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Here is how I have done it before without anything more than what I was already using, the material, pencil, a tape measure and a miter box.
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A sliding bevel, which is a fairly low-cost tool designed for exactly this type of job - the blade can be set to match an unknown angle and locked, then it can either be measured, or used directly in setting, or used to draw a line.
No affiliation with or recommendation of the image source.
Or, a piece of cardboard or stiff paper (fold or cut to match the ...
17
Cut a few openings in your current subfloor, spanning across from the centers of joists, and pull flex conduit (or just cable if that's all that's needed). You'll easily be able to drill through the joists with a compact drill. When you're done just glue and screw the cutouts back in place, then add your second layer. Don't fiddle around with hokey sandwich ...
12
Solid wood flooring in a wet area is inherently risky due to the moisture everywhere.
Pine flooring (a moisture-absorbent softwood) is inherently risky to install.
Solid boards are inherently more prone to cupping than engineered boards.
Gluing a wood floor to concrete is inherently risky because concrete is a big sponge that absorbs and releases moisture in ...
11
You want to look for pieces called hardwood flooring transitions. They can either be "T" pieces, reducers, or threshold pieces. Here are some examples:
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I don't want to get into a long drawn out explanation on how to fix that plywood square. I will say that it is entirely possible to replace the plywood with a close match hardwood. The process is called "stitching". It involves removing the cut pieces of wood to bring it back to the original stagger then slip fitting the new wood back in while at the same ...
11
The answer depends on what you are willing to accept for a finished result. Removing the quarter-round allows the edger to reach underneath what is visible when the quarter-round is re-installed. Even the most fastidious edging is going to be visible to close inspection if the trim isn't removed. The extent to which it is obvious depends largely on the ...
11
In two old homes now I've shredded the wood floor under my chair, monster splinters eventually emerging. I work at home in semi-rural New Hampshire. I think they're very old pine floors, so softwood. I plan to try Shepherd Brand Urethane Casters after putty and repainting.
From the manufacturer's site, "Nylon tread for carpeting, and urethane tread for ...
8
There are woods used in wet environments, mostly those that are fairly impervious to rot - teak, cedar, redwood, mahogony (less so).
Untreated: Sometimes cedar, redwood and teak are left natural. In almost all these cases, they are not exposed to prolonged soaking. Even in saunas they are misted and then dried, not soaked the way a shower soaks. On Boats ...
8
For close cutting, either horizontally or vertically in very close quarters, I recommend a multitool.
It has different blades for wood, metal, and can do some limited grinding and tight sanding. You do need clearance of at least the width of the blade plus about 1/4 inch.
If you do not have that much clearance, you may need a Dremel-type rotary cutting/...
8
The answer is "it depends" -- on what you need, on how well it's cared for, and how often you want to refinish it. Real wood is measured by something called the "Janka Hardness Scale" -- oak is a good choice, as it's rated at about 1300, with only more exotic woods being harder. I was told that Oak would probably be scratched by my dogs' claws, though, and ...
8
Probably you are hoping to spray some Miracle Vanishing Formula™, instantly wipe, and be good as new. Maybe it is possible to do that, or use a putty knife carefully.
In the end, you will probably have added scratches, and there are probably defects and worn portions screaming for refinishing. So why not skip to the (seemingly) inevitable conclusion:...
8
@iLikeDirt covered a lot of important information, but I'd like to add something since the majority of the information assumes that there is a problem of excess moisture due to the concrete, while the expert assessment says it is actually dry cupping that is the problem.
Dry cupping implies that the interior humidity is dropping below the average ...
7
Get yourself a moisture meter ($30~) and test the floor at various points.
Wood is rarely COMPLETELY dry (as in no moisture at all) - but you definitely want a moisture content that compares to other wood in your house that was not flooded.
Example of a moisture meter
7
Its either rot or termites.
The discoloring suggests a water leak that persisted long enough to rot. Do you have access under that spot? Is the subfloor similarly discolored? If so, it may need to be repaired at the same time as the board.
Board replacement is possible by any flooring contractor by sawing out the center of the board and chiseling/prying ...
7
You'll need to start over, sanding out the splotches of glue. To deal with the divots of glue, they can be 'set' using a nail-set in the same manner that you'd set a nail ... or the divots of glue can be dug/scraped out ... or simply left as-is.
