| Author | Content |
mbhoakct76
Winsted, CT
February 28, 2009
11:51 PM Post #6204819
| I have old (1930) maple flooring in my living room and dining room, they have several water damaged areas probley from a animal urinating , there was also areas that were previously covered by vinyl tile (in the middle of nowhere)- so those places have minimal damage, and also absorbed the poly finish differencetly. Last year we had them sanded down and refinshed with hopes that they might clean up nicely- but im not happy with them, the stains are still very visible, as water and pet damage does not sand out, but we werent sure of how deep the stains were untill sanded down. Now everytime i clean the floor - it reminds me of how unhappy i am with the finish. Trust me - the photos only slightly show the inconsistencies (i think the flash kinda makes it look more blended).
So im thinkin about laying a new floor over it - i hate carpet cause it harbors dirt and odor, and solid wood is to costly to have scratched up by the dogs, so
Im looking at a cost effective DIY floor from home depot called allure by trafficmaster, its a laminate but a little different only because its made out of a material more like vinyl tile, it comes in strips, and looks like wood, it has the same appearance as many laminates,its a floating floor like - so now glue will be used and it will come up easily and not ruin the floor under it. And the best part is that its more of a resilent material so when scratched with a knife (or dogs nails) it does not show huge scratches on the surface like laminates do. heres a link to someone elses floor i found on by google search http://www.diychatroom.com/attachments/f5/3899d1214185619t-t...
I plan on selling my house within the next year to two...so im really concerned with how adding this new vinyl resilent laminate flooring is going to go over to prospective buyers??
My question is ...
Would you rather see my dingy, old, stained solid hardwood flooring - or a new clean laminate????
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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mbhoakct76
Winsted, CT
February 28, 2009
11:53 PM Post #6204828
| heres another of my floor... 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Aunt_A
Tulsa, OK
March 01, 2009
12:01 AM Post #6204853
| Let me ask DH; we might know something about this flooring. Will get back with you.
Can you stain the real wood floor a darker color to mask the scratches, ect better?
Regarding selling, it all matters what is popular by the time your house is on the market.
April |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
March 01, 2009
12:05 AM Post #6204866
| Hardwood will go over better with potential buyers than the vinyl wood-look stuff...you might consider staining the floor a darker color, I think that'll hide the stains. If that doesn't work, then I'd call some local realtors and ask their opinion on the vinyl stuff or what you should do instead. I think if it's an area like a kitchen where people typically use vinyl flooring then it would probably be OK, but for other rooms in the house I'm concerned that buyers would rather see hardwood, Pergo, or even carpet instead of vinyl. |
Aunt_A
Tulsa, OK
March 01, 2009
12:11 AM Post #6204888
| Does this look like it?
April
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Aunt_A
Tulsa, OK
March 01, 2009
12:12 AM Post #6204892
| Not sure if this one will show up better...
April
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Aunt_A
Tulsa, OK
March 01, 2009
12:14 AM Post #6204896
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This is a different house with a different laminate. Does it look more like this?
April
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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mbhoakct76
Winsted, CT
March 01, 2009
12:20 AM Post #6204918
| yes april, that looks like it. hard to tell if thats the exact product - but it sure looks the same.
It really does just appear to look like your common wood laminate flooring.
I would consider it a laminate , and pretty much the same catagory of flooring as pergo, but resilent. the color goes a little deeper and the wear layer seems to have slightly less of a glossy finish (good for me).
As for staining the wood- i was thinking about it but most of the time when you stain wood that has water/pet damage - the darker spots absorb the stain just the same as the lighter - and the blotches (stains) still show up - just in a different color tone. I have tried this in my old house with the same kind of water/pet damage.
So ya know - my dogs are well potty trained -the floors were like this when i bought the house and were covered by very dirty carpet. so its not a ongoing problem.
This message was edited Feb 28, 2009 11:23 PM |
Aunt_A
Tulsa, OK
March 01, 2009
12:25 AM Post #6204943
| Is this floor a peel and stick strip?
If so, our experience says "no". All those individual places have the propensity to turn up at the corners.
DH asks about a wood bleach; did the pros try that?
If the flooring you have is good except for the stains, "use the flooring you have" is what DH and I think.
April
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Aunt_A
Tulsa, OK
March 01, 2009
12:40 AM Post #6204984
| Sorry, I was writing as you posted. The first 2 pics are of the peel and stick variety.
The last post was of a better quality flooring, but still a laminate but NOT the glued type.
We saw the one in the last post about a year after we sold the house and it still looked great, even with 3 medium dogs and a baby in the house.
The flooring in the first two pictures was put in sometime within a year or so before we listed the house and it really showed wear. It looked great w/ all the furniture in the house, but after the house was empty, it didn't look as good. In fact, we lost a couple of potential buyers because of it. The flooring in the first two pictures showed the clean-ups of pet and baby accidents.
(Just so you know, this is not real estate advice. Just flooring advice. Real estate is local. Ask your local Realtor for local info.)
If it was me, if I decided on laminate, I wouldn't spend the money until just before placing the house on the market.
It is normal for old floors to have quite a few stains on them; we've seen a number of floors w/ this problem...especially once they were covered with carpet for years. The carpet hid all the urine or spilled stuff.
More and more folks are beginning to dislike carpet because of dust mites, dirt and germs. You should see the gunk that is under a carpet after years of use.
April |
mbhoakct76
Winsted, CT
March 01, 2009
12:43 AM Post #6204993
| Its not exactly a peel and stick - but kinda...
looks like just a strip of laminate-
has a small reveal edge where one lays over the other (like click lock laminates)
and that small edge where one lays over the other - does have a pre-glued surface - so that small edge is like peel and stick - except the glued surface does not stick to the floor under it ( or subfloor) - it actually sticks to the next plank which creates a floating floor.
after the floor is laid - you are suppose to run over the seams with a roller to ensure a good bