the planks to fit the fireplace well, it will provide the optimal appearance and utility should you later decide to change out your floor. Another option would be to treat the fireplace similar to a door jamb, and cut a relief into the stone so that the laminate can slide underneath with a hidden expansion gap. I will stress that I don't suggest this method as it will be messy and once done, changing floor coverings while keeping the fireplace looking good is tough. To undercut the fireplace, you will want to use a pocket door saw with am abrasive blade, preferably a masonry blade or stone cutting blade. Measure for just a bit higher than the final height of the floor plus underlayment, scribe a line and then begin your cut work. While cutting, its a good idea to have someone there helping by having a shop vac on near the exit area of the saw so that all the dust that will be thrown out will get sucked up. Masonry cutting causes a lot of dust and unlike saw dust, it does not settle quite as quickly so without a good vacuum it will look like someone was blowing flower all over the place. Again, I stress that this is not the method I would suggest because it will permanently change the fireplace and cause quite a of a mess.]]>http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/laminate-near-limestone-fireplace.htmlhttp://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/laminate-near-limestone-fireplace.htmlInstallationLaminateInstallationLaminate FlooringSun, 31 Aug 2008 08:00:16 -0800 I purchased a Shaw laminate floor about 6 years ago. I was told by the sales associate in the flooring department at Home Depot to treat the floor just like a laminate counter top. So I started out mopping it with pine o pine. That left a definite streaking on the floor. So I stopped that right away and went to a product "Bona Hard Surface Cleaner." The label said it was recommended for laminate flooring and left no dulling residue. I have notice a definite dulling and no shine whatsoever on my floor for a few years now. I recently contacted Shaw on their consumer helpline and they recommended a product just for their floor that I should have been sold in the first place, I don't have it with me but I think it is RX2 or something like that exclusively for their floor, but they said since I had been using a Bona product on my floor I should contact Bona to find out how to safely remove their product from my floor without damaging it. I contacted Bona by phone where you have to leave a message and by email and I have not received an answer yet and I am growing frustrated. I went back to Home Depot and they recommended using Mineral Spirits to clean the residue off the floor. I am a bit skeptical since they did not sell me the correct cleaner years ago in the first place. I just feel very frustrated with my floor that I purchased and installed with a 15 year warranty and I am not sure exactly what to do at this point, the floor surface in my family room is approximately 990 sq. ft. Any professional advice would be great!! Sue Pearland, TX A: Typically when switching between cleaners after finding that one cleaner is causing a problem, you can see something like a dull appearance. I can't say I've known of any issues with the Bona products when used initially, as many of the cleaners out there made by companies mimic a formula similar to Bona's. What is likely happening here is that the streaking you saw from the pine o pine, left a residue layer that the bona tried to remove, but instead caused the dull appearance as the two cleaners react with each other. Now you could try using mineral spirits to remove this, as mineral spirits is very mild, but if you do make sure that you wipe with the mineral spirits, then follow up with a mop which is lightly damp over the floor, then take a terrycloth towel and go over the floor to ensure any remaining moisture is pulled up. It may take a couple of tries to get up all the remaining cleaner, but remember not to use too much of the mineral spirits and do NOT leave mineral spirits on the floor without following up shortly with a damp mop or some regular cleaner. Shaw's R2X is very similar to the Bona Hard Surface cleaner, and should work for you once you remove the current residue. If you continue to have troubles remove this residue, I would suggest contacting pine o pine as the residue/dull look you are getting is most likely caused by the initial streaky appearance from the pine o pine. Remember, when cleaning wood floors, less is more - lightly mist a cleaner over the floor then follow up with a dry microfiber mop.]]> http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/streaks-on-shaw-laminate.html http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/streaks-on-shaw-laminate.html Care and Maintenance Laminate Care and Maintenance Laminate Flooring Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:00:12 -0800 I just installed a laminate floor in the living room and it has a scratch. Is there anything I can apply to hide the scratch??? Marge A: There are a few products out there which can help to hide scratches. Several companies make an acrylic color fill type product which is built to repair dents and is color matched to many of their floors. You could use a small amount of this applied with a rubber spatula or putty knife to color in the scratch. Another option would be some of the crayon or pen like coloring item which are built to color in scratches to help hide them some. Now a cheaper solution along these lines would be to go out and find some regular crayons, typically the 64 packs have enough colors to cover you, then use a color which is closest to your floor, then lightly use it to color the area of the scratch. Your best bet would be a color fill type product to match the floor, but there are several other options out there to help hide scratches, but keep in mind if you are looking for the scratch, you will still see it, it is just more likely to be missed by those who walk in or only glance at the floor.]]