Prepare the surface before you install a new vinyl floor

New flooring would be great for most of us, but it can get pretty expensive when you are on a budget. Of course, doing it yourself can save you a lot of money.

The easiest and least expensive replacement is self-adhesive vinyl tiles. Here are some basic instructions for doing it so you can see if it might be the solution for you.

If you already have resilient flooring or vinyl flooring in place, you might be able to put the new flooring right over the top of it. It will need to be thoroughly cleaned first. If the old floor is embossed, you can just apply a floor-leveling compound over the top to smooth it out.

If you are applying the tiles to a wood subfloor, sand it smooth and vacuum all the dust away.

Concrete needs to be sealed before these tiles will work on top of it.

If you have baseboards in place now, you will need to remove them. They will be replaced once the flooring is all in place.

You can use a saw to undercut the door frames so the new flooring will slide in under them rather than right up to the edge, for a nicer look.

Buy a little extra when you purchase your tiles to compensate for your boo-boos, both now and later.

Find the center of the room by taking measurements and, without removing the backing, lay the tiles out in all four directions from that center point. Shift them if you need to in order to avoid slivers and more cuts, or to create better balance.

Starting at the center, peel off the backing and start sticking the tiles in place. If your flooring has arrows on the back to indicate a pattern of some sort, make sure you follow those directions.

Cutting these tiles is very easy to do. Use a piece of backing to trace and cut a pattern from it for your tile. Then lay the pattern over the tile and use a sharp utility knife to customize your tile to fit.

It's a good idea to roll the floor with a rented roller for the best adhesion. Be careful when moving furniture back in place. You might consider installing felt pads on some pieces to protect your new floor.

Painting around trim

Crown molding and other trim can give any room a classy look. And painting can jazz it up even more. Yet masking around all that trim can be extremely time-consuming, and can drive you batty. One way to cut down your time is to very gently pry the trim away from the wall just a tad. Now you can easily paint right up to the trim without slopping any of the paint on it. It will take less time to pry the trim away from the wall than it will to mask the whole room, top and bottom. Check it out!

Keep an eye on yard tools

Most of us are pretty glad that we won't have to touch a rake or mower until next spring. All those overworked tools are now going to be stacked up at the back of the garage or shed, and will stay that way for a while, hopefully. Of course, storing them to prevent rust is a good idea, and you don't want that pile of tools to fall over onto the hood of your car. If you were to install a few large eye hooks into the wall of your garage or shed, you could push the handles down through the hooks so that the tool heads could be held off the ground in a way that would keep them from falling all over the place. It also would help protect them from rust by keeping the metal parts off the concrete. It's a simple but handy way to store these tools during the winter months and other times when you aren't using them as often.

Super hints

• If you wax your own car, use those waxy rags to wipe down your tools. The coating will keep them from rusting when stored in a garage or shed. It's well worth the few minutes it will take to do.

• If you want a wine cellar but have a very limited budget, you can create a small one by just using clay drainpipes or flue pipes to store bottles in. If you use more than one, you can stack them and glue them together with epoxy. They should be kept in a cool spot, away from heat and sun. I guess it would come closer to qualifying if you put it in the basement.

• Tight fit for a closet door in your room? Switch from a standard door to a bifold or accordion door for a less-intrusive fit. It can be a super space-saver.

Q. I was lucky enough to find a great butcher block kitchen table at a flea market. I would like to know the best way to clean and restore it for everyday use. Can you advise me?

A. Sand the top to remove any scratches or stains. Apply liquid laundry bleach to sanitize it. Then apply butcher block oil to the surface. Rub it into the grain of the wood, and wipe off any excess. Repeat this whenever it starts looking dirty again.

Q. How can I get more light into my basement? It's dark, and there is no overhead fixture. I have a lamp in the basement but there isn't a light, or even a switch, on the stairs, so I have to get down there with very little light. How can I add more light to the stairs without having to hire an electrician?

A. You can install a fixture on the ceiling that has a power cord reaching to an outlet. Use a motion sensor or a "Clap-On" sensor on the plug to make it come on when you start to enter the room. Another option might be a wireless switch to the fixture that could be placed near the doorway.

Q. My son was home from college and did a couple of loads of laundry down in the basement. I'm not sure what he did, but now the washing machine bounces around and moves on the floor. Is there any way to stop this?

A. Try leveling the machine before doing anything else. At the bottom of the front on both sides are some adjustable "feet." Loosen them to raise the machine, and tighten them to lower it. Level it front to back and side to side as well. That usually will stop the problem. If it doesn't, it could be something more serious, and you will have to open it up and check the clutch, belt and mountings to see if there is a problem.

Reader tips

• I built a great doghouse a couple of years ago. I think it is very solid. It has a concrete floor that is easy to clean. I also added a door. It's a heavy-duty rubber truck mudflap. It hangs over the doorway and keeps out the cold air and rain. Our dog can get in and out easily, and seems to appreciate it. I considered using a truck floor mat at first, but it was just too flimsy. I also have added a rubber floor mat, which adds another layer of insulation.

• We have a lot of mineral deposits in our water here, so I thought it might be a problem with my toilet. I wanted to find a way to leave the cleaning solution in the tank longer so it might help loosen and dissolve deposits within the tank. I shut the water off, then flushed the toilet. I poured a whole gallon of vinegar into the tank and added some water to fill it the rest of the way up to the fill line. I let it sit in the tank all day long while I was at work. When I came home, I turned the water back on and flushed the toilet to clear out the vinegar. It worked.

• I had an old chain belt that I had tried to sell in a garage sale. Nobody wanted it, so I just left it in the garage. I found that it makes a super place to store all of my sockets. I strung them all on it, both standard and metric, and hung it next to the workbench. Now it's easy to get the ones that I need and put them back when I'm finished working. The belt is long enough to hold them all!

• Years ago we made some mosaic tables for our patio. We used a waterproof grout that you recommended, and I just wanted to let you know that, after almost 10 years, they still look great. I wish we had used the same grout on our back porch, because we are now having to remove and regrout the tiles on it.

Shoptalk

• Cutting drywall isn't very hard, but you do have to cut through both sides of the paper for the best results. But now you can do it in one pass, with the new Goldblatt Blade Runner. Its special design allows you to cut through both sides of the paper at once, so you get your cuts done in half the time. It's easy to control, versatile and even cuts curves with precision. It creates less dust so you might get the cleanup done quicker, too. For more information on the tool and to find out where you can get one for yourself, visit goldblattbladerunner.com.

• If you are getting ready to start a renovation or some other big cleanup job, you need to check out the Bagster. It's an inexpensive, easy-to-handle bag that unfolds to hold up to 3,300 pounds of household debris. That's as much as a steel Dumpster can hold. Once it's full, you call the special number and have them come pick it up and haul it away. It will save you time and money, and eliminate a lot of the hassle involved with the demo part of the job. To learn more about this great product and its availability in your area, visit the company online at thebagster.com.

• Write to Al and Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or visit the Carrells' Web site at thesuperhandyman.com.

© 2009, Cowles Syndicate Inc.