carpet, or tile?

[valkyrie]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Do everyone in your home a favor and hire someone to do it. If there's one thing that I learned from all the renovations that I've been doing is that just because something doesn't appear to be difficult doesn't make it easy. Let someone else have the headaches if you can afford it.

I laid parque wood flooring in the bedroom of my former house. It looked quite professionally done. I researched and taught myself everything before I even bought the materials. I completed the whole project by myself. It was not too difficult but did require some effort and the right tools. Not to mention that getting the right tackiness on the glue took a few trials (and some scraping off when I left it too long). But I learned and everyone thought I paid someone professionally to do it.

 

[MrBishop]

I've done most of my renovations personally. Rebuilt the entire downstairs bedroom (walls, floor, window), laid drywall, painted, laid floating floor, moved sinks etc etc.. If you've got the time and the skillz, it's often worth doing yourself. If you look at something and say "Should be easy" - you're usually wrong. And sometimes, the work is more extensive than you could possibly have imagined it.

Renovated a bathroom downstairs... should've been easy. Tear down the old cabinet, replace tile, paint, new cabinet, new sink, light fixture..presto!
Got most of the way done and then had to stop when the floor started giving way.

Remove floor's plywood..oops, rotting wood, rotting supports. Took a step back and called a plumber I know. The entire piping had to be changed. Breaking up concrete, laying new pipe, swapping the sink and toilet's locations, putting in a vent, new concrete, new supports, new plywood. I took over after that. Bathroom looks great now.

Took a pro to see the layout as it was v. how it should've been built.

It's the discovered parts of the job that cause headaches.

 

[MrBishop]

There are people out there installing and billing with less skills than you. They saw it done on TV and bought themselves a used pickup ... now they're a pro.

Always check license and get referrals.
I learned that the hard way..like the veranda that's taken 3 years and 3 contractors to 'finish'. Still not done...but I'm putting in the windows, and flooring in myself, thanks.

 

[valkyrie]

I've done most of my renovations personally. Rebuilt the entire downstairs bedroom (walls, floor, window), laid drywall, painted, laid floating floor, moved sinks etc etc.. If you've got the time and the skillz, it's often worth doing yourself. If you look at something and say "Should be easy" - you're usually wrong. And sometimes, the work is more extensive than you could possibly have imagined it.

Renovated a bathroom downstairs... should've been easy. Tear down the old cabinet, replace tile, paint, new cabinet, new sink, light fixture..presto!
Got most of the way done and then had to stop when the floor started giving way.

Remove floor's plywood..oops, rotting wood, rotting supports. Took a step back and called a plumber I know. The entire piping had to be changed. Breaking up concrete, laying new pipe, swapping the sink and toilet's locations, putting in a vent, new concrete, new supports, new plywood. I took over after that. Bathroom looks great now.

Took a pro to see the layout as it was v. how it should've been built.

It's the discovered parts of the job that cause headaches.

You were right to call in help on that one. Most of the work around my place we do ourselves. Work on the pump (for the well) we call out for.

 

[valkyrie]

Always check license and get referrals.
I learned that the hard way..like the veranda that's taken 3 years and 3 contractors to 'finish'. Still not done...but I'm putting in the windows, and flooring in myself, thanks.

Yep. Had a tile guy like that once (previous house). He was a drunk. Sometimes came to work and sometimes didn't. Very unreliable. I never should have given him the money up front. I should have given him half now, 1/4 when 3/4 was done and the rest at the end.

 

[catocom]

It's the discovered parts of the job that cause headaches.

lol, I've run into those headaches on several occasions.
Things get patched over and over, and then there comes a time
that when you go to fix it, it just keeps getting worse the deeper you get.
When that happen to a pro though, you better get ready to get into
your wallet deeper too.

 

[MrBishop]

Yep. Had a tile guy like that once (previous house). He was a drunk. Sometimes came to work and sometimes didn't. Very unreliable. I never should have given him the money up front. I should have given him half now, 1/4 when 3/4 was done and the rest at the end.

We still owe the 1st guy money for items he purchased. He buggered off and even left some of his tools behind. The 2nd one got sick and left and never came back - broke even on that. The 3rd guy actually finished what we asked him to, didn't overcharge and didn't waste time. He wasn't terribly happy about the work the previous 2 had done and wished that he'd had the job from day 1 (hates having to undo work or make workarounds for shoddy work - which I can't blame him for).

He'll get a call back..the other two f'rgetaboutit.

 

[catocom]

lol, doesn't sound much like 'doing yourself a favor' there.

I think I'll give it a shot myself thanks.

 

[Mirlyn]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Do everyone in your home a favor and hire someone to do it. If there's one thing that I learned from all the renovations that I've been doing is that just because something doesn't appear to be difficult doesn't make it easy. Let someone else have the headaches if you can afford it.

All I need is a miter saw, which I can borrow from my folks. I helped lay the floating wood floor in our office and did all the trim for it. It's not hard, just requires patience and the ability to read a tape. I'd do some kind of pre-finished flooring though, as prepping/finishing would be past my personal work satisfaction limit.

 

[MrBishop]

Floating floor's fairly easy..especially the quick-clip type as opposed to the glue together type... hardwood flooring is very different.

 

[catocom]

I figured out last night that I'm going to have to replace the closet flange.
So, the pipe will have to be cut under the floor because it's pvc-cemented in.
That mean the total replacement will be a new 45, nipple, and flange.
Fun rime.
At least the pipe is close to the door that leads under the floor, so there
won't be any crawling to get to it.
Time to put bro to work a little

 

[Professur]

Foam or wax seal?

 

[catocom]

was wax.
I don't know yet exactly what I'm going back with.
Bro's cutting the old pipe not, to pull it out.
I'll see what we're going to need then, and make a trip to the hardware store in a few minutes.

 

[Professur]

If you go to foam ... you need to get 105% of the old wax crap off. It degrades the foam. The foam has the advantage that should it leak, it usually reseals itself. With wax, once you've got a leak, it stays a leak.

 

[catocom]

puttin' in a whole new flange...no wax.
It will be back with wax though.

Wax would have been ok before, but the flange broke.

Knowing the guy who put it in (he died a while back) it may have been
broken when he put it in.
I've been cleaning up plumbing messes of his for years now.

 

[Professur]

The new flange may not have any old wax on it, Cat .... but the south end of the toilet does. But if you're going with wax again, it's all good. I really, really hate having to try and get all that old wax off.

 

[catocom]

oh yeah, I forgot about the toilet it's self.
It'll bee clean good in any event though.

Yeah, that stuff is yucky.
I'll have one of the kids work on it.

 

[Aunty Em]

Tile in my kitchen, cushionfloor in my bathroom (like an insulated linoleum, but more flexible), carpet in my lounge, carpet tiles in my hall, bedroom and office. There is a sisal rug in my kitchen though.

I can't stand the idea of an unsanitary, damp, reeking carpet, especially in my bathroom - it makes my flesh creep, urgh! Floors are easier to keep clean. Carpet tiles are tougher and can be individually cleaned as necessary.

The floors are concrete underneath so would be very cold without some insulation.

 

[Professur]

I recall that long cold walk to the toilet at Gran's house in Glasgow. If you weren't desperate before you started, you bloody well were by the time you got there. Not once did I remember to pack slippers to wear there.

 

[valkyrie]

I recall that long cold walk to the toilet at Gran's house in Glasgow. If you weren't desperate before you started, you bloody well were by the time you got there. Not once did I remember to pack slippers to wear there.

I do the same when going on vacation... I forget to bring slippers. But I will always have an extra pair of socks (one pair extra, just in case) so I get by with using those instead of slippers.