Home Improvement/Projects Thread

[mrsleeve]

A larger storage tank would be impractical since we just used it for drinking and cooking, since the only issue we have is a few PPM to much nitrate.... It would just stagnate in the tank with a larger system, my family uses about 5-8 gal day for drinking cooking and pet water so anything more would be impractical/overkill for us. Will likely just try and get our exisiting softener up and going again if the hardness becomes an issue..... Yes there is some waste water involved but its not much, think like flushing the toilet 1 or 2 extra times a day than your normal average number

This is the one we got, we bought though amazon for around the same cost and they have lots of options for stuff.

http://www.123filter.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=77&products_id=89

[mrsleeve]

A larger storage tank would be impractical since we just used it for drinking and cooking, since the only issue we have is a few PPM to much nitrate.... It would just stagnate in the tank with a larger system, my family uses about 5-8 gal day for drinking cooking and pet water so anything more would be impractical/overkill for us. Will likely just try and get our exisiting softener up and going again if the hardness becomes an issue..... Yes there is some waste water involved but its not much, think like flushing the toilet 1 or 2 extra times a day than your normal average number

This is the one we got, we bought though amazon for around the same cost and they have lots of options for stuff.

http://www.123filter.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=77&products_id=89

[Johnnyboy101]

Sudden projects...

Hey guys - got home today and found out my wife had pulled all of the carpet in the dining room in preparation of putting down laminate flooring. So I am scrambling a bit to get the concrete subfloor ready so that it turns out well.

- We have removed the tack strips (there are now little holes in the concrete along the border of the room) Do I need to fill those in with something?

Preliminary level testing seems to show the floor to be level, but I think I might need a longer level (mine is 3 foot). Assuming the floor is level, what else do I need to do to prepare the floor? There are a large number of rough patches of concrete. First time doing this, don't want it to look like shit!

Appreciate any and all feedback - Thanks!

[flyboyx]

You do not have to worry about filling the holes where the tack strip originally was. As long as the floor is basically level, you are fine.

My suggestion is to get a really good pad to go under your laminate. In our area, they sell a high density foam that is just under 1/8” thick. I reccomend that one. It’s probably the top of the line pad and it’s worth every penny. There are much cheaper places to buy it than Home Depot or Lowe’s.

When I put down floors, I try to select material that matches the height as closely as possible to the adjacent rooms. If they are tile, try to select a laminate and pad about the same height. If the floor in the near rooms is linoleum, there isn’t much you can do. If you are planning to change the flooring in the other rooms, now is the time to plan for it.


It sounds like you are laying the floor yourself? Buy a small bench top table saw at the least to cut it with. A 10” miter saw is a good idea too.

[MR E30 325is]

Flyboyx has excellent advice.

[Johnnyboy101]

You do not have to worry about filling the holes where the tack strip originally was. As long as the floor is basically level, you are fine.

My suggestion is to get a really good pad to go under your laminate. In our area, they sell a high density foam that is just under 1/8” thick. I reccomend that one. It’s probably the top of the line pad and it’s worth every penny. There are much cheaper places to buy it than Home Depot or Lowe’s.

When I put down floors, I try to select material that matches the height as closely as possible to the adjacent rooms. If they are tile, try to select a laminate and pad about the same height. If the floor in the near rooms is linoleum, there isn’t much you can do. If you are planning to change the flooring in the other rooms, now is the time to plan for it.


It sounds like you are laying the floor yourself? Buy a small bench top table saw at the least to cut it with. A 10” miter saw is a good idea too.

Thanks for the tips! I have been looking online at vapor barrier/underlayment pads, but no idea what is a quality brand? Got about 800 sq ft to do, so if I can buy it in bulk and save some, that would be best.

[flyboyx]

Just get the closed cell rubberized foam in a 4 foot roll. Sometimes I've seen it in light green, grey, and sometimes black. I've seen it priced anywhere from about 30 cents a foot to over 70. Don't worry about vapor barriers. Just get this underlayment and call it good.

[mbonder]

Laminate is easy, you'll get the hang of it quickly, just have a good saw so your cuts are straight. Remember to stagger your joints so it doesn't look ridiculous.

[deutschman]

Hey guys - got home today and found out my wife had pulled all of the carpet in the dining room in preparation of putting down laminate flooring. So I am scrambling a bit to get the concrete subfloor ready so that it turns out well.

- We have removed the tack strips (there are now little holes in the concrete along the border of the room) Do I need to fill those in with something?

Preliminary level testing seems to show the floor to be level, but I think I might need a longer level (mine is 3 foot). Assuming the floor is level, what else do I need to do to prepare the floor? There are a large number of rough patches of concrete. First time doing this, don't want it to look like shit!

Appreciate any and all feedback - Thanks!