> http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/scratched-laminate.html http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/scratched-laminate.html Dents, Marks and Scratches Laminate Repairs Laminate Flooring Repairing Floors Scratches Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:00:21 -0800 I have a large dog who has put scratches and some poke holes in my hardwood floor. 1. How can I fix the floors without taking them apart and re-doing. 2. Is there something that I can put on the floor to make it harder and prevent further damage. Thanks, CP A: More than likely you have a fairly soft species of wood if you are running into denting from your dog's nails, but there are a few things you can do to repair this damage and some methods to prevent it in the future. Let's first look into preventative care for scratches and denting. When it comes to pets, there are a few important things to do to help extend the time your floor remains beautiful, the most important being to regularly trim your dog's nails. When the nails are kept trimmed, they also remain duller and are less likely to dig as strongly into your floor. Also, if your dog has longer fur, make sure that any fur covering the pads of the paws is trimmed away. Dogs will begin to rely on their nails for grip when moving when their paws are no longer providing as much aid, typically this happens when longer fur covers the pads of their paws. Also, make sure you regularly sweep and clean the floor to prevent dirt and grit from getting on the floor. Most scratching is cause by larger grit which is dragged around the house by pets and normal walking. Now as far as repairs goes, you can repair the dents by getting a color-matching floor putty, which is typically used to fill in holes from face nailing, then just rub a bit of the putty into each dent and it should fill well. Scratches on the other hand are typically only at the finish layer, and not damage to the wood itself. Most scratches will just fade a bit over time and the brighter white appearance will darker and become harder to see over time. It helps to have a regular cleaning schedule to speed this process along and prevent further scratches. Now if you are really worried about the appearance of scratches you can screen the floor. Screen is a process where the top-most layer of finish is roughed up or buffed with high-grit sand paper, typically 220 grit, then new layers of finish are applied over the top of the buffed finish surface. The most extreme option for repairing your floor, rather than replacing it, would be to have the floor refinished, but I would not suggest this unless you are massively displeased with the appearance of the floor as it can be somewhat expensive. This would involve getting a finisher to come out, sand down the floor to lessen the dents, then apply entirely new finish layers to the newly sanded wood surface. Honestly I would leave this option as a final resort because of the time needed and cost for the work.]]> http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/hardwood-floors-damaged-by-dog.html http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/hardwood-floors-damaged-by-dog.html Dents, Marks and Scratches Hardwood Repairs Dents Hardwood Floors Repairing Floors Scratches Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:00:39 -0800 We want to float a floor in our basement over a cement slab, but can't tell when looking through all the products out there, which are recommended for below grade installation? I know in our local home shop they have them on display by grade (above/below) but when looking on line I can't seem to find where that's indicated in the product description. Any helpful tips you can supply to help us find the right product? Thank you, Debbie A: The easiest way here is to look for any floor which is floating. Basically you need to look for laminate, engineered hardwoods, and cork flooring. There is one exception to this which would be 5/16" solid hardwood floors, but they must be glued down as they can not float. Due to the moisture concerns in basements, certain floors can not be installed because they are not dimensionally stable enough, but floors which can be glued down or installed floating are good for basements.]]