Should I remove hardwood floor to install new vinyl?
3 years ago
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- 3 years ago
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Should I be worried about the hardwood floor installation?
Comments (9)You need to give the floor person the proper amount of time to do the job. It sounds like he's a day behind on what was already an impossible schedule. I would suggest you tell your floor guy that you're putting off the move until he's done with the floor and ask him, without pressure, exactly how much time he needs to do the job right and to warrant the finished product. Some contractors will take shortcuts just to please a customer without regard to the negative effects. I can't speak to how long your wood should be acclimated since I may live where the climate is different, but we allow 2 WEEKS to pass between the time we lay the floor and start sanding. In instances where we are asked to shortcut the recommended acclimation process, I advise my customers of what the pitfalls might be and if necessary, relieve myself of the liability if something goes wrong. To put your stress in perspective, consider the inconvenience you'll go through if the floor job is rushed, then goes bad, either right away or after you've moved in....See MoreHelp! When should we install hardwood floors?
Comments (16)We used masonite sheets over the rosin paper which really helped the tromping/scratching factor. And honestly, I'd rather take my chances with the cabinet installers (who are generally carpenters) hurting the floor, rather than the flooring installers (who are generally not carpenters) hurting the cabinets. :-) It's also a lot more work to cut around cabinetry that's already installed, so chances are the savings in square flooring footage will get totally eaten up with the extra labor time, anyways. And unless they are really skilled, you will wind up needing shoe molding to hide the small gaps between floorboards and cabs/toekicks....See MoreNew Hardwood over Old Hardwood?
Comments (9)My concern is the layers of vinyl underneath the hardwood. Hardwood doesn't like sitting on vinyl and vinyl doesn't like sitting on hardwood. The two do NOT like each other. If you think this is a good idea (which it is considered on the technical side of things a horrible approach to this) then you might have to add another layer of subfloor. A nice, fat, thick 1/2" plywood to cover those two layers of vinyl. Now you can go ahead and lay the hardwood. Technically, my suggestion is hideous. It is atrocious. It is so "unprofessional" that I could weep. But if you insist on leaving the vinyl in place, then you need to think of a way to separate the vinyl from the hardwood sitting on top....and one very sure way is with plywood. Again, my suggestion is a travesty. Then again so is laying hardwood over two layers of vinyl. In the flooring world, we 'allow' ONE layer of resistant flooring (like vinyl) to sit underneath another floor. For example: the first layer of vinyl was considered "OK" to lay another layer of vinyl over top. All good. No one in the technical department batted an eye. If a THIRD vinyl floor was proposed (or a laminate, or linoleum, or cork, or hardwood, or tile, or even carpet) it would be a "NOOOOOOOO! STOOOOOP! DON'T DO IT!" type of answer. So I will officially say: No. Stop. Don't do it. There. It has been said. That being said, if you as the homeowner choose to forgo the installation instructions and the "Best Practices" as set out by the National Wood Flooring Association (as homeowners your word is "law" when it comes to things like this), you are welcome to go ahead and lay hardwood over two layers of vinyl. If you do it, I suggest a new layer of plywood to help things along - because you need FLAT. And most "old hardwoods with two layers of vinyl sitting on them" are anything but flat. Good luck. You would be better off remediating the asbestos/vinyl and getting down to bare hardwood. Now a new floor (with the help of a layer of plywood) can go down. Or you remove the original hardwood with the vinyl (this is easier to do than scrape off the vinyl...and easier = cheaper) and start with a new layer of subfloor and go after it like it should be done. But as homeowner your word is "law". If you tell a professional to "just do it", they will say "yes ma'am/sir" and do it. But they will not warranty their work. You will be left holding the bag - and all the pit vipers that lay inside. It's your call....See Moreshould I go with vinyl that looks like hardwood or tile looking vinyl
Comments (16)I would also suggest avoiding vinyl at all costs - especially given the beautiful hardwood in the remainder of the house. Ceramic will always wear better, is better for resale value and a healthier product for your family to come into contact with. A charcoal grout update and charcoal walls or a fun graphic wallcovering would be nice budget friendly updates to this space and still in keeping with the quality of the other finishes of the house. Best of luck!...See MoreRelated Professionals
Home Remodeling · Schiller Park Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Vashon Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Centereach General Contractors · Rotterdam General Contractors · Holiday Painters · Franklin Painters · New Port Richey Painters · Boca Raton Flooring Contractors · Gladstone Tile and Stone Contractors · Jackson General Contractors · Kettering General Contractors · Lighthouse Point General Contractors · Renton General Contractors · Sun Prairie General Contractors- 3 years ago
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