Installing a new floor yourself makes money go farther
New flooring is expensive, and we are all looking for ways to get the most for our money. Don’t scrimp on the flooring material if you can avoid it. Instead, do some of the prep work yourself. It won’t be easy in most cases, but you can save a bundle.
Ÿ Wear protective gear like gloves, safety glasses and a dust mask.
Ÿ If you have carpeting, start by using a carpet knife to slide down the length every 3 feet across the floor. Use pliers to grab the carpet at the edge and pull it off the tack strip. Then start rolling it up. The 3-foot sections will make it easier to carry to the trash pile. You can do the same thing with the padding as well. To remove the tack strip, you will need to use a pry bar to pry it up. Use pliers to pull out any nails.
Ÿ If you have vinyl flooring, it is possible to lay new flooring right over the old if the old is firmly in place. If you plan to remove it, you will need to chip it off, then grind off the leftover adhesive. You can rent a powered floor scraper and grinder to save a lot of time. If your vinyl floor is older than 40 years, it may contain asbestos. If so, then removal will be much more costly and difficult, not to mention dangerous.
Ÿ If you have tile, then that powered floor scraper will be a smart choice here, too. The tiles need to be broken and then scraped off, including the grout and adhesive.
Ÿ Vacuum and sweep up everything so you have a clean floor.
Ÿ Depending upon what type of flooring you plan to put down, you can spread a thin layer of floor leveling compound on the surface. This will fill in holes, chips, gouges and low spots left behind after you have had your fun time. Good luck, and good job!
Keep bugs at bayCitronella is a natural way to get rid of mosquitoes. We#146;ve tried the candles and incense, and found that the oil lamps work best for us. We buy the oil at the garden center in large, plastic bottles, along with the wicks. We fill empty wine bottles with the oil and then feed the wicks through a washer that holds the wick tight and sits on top of the bottle opening. When lit, they keep the mosquitoes at bay while adding a nice touch to your patio. They look a little better than the ones everyone else has in their yards.Protect your doorknobsMasking off some areas before painting is very important, although it can be time-consuming. Doorknobs are one of those places, and a lot of people overlook them, too. They also can be hard to mask. Try just tying a rag or old sock around the knob. If it#146;s a standard twist knob, you can cover the knob before tying so you still can use it. If it#146;s a lever-type doorknob, then you can just tie it on and pull on it when you need to open or close the door. Super hintsŸ If you want to polish some wood and are out of store-bought furniture polish, try some baby oil. It works pretty well, and is as gentle to your furniture as it is to a baby!Ÿ I love to travel and my favorite hotels are the smaller ones. One thing I have brought back to my own home is the #147;breakfast bar#148; idea. I have a small counter between the oven and fridge that is the perfect spot for this. I have a coffee pot and a toaster and the usual things we use each morning for breakfast, including creamer, sugar, flatware, plates, glasses and napkins. Every morning I put out the juice, a tray of muffins or breads and some fresh fruit. The fresh items go right back in the fridge together, and are ready for the next day.Ÿ We have an armadillo nosing through our yard. What a mess. We took the Dirt Doctor#146;s advice and tried dried pepper powder on the ground in this area. He#146;s gone now!Q. We have mildew around our patio, probably because we have a hot tub there as well. We clean the siding off a couple times a year but, even after paint, the mildew just keeps coming back. Is there anything we can do to prevent it, especially since we want to repair the siding again?A. See if you can add ventilation to the area, maybe an exhaust fan would help. Make sure you completely remove all traces of the mildew before painting. Add a mildew inhibitor to your paint, too.Q. I would like to see if there is a way to clean the plastic panel in my storm door. Our dog scratches on it and has just ruined it. What can I use to really get the scratches off the surface?A. Use the finest abrasive paste you can use. Ask for jeweler#146;s rouge. It won#146;t be as clear as glass, but this will help it look a little cleaner. Once you get it clean, add a metal grill over it to keep off the dog!Q. We have exhaust fans in several rooms in our home, mostly bathrooms. I have noticed that the one