> http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/flooring-below-grade.html http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/flooring-below-grade.html Cork Engineered Hardwood Laminate What Floor is Best for My Project? Basement Cork Flooring Engineered Floor Suggestions Grade Laminate Flooring Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:00:16 -0800 We have a 2 yr old bamboo floor (Teregren). Installation was partially glue down (edges and in smaller spaces) and rest was nailed. Subfloor is partical board. Temp/humidity controlled. Once-per week we clean with a damp mop. There are several spaces that make a cracking noise when walked upon; it is not the subfloor, but clearly coming from the bamboo. My guess is that it is coming from cracks in the tongue/groove that have always been there or developed with time, as I think these types of floors are prone to this. Have you heard of this problem with bamboo? Do you have any theories or recommendations on how to quite these boards? Thanks! Jim A: The problem you are encountering is not the fault of the bamboo, but rather the installation. What is likely happening here is the particle board subfloor has dilapidated because it was nailed through. Particle board is not meant for a nail-down installation and when nailed through it will break apart into chunks. These chunks will then shift as weight is displaced over the top of them. This movement telegraphs through the flooring itself and this movement causes the cracking noises your are hearing. Although the noise is like coming from the bamboo, the damage itself is not a problem with the bamboo itself, but rather how it was installed. Although some particle boards can accept a glue down floor, typically it is suggested only to float a floor over particle board subfloors. If you had this floor installed by someone else, I would suggest contacting them and working out a way to replace your subfloor and floor.]]> http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/cracking-noise-from-bamboo.html http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/cracking-noise-from-bamboo.html Bamboo Creaking or Noisy Floors Bamboo Flooring Creaking / Noisy Floors Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:00:22 -0800 I live in northwestern PA. We have a Florida room which is not heated. Right now we have carpeting, but it fades so badly I would like to use a different flooring. Would cork tiles or the ceramic tile laminate work? Thank you Karen A: Any time you are looking into wood flooring for an area which is unheated, its generally a bad idea. Wood flooring performs best when in an environment where the temperature and humidity remain roughly the same throughout the year. Your best bet for your Florida/Sun room would be to use something like stone, tile, vinyl or linoleum. These are all far better suited to taking the temperature shifts that would occur in your room from season to season since it is not climate controlled. Now if you really want a wood floor, and not something like a wood appearing vinyl floor, there is a potential alternative. You could use an electric radiant heat system to keep the floor at a constant temperature, but even with this the sun exposure would be bad for most wood floors. A laminate floor should be ok when it comes to fading as nearly all of them have a warranty against fading. In the end here, a wood floor such as cork or laminate is not really meant to take the climate shifts an unheated sun room would run into in PA, but it could be done with proper additions, but is not the best choice.]]> http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/flooring-for-a-florida-room.html http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/flooring-for-a-florida-room.html What Floor is Best for My Project? Floor Suggestions Outdoor Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:00:31 -0800 I am working on a condo remodel project for my second home. I would very much like to install an engineered wood floor in the great room and dining room since I am very allergic to carpet (and I really do not like cork). Since I have neighbors above and below me the Homeowners association tells me I have to install carpet or other sound conditioned floor covering. Is there any really effective sound barrier type of underlayment or wood flooring out there on the market I can use? Your help would be greatly appreciated Mrs. Hall A: This is a fairly common problem for folks in condos, but there is a very easy solution. Now although you do not like cork as a flooring choice, it is an excellent choice for underlayment in condos. 6mm cork meets all of the standard Condo Association sound needs and the benefit of cork over all other underlayments is that it, unlike a foam, can be used with glue down applications as well as floating. Depending on what engineered floor you are looking at will depend upon whether or not you can float the floor, which would be the easiest installation choice. Kahrs and Saso make some of the best click-together engineered hardwood floors on the market, and from an install perspective they are far easier to install than any other floating engineered hardwood. There are other engineered floors which are approved for floating installations, but require some glue in the tongue and groove rather than using a locking mechanism. If the floor you choose can not be floated, which is rare in engineered wood floors, then you will need to glue it down. This can still be done with cork underlayment, but you will need to have the cork glued down, then glue down your engineered floor over the cork. In the end here, try to choose a floor which is suitable to be installed as a floating floor, then choose a good underlayment, my suggestion being 6mm cork as it easily meets condo requirements. Don't forget that if you are installing over a concrete subfloor you must use a moisture barrier and tape up the seams.]]