Give your home a new look with floating wood floors

We get a lot of mail from people who decided to pull up their carpets, hoping that there would be a beautiful wood floor underneath. Well, unfortunately, the majority of them are now moving on to Plan B.

If wood floors are what you really want, you might consider installing a "floating wood floor." These are made of laminated wood, which is both beautiful and very tough. The foam underlayment allows you to put them over just about any smooth subsurface, and since they are not nailed to the subfloor, they float over it. The foam gives you extra cushioning and sound-dampening qualities.

Start by removing base moldings and trim. The foam underlayment is then spread out over the floor and cut to fit the room. Tape pieces together in places where they are joined. You will need to undercut door casings.

The floor needs to have some room to expand and "float," so create some spacers from scrap wood to fit against your starting wall and to use along the edges as you work. These should be about 5/16-inch wide. Use a chop saw or miter saw to cut the material to fit your room. Try to stagger your joints for a better look. Your first row is the most important, so take the time to get it fit right. You want the tongue facing into the room as you work. If you use glue, it should be applied to the groove of the piece you are installing. Use a block of wood and a mallet to lock pieces together at the ends first, then along the sides. Wipe off the extra glue.

The last row of pieces is a little tough to get into place. If you remove the spacers on the last wall, you usually can coax the planks into place. Make sure you give the floor time to settle in, and let the glue cure before you pull your spacers out and install your molding. Also, make sure to nail the baseboard to the walls and not the floor so it can still move.

Keep drill bits safe

If you've been a do-it-yourselfer for a while, then you probably have more than one set of drill bits. Most of us have quite an odd collection of bits. It's a good idea to store them all in one place and in a safe way, where the sharp blades can be protected. One easy and inexpensive way to accomplish this is to get a scrap block of wood and drill holes into the top of it that are large enough to fit the shafts of the drill bits, and then place all of your bits in the block of wood. You can keep this handy holder right on your workbench or set it in a drawer or toolbox and pull it out when you need to select the right bit for a project.

Deburring cut bolts

If you have to cut a bolt down to size, then your best bet would be a hacksaw. You will have to deburr the end of the bolt, but not nearly as much as if you had used another tool. But we have a way to make deburring even easier. Before you cut the bolt, turn a nut onto it and cinch it all the way down. Now make your cut. With the nut in place and the end of the bolt cut off, you can then use pliers to unscrew the nut, which will remove a lot of the burrs in the process. You might have a little more cleanup to do, but this will eliminate most of the work.

Super hints

• It might sound crazy, but you can "lubricate" a squeaking wooden floor with baby powder, or any other type of powder, for that matter. Just sweep it into the cracks and wipe up the rest. It really works!

• If you use extra-long extension cords for outdoor projects, store them on a garden-hose reel. These are inexpensive and very easy to use and, if on wheels, you easily can store it in your garage.

• If you have had a key made lately, then you know they aren't just brass anymore. You can get keys of all different colors, in a variety of metals, even in assorted patterns. You could customize your keys so it would be easier to pick out the right key when you are in a hurry. I've done this for some of my keys, and know exactly which ones go where. It could be a real timesaver.

Q. My son got ink from a pen on his white carpet. The stain isn't very large, but I'm afraid I will make it worse. I have not used anything but water on it yet, and that didn't work at all. How can I get it out?

A. Rubbing alcohol is a great cleaner for ink. Allow the alcohol to loosen the ink first, then blot it up with a clean cloth. You may have to repeat this several times to get it all up. Once it's clean, apply stain blocker to the area, since you probably washed that out when you cleaned up the stain. Rugs are great to use in kids' rooms, even over carpet. They can be cleaned easily or replaced if not.

Q. I think I need to redo my tiled kitchen countertop. The grout is filthy, and I can't get it clean. What do you think?

A. You can remove the grout with a small tool called a grout saw or a rotary tool with a special grout-removal attachment. Once the grout is cleaned out and all of the debris is removed, apply new grout and then seal it. You can seal it once a year and keep it looking great.

Q. Can I paint the grout around my built-in range?

A. Yes, you can. Clean it thoroughly first, then use a paint made for porous surfaces. It might be a good idea to seal the grout afterward.

Q. We have a toilet seat that needs to be replaced. The seat is actually cracked. The problem is that the metal bolts holding it on the bowl are rusted, and I can't get them to budge. Now what?

A. Try using naval jelly or WD-40 to loosen up the rust. If that doesn't do it, you may have to use a saw to cut the old seat off or cut through the bolts. The new plastic hinges and bolts work really well, and you won't have to worry about the rust again.

Reader tips

• Our doggy door is a few years old now, and we needed to replace the rubber flap. Well, they don't make this one anymore, and we couldn't find a replacement door, either. I found a thick rubber truck mat and cut it to fit the door. It is heavy enough to hang tight, so it keeps the cold air out, but the dog still can go through easily. It doesn't look too bad, either. I'll bet it was a lot cheaper than a replacement door, too!

• I found a superfast way to mix concrete for smaller projects. The kids and I made some steppingstones and used a small bag of concrete. We put the mix and water into a plastic tub that had a tightfitting lid. Then we turned it over and over for a couple of minutes and mixed all of the concrete with no tools or any mess at all. We even were able to pour it directly into the molds from the tub. The tub washed out with the water hose, and there was nothing else to clean up - except the kids. They had a blast, and I actually did, too.

• I found a large spice rack for my garage. I know it sounds silly, but it's the perfect thing to store hardware in. The set came with 36 containers and a rack to hold them all. I was able to sort through my hardware and store all of it in separate containers, where I easily can find what I need when I need it. I might even get one for the kitchen one of these days!

• I had a little caulk left over from my last spree before winter. I put a little petroleum jelly into a wire nut and turned it onto the tip end of the tube. I didn't really figure the caulk would still be good, but it was. The wire nut really sealed it up tightly, and I was able to finish off the caulk on a small project. I wish I had tried this earlier, as I hate to think how much caulk I've wasted through the years.

• I patched a hole that was on our guest-bedroom wall. It was accidentally made by a relative visiting who had pushed the door a little too hard. I spread some mud over the hole and smoothed it out. I could see that it was going to take a long time, since I had to do three coats of drywall compound to get it built up enough. I used my hair dryer to dry it faster. I was able to get all three coats done in one afternoon with the help of the hair dryer. I did wait overnight before painting it, just to make sure it was totally dry. Still, it was much faster with the hair dryer.

Shoptalk

• Elmer's has a super Epoxy Rotted Wood Repair Kit that you might be interested in. The kit contains everything you need to fix rotten, split or cracked wood. It includes the epoxy, mixing tray, utility brush, sandpaper, fiberglass cloth, mixing sticks and disposable gloves. It's easy to mix and easy to use, and your repairs will actually be stronger than they were before they started to rot! It's available at a variety of hardware stores and discount stores. To find out more, visit elmers.com.

•A great way to save water in your toilet is to install a HydroRight Dual Flush Converter. It actually was invented by a plumber. It will change your toilet into a dual-flush model: one button for liquids and paper, and a second button for more. You'll use up to 70 percent less water for liquids and paper with this device. It's easy to install with no tools in only five or 10 minutes. And it doesn't cost very much. It works with all standard flush valves, and it even eliminates flapper problems. To find out how it works, visit gomjsi.com. It's available at a variety of hardware and discount stores, including Walmart and Ace Hardware.

• 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.

© 2010, Cowles Syndicate Inc.