Quick qualifier. I have 10+ years of home remodel/carpentry and woodworking experience so this isn't just opinion.

Just use a chop saw. Out of the box the saw wont cut square, so double check both the vertical square (square from cutting surface/table to blade) as well as the horizontal square (square from fence/back stop to blade).
Unless you already have a table saw dont bother. Table saws are set up for rip cuts or length wise cuts. To do a cross cut like you need for flooring you would need to set up a sled or cross cut jig to do a safe cross cut. On top of that bench top table saws don't cut that square unless you have a top of the line DeWalt or Bosche or other top brand. Stick with the chop saw.

Watch some YouTube videos on flooring install. There are some very good ones. I always do that when I try something new and it makes me feel much more confident about what I am doing.

Remember to leave a small space between any walls and the flooring so it can move a small amount. It will be covered up by any trim/base board you do.

Dont only look for level. Get or barrow a nice long level or other long strait object that you know has a strait edge. A floor can be level but have deep dips in it. If you put a strait edge along the floor and look under it you will be able to see if there are any deeper parts of the floor by the gaps under the strait edge. If you have anything significant, more then an 1/8 then you should fill with a self leveling floor filler. Otherwise you will have weird soft section of floor that feel weird when you step on them.

Its easy though. After the first few pieces you will be flying.

[flyboyx]

You posted a lot of good info there. The chop saw is great. Especially a decent quality one. If you are only going to buy one saw, I believe the table saw is better. When laying laminate, you need rip cuts around the edges of your floor. You can make those with the table, but not the chop. Any cut you can make with a miter saw you can do on a table, but not the other way around. Generally the cuts needed for laminate will be underneath a piece of trim so it probably doesn’t matter if they are perfectly accurate.

Hell, in reality, you can make every cut with a hand held circular saw. If you have experience, one can actually do a very professional looking job that way.

I have a buddy that lives in Atlanta. When I get overnights in that city, I almost always go over to his house to help with his home Reno projects. Since he doesn’t have a lot of money, I make do with his cheap black and decker circ saw. I have used it to put down 1300 sq feet of laminate floor, I cut all of his base molding trim, I’ve used it to modify his kitchen cabinets, I even used it to cut a 45 degree miter in his laminate counter tops.


I helped my dad put down a laminate floor in one of his rentals over this last Christmas. The power was out because they had a big snow storm. We scored the flooring with a carpet knife and broke it off. It always made a nice clean break believe it or not. If I needed to make a rip or 90 degree cut, we used a fucking handsaw. You don’t need fancy or expensive tools for this project. However, if you do have A budget where you can afford to spend a couple hundred bucks on tools, I still think the table saw is the best option.

[Johnnyboy101]

Thanks for the tips guys! Did the dining room last week and am now doing the living room. So glad to get that nasty 25 year old carpet out. Looks so much better already.



Sent from my ZTE B2017G using Tapatalk

[flyboyx]

looks like you are doing a nice job.

[ncsubowen]

Seconded on the table saw, though I like a miter saw wayyyyyyyy more for small or angle cuts. You can also get a ton of mileage out of a cheap tile wet saw. Just finished our kitchen backsplash over the weekend.

[Powling]

Finally started ripping out our old original parquet flooring and laying down our new oak hardwood floors this weekend. My dad is 70 years old, and a retired contractor who's been working on houses since he was 18. Needless to say, every time we work on my house together I try to be a sponge and absorb any and all knowledge he lays out.

Our house was built in the 70's and this is the original floor that was put down. It came up relatively easy since the glue underneath has now failed.

Here I am working the flooring tiles out from around some tight spaces.


Next up was laying down some new plywood in the living room to help level the floors and remove squeaks from the original subfloor.


New floors starting to go down. My mom has worked for a hardware store for over 30 years and this flooring came in on sale from a miss-order when it wasn't the correct shade of grey the customer wanted. There was more than enough to cover all the sections of our house that we wanted in hardwood so we snatched it up. All said and done, it was roughly $1.40/sq (CDN) for me. I couldn't say no to that price.


My dad here laying down wood in the living room...followed by one of the many daily distractions from the my dog, Gus who absolutely adores my dad. By far his favourite human.



After 4 straight days this weekend just my dad and I have been able to strip the floors, level everything and get the living room, office, and main hallways hardwood installed. Next up is the master and spare bedrooms, the dining room and the finishing baseboard trims. Should be all done by this coming weekend.

[flyboyx]

wow. solid oak 5" planks for 1.40/sqft Canadian? that is indeed a dealeo! looks really good. enjoy your time with your dad and learn everything you can. my base knowledge also came from my father and I have been in turn passing it down to my son. he isn't afraid to tackle anything that crosses his path. not bad for a 24 yr old kid. you just cannot put a value on that.