> http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/wood-flooring-for-condos.html http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/wood-flooring-for-condos.html Engineered Hardwood Underlayment Condo Installation Engineered Hardwood Floors Underlayment Sun, 24 Aug 2008 08:00:15 -0800 I have recently started to renovate a house. I took the carpet up and found the floor had been self leveled. Some of the self leveler had come off and there are some nice red tiles underneath. Can you tell me how to remove the self leveler please? Thanks Adreiene A: This is a fairly tricky situation. Typically when self-leveler is applied properly one of two things will occur. Either a latex based primer will be used and/or the tile surface is scored in order to help ensure the leveler will adhere properly. Since the portion you have found flaked up, it is likely that neither of these two were done, but its not likely that all of the tile remains in good shape. The acids in the Portland cement based used for self-leveling compounds will typically scored the surface of the tile, leaving a patchwork appearance or spotty appearance over the surface of the tile. You can test this by taking a sledge hammer and dropping it, don't swing just let the weight of the hammer do the work, from about a foot off the ground, then see how far the cracking itself goes. Do this in a few spots over a three foot area. If the cracking does not go through the tile and the leveler can be removed, then you could try this technique to break up and remove the leveler, but it is rather likely that you will see some discoloration to the tile from the leveling compound.]]> http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/removing-self-leveling-compound.html http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/removing-self-leveling-compound.html Advice Other Flooring Types Removing Old Flooring Removing Existing Floors Subfloor Tile Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:00:22 -0800 I have a real problem. My hallway is laminate and some type of acid was spilled right in the middle and caused a blemish about 2'X2'. I found someone who would remove that portion of the floor if I could find the same color. I did. Wilson Art Heather Ash. The problem that after 5 years of cleaning and using glo, the color has changed and I cannot find anything to substitute. I was thinking in terms of having a 2'X2' square cut out and putting in a wood medallion. However, I cannot find anyone in Las Vegas who will do the work. I can get the medallion, but of course cannot do the cutting. Any ideas? Bud A: Quite the dilemma you have here and there are some options so let's dig into what can be done. One potential fix would be to take up more of the hall and place older plank so that they replace the damaged area, then install the newer planks in areas where they are less visible, such as against the wall. If you don't have a less visible are to install into, you could look into something like a medallion, but keep in mind that this is a floating floor. Typically medallions are not built to float, which is probably why you are having trouble finding someone willing to do the work. In order to put a medallion in, you would likely need to remove the flooring from the surrounding area, install the medallion, then cut the planks to surround it. Also, its like that the floor would need to be set up with transitions to allow for an expansion gap between the laminate planks and the medallion. This work can be done and I would look for an installer who is accustomed to inlay work as they are far more likely to be able and willing to do this type of fix for you. It is possible to install the medallion without a transition for the gap, but that would take some time and someone who is very familiar with this type of work.]]> http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/wilsonart-laminate-blemish.html http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/wilsonart-laminate-blemish.html Laminate Repairs Laminate Flooring Repairing Floors Wilsonart Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:00:02 -0800 My dining room was carpeted. I removed the carpeting, pad & 5/8 " sawdust board that was swollen and crumbling. I am left with 5/8" plywood sheeting on the floor. I would like to install nail down oak flooring in one area and engineered cork flooring in another section. Is the remaining 5/8" plywood a sufficient base or do I need to add another layer of plywood? Thanks, JCL A: If you intend to nail down you floor you will want to have 3/4" of plywood subfloor to nail into. For your case, you should be fine putting a new layer of 1/2" plywood over the current plywood you will have plenty of depth for the cleat to bite into. You can get away with a bit less, perhaps add only 1/4" if you are worried about floor height, but if you want to be sure add 1/2" and you will be all set for your installation of the red oak. For the cork you are likely to be floating the floor as no cork is built for nail down, so just use the appropriate transitions and you will be set.]]> http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/nail-down-installation-subfloo.html http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/2008/08/nail-down-installation-subfloo.html Advice Installation Nail Down Subfloor Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:00:38 -0800