There are a lot of decisions to make when constructing a new home. Having a large production builder as our contractor, the task was made somewhat easier with an all-day “selections appointment,” where samples of all the products were presented and a specialist was on hand to answer questions and give guidance.
Photo: Joe Provey
Floor sanding and refinishing is unforgiving work. Make a mistake and it will show. However, a refinished floor can bring beauty to a room like no other project. To hire a pro to sand, seal, stain, and apply several finish coats of an oil-based poly will cost $4 per square foot, or more. Doing it yourself can save at least half of that. Think you’re up for it? Here are some helpful tips:
Surprises abound when you take on a home remodeling project. You never quite know what you will find; and once you’ve started, there’s no turning back.
When we moved into our house, the guest room floor was completely covered in fairly new low-pile carpeting in a brownish-brick hue. Even though we wouldn’t have chosen that color, it was neutral enough—and new enough—that we decided to live with it. As the years passed, we began to consider other options. One day we carefully peeled back the carpet in one corner and were delighted to discover hardwood flooring. The decision was clear: we would remove the carpeting and refinish the floors.
Random orbital floor sander with rectangular base
Unless you plan to sand many floors in your lifetime, the best choice for do-it-yourself floor refinishing is the random orbital sander. Sure, it may take longer to remove old finishes than it would with a drum sander, but you don’t need a lot of experience to operate random orbital sanders and most importantly, they are less likely to permanently damage your floor with by causing grooves or valleys that are impossible to fix.
We picked all the finishing materials for our new-construction home in one day at an eight-hour appointment set up with a selections specialist at our builder’s offices. WHEW! It was crazy, but we were so glad to have everything done in one shot. Out of everything we decided on, the thing I was most excited about was probably the simplest—the subway tile for our kitchen backsplash.
The original staircase
It’s easy to take the staircase for granted, at least until a problem arises. But as one of a home’s finest architectural features, the staircase deserves a homeowner’s special attention sooner rather than later.
The beautiful curved staircase in my ‘new’ old home is one of the reasons I fell in love with the place. After multiple trips up and down during the move-in and remodeling process, though, it was clear the staircase (and I) needed some help.
My contractor agreed with my assessment of the stairs’ structural condition. The outer strings were separating from the inner string and needed to be re-attached (this commonly occurs after years of wear and heavy traffic). By bolting the offending strings back together from underneath, the steps would provide surer footing and much-improved stability.
Last week in the Just Ask Bob section of our community forums, a site user asked an interesting question: “I haven’t grouted yet, what trouble will I have when I do?” What I found most interesting about the question was the phrasing. It wasn’t “what trouble might I encounter”—this DIYer had already resigned himself/herself to the fact that grouting was going to be a problem, regardless.
Through the years, I’ve watched capable home improvement aficionados shy away from one task or another, based on either preconceived notions or bad first-time experiences. But there are tips to help you out in every project, and grouting is no exception.
Photo: LABworks360
In the world of DIY it is the step-by-steps that detail a solution to a problem or project. In my case, it was the steps themselves that posed the greatest dilemma.
When I purchased my house, there were a number of fixes I wanted to make, among them refreshing a dated bathroom and removing the carpeting that covered the stairs and second-floor landing.
By using a screwdriver to loosen a corner of carpeting in the hallway, I started to tug at the material. Within minutes I realized that the carpeting had not been installed the conventional way, with padding and carpet tack. It had been glued directly to the oak flooring below.
Removing the carpeting became a bigger challenge than I anticipated, calling into service paint scrapers, putty knives, and straight edge razors to cut, pry and separate the rug from the floor. Despite the fact that the floors had residual adhesive stuck to the boards, I knew that a good professional sanding would restore them to their original beauty.
Tyroc Subfloor Panels
The basic requirement of any floor surfacing material—from ceramic to wood—is that the subfloor remain free of moisture build-up. This is particularly true for basements where concrete, a porous substance that needs to breathe, can develop moisture as room temperatures fluctuate. The moisture that forms between the concrete and flooring will not only compromise the floor’s performance but contribute to mold, mildew and poor indoor air quality over time.
Maybe I’m the only person (at least over the age of three) who gets a kick out of making a mess, but I would still argue that grouting is the best part of a tiling job—and not just because you get to smear mud all over everything. Grouting is when everything starts to come together and your project stops looking like a collection of individual tiles and starts looking like a finished floor (or wall, or counter).
Related: Bathroom Floor Tile: 9 Top Options
GETTING STARTED
If you have an existing tile surface that needs re-grouting, you will need to remove the old grout compound. A grout saw or grout removal bit for a rotary tool like a Dremel are good options. If you’re tiling a new surface, make sure all tiles are fully set before grouting.
There are different types of grout for different applications. Traditionally grout comes in “sanded” and “non-sanded” varieties; the latter being best suited for tile spaces less than 1/8″ wide. For the purposes of this tutorial, we’re talking about the mix-it-yourself sanded grout.
What you will need:
- Two buckets (one for mixing grout, one filled with clean water)
- Grout sponge
- Grout float (specially designed grout-smoothing tool)
- Grout
- Water
- Putty knife, stirring stick, or mixer attachment for drill
INSTALLATION
Step 1. Mixing the Grout
When mixing grout, you’ll want to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, but here are a few additional tips. Pour about 3/4 of the recommended amount of water in the bucket and then add the grout. Once mixed, add the remaining water to achieve the desired consistency, which should look something like this. I find that working in smaller batches and hand mixing is best.
Photo: Kit Stansley
