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Vinyl and linoleum floors
A floor covering, chosen and maintained with care, will last
decades. Vinyl, linoleum, carpet, wood, ceramic… the choices
are impressive! Comfort factors aside, maintenance and
durability, colour, style and motifs should be seriously
considered, as other decoration ideas may be added in over
the years.
Unquestionably, ease of maintenance must appear at the top
of the list at the moment when selecting vinyl or linoleum
floor coverings. Which type will best suit your needs, your
lifestyle and your budget? The different characteristics of
vinyl and linoleum, as well as installation and maintenance,
Replacing wood floorboards
A damaged tongue and grooved floorboard can be replaced.
Make two parallel cuts along the entire length of the board,
about one inch from the edges with a circular saw adjusted
to the board's depth. The depth of the cut will depend on
the thickness of the board. Lift out the centre part, then
the remaining two parts by removing the diagonally planted
nails. The new board can be fitted in and glued after you
remove the lower part of its groove with a chisel. Nail in
the new board, counter-sink the nails and cover them with
putty, sand and varnish.
Installing linoleum at the right temperature
Before installing linoleum, let the roll sit for a while in
a room at 20º C. You'll find it much easier to lay and
manipulate.
A
comfortable basement floor
When it comes to floor coverings, most specialists agree
that the installation of a sub floor in the basement is an
investment in comfort. Start by caulking all fissures in the
concrete floor, spread black tar paper, screw 1 x 3 x 16
inch center/center boards to the concrete and cover with
tongue and groove laminated panels for the floor surface.
Floating floors imitate hardwood
You want to enjoy the beauty of a hardwood flooring without
the expense? There is a large variety on the market of
floating floors that imitate wood more or less effectively.
They can be laid down directly over the old flooring and the
pieces are easy to fit together or glue. The only drawback,
they can't be refinished. Once damaged, they must be
replaced.
Removing vinyl tiles with an iron
When removing tiles, cover them with a piece of newspaper or
a cloth and heat them well with an iron at medium heat.
Using a putty knife, they will be easier to remove as the
heat will soften the glue that holds them in place. Also,
some suggest heating vinyl tiles with an iron in order to
make more precise cuts when installing. |