You'll likely have similar splotches with store bought wood filler, and blotches can arise from other ...
7
I'd like to write an answer on the overall methodology on how to pick where to align a floor, but I don't have the chops for that. But in your case, I do have a suggestion.
One of the principles of flooring installation is that it's more important to look straight than to actually be straight. For example, you have that architectural detail separating the ...
7
To elaborate a little more. When you apply a finish like poly or even paint, it doesn't just instantly go from a liquid to a solid after an hour or whatever the dry time is for the product.
When it's exposed to air it slowly starts to solidify. As this happens the physical properties of the finish change. Most importantly it's workability changes. If you ...
7
I would just put down some green/blue painters tape around the spots. This tape has low-adhesion so it is less likely to remove any finish. Just make sure the builder removes the tape before refinishing.
7
I am sure they sell large pans somewhere but that shouldn't be a concern. Your freezer should be contained, in that if there is a power outage and everything melts - the water should stay in your freezer.
Note: I have to think if I was putting a deep freezer on my hardwoods I would lay it on an area rug. Even insulated the freezer bottom is pretty cold ...
7
Yes you can use the existing floor as a subfloor, but I humbly submit, that the brittle cement based self leveling underlayment would not do well sandwiched between two wood surfaces, and a slew of fasteners driven through it. I seems to me the vibration, the fastener shooting through the cement would start cracking up the poured underlayment. I believe it ...
7
Talk to a hardwood installation company. You might be surprised at what they can do with your floor in your budget. It might be too expensive depending on the extent of the damage, but a lot of visual damage is actually acceptable in vintage hardwood floors, and they may be able to replace the bad pieces, resolve the squeak, and refinish the floor for a ...
7
The riser is installed first for the reason that you want a nice tight fit along the top of the riser to the tread above it. There is always the possibility that there is a small variation in the width of the riser boards or the height of the notches cut in the stair jacks. The back edge of the tread can then be slid right up to the riser for a nice tight ...
7
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Don't discount the fact that everything was hand nailed at one point. Sheathing a building in board by hand works wonders for increasing efficiency with a hammer.
One hundred years ago green or air dried lumber was the norm, rather than kiln dried. Even seasoned lumber had generally been in the air under a year at the mill. ...
6
This page from Stanford University states:
Presume all paints and varnishes applied before 1980 contain lead including finishes on old toys, furniture and playground equipment.
Therefore you should take precautions when removing the old material.
However, most of the risk from lead is due to the long term exposure to the paint, so the precautions you ...
6
You'd have to treat it like a hardwood floor t&g repair:
Run a circular saw down one side, staying away from seam at least
the thickness of the tongue, with depth set to board thickness.
Repeat #1 along the other side.
Connect the top and bottom cuts across the board, either with a chisel or OMT (Oscillating multi tool).
Carefully cut into corners to ...
6
The general principle is you cut the length of the board with a circular saw set to a very shallow depth, making sure to not over-run in to adjacent boards. Then you use a chisel or utility knife to cut all the way to the end. You should then be able to lift the middle of the board out. If the ends are also T&G, you might need to use a utility knife to ...
6
The simple answer is if you are going to put down hardwood in the kitchen, it is usually better to install the entire floor before you put down the new base cabinets. It is much harder to fit hardwood to cabinets than to put the cabinets on top of the floor. If you were using vinyl sheet goods, I would advise putting down the subflooring then install the ...
6
I suppose I should post the solution we eventually came up with.
We tried everything. Goo-gone. Soapy water. Various hardwood floor cleaners. Alcohol. Windex. Dry ice. Steam. Swiffer Wet Jet. Industrial Strength Adhesive Remover. None of these made the cleaning much easier, and even after hours of scraping and wiping, the foam still left nasty ...
answered Jul 24 '15 at 22:17
BlueRaja - Danny Pflughoeft
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6
Wall to wall carpeting is usually attached to the floor using carpet tack strips around the perimeter like these
The raised tack points grip the edges of the carpet.
Once you pull up the carpet, there is probably a padding that is just laid on the floor without adhesive. If it is rubber backed, the rubber bottom surface sometimes sticks to the floor ...
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