in our bathroom seems to let a lot of noise from the outside into the room. The fan seems to work OK, but I am concerned that something might be wrong with it. What should I check?A. The first thing we would suggest is to locate the damper for this fan. Look at your home#146;s exterior and see if you can determine where the vents are located in the house. Check them all to see if each has a working damper flap. If you find some that don#146;t swing freely or are missing, replace them. This will keep them in good working order and will prevent critters and rain from getting in. Reader tipsŸ I#146;m sure the kids didn#146;t mean to break our garage-door window, but it happened. Since it#146;s just a single pane of glass, I thought I would replace it myself. I had a scrap of contact paper, so I cut it to fit the window and then stuck it to the broken glass. Then I used the hammer to break out the rest of the glass. All of the shards stuck to the contact paper, so I didn#146;t have to worry about cleaning up more broken glass in my driveway. The new glass was easy to install, so I was finished with the repair quickly.Ÿ I hate cleaning the blinds but my wife and I have split the chores, so now I have to. I dust them, but it#146;s not enough. Every year I take them down and lay them on a towel, then spray them off with the hose. I use another towel to wipe them down. It#146;s the only way to get them really clean. Once a year is doable, too. At least I don#146;t have to sweep out the garage every week!Ÿ I got tired of the same old walls in my office, so I covered the walls with shutters. I started collecting them and would go to salvage yards and pick up random shutters of all shapes and sizes. When I thought I had enough, I started hanging them on the wall. I just drilled holes and used screws on most of them. I had to fill in some spots, but found some old wood paneling that looked like slats that I cut to fit into the spaces. The room looks so great now, and way better than just some paint!Ÿ We have a lot of metal baskets that hang from the roof edge around our patio. Every year we have to replace the coco liners before replanting them for the season. This year, my wife bought burlap instead and cut liners to fit each basket. We saved about $60. The plants look great so far and, if the burlap lasts the whole season, we#146;ll be doing that from now on. The burlap also is easier to find than the liners are.Ÿ I covered up my bathroom window in a new and different way. I bought some translucent contact-type paper. Before putting it on the window, I placed leaves on the sticky side. Then, I put the self-stick paper on the window and pressed it flat. The paper makes sure nobody can see in through the glass and the leaves look really neat.ShoptalkŸ If you are trying to be #147;green#148; #151; and who isn#146;t these days? #151; you might be considering starting a compost pile. This is so easy to do and, once you know the basics, you can have a steady supply of free plant food and mulch for your yard year-round. It doesn#146;t cost much and is a great way to get rid of vegetable waste from your home as well as many other items destined for the garbage can. Learn how to build and manage your own compost pile with our instructions. You can get more of our super tips and ask questions at www.thesuperhandyman.com, so come on by!Ÿ BrickWeb is the fastest and easiest way to add a brick facade to a wall in your home. The real clay bricks are thin #151; so much lighter in weight than the real thing #151; and are attached to a mesh that can be hung in one piece over your adhesive base. Once set up, all you have to do is mortar the joints. It#146;s available in 12 color blends and in flat sheets as well as corner sheets. Just fit them together and do a whole wall in just a weekend. To find out more about how they are installed and where you can get some, go to www.installbrickweb.com.Ÿ If you#146;ve thought about adding a heated floor but didn#146;t want to go to all the trouble and expense, you should try the RugBuddy. It#146;s designed to fit under a rug and heat it. It#146;s safe to use over any surface and under just about any rug. It#146;s a super way to add a little heat to a specific area and even allows you to cut back your household heat and save some money on your utility bills. RugBuddy comes in a variety of sizes and is easy to install. You can even hook several together if you want to. To find out more, go to www.floormat.com and check it out.Ÿ Write to Al and Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 or visit the Carrells#146; website at thesuperhandyman.com.© 2013, Cowles Syndicate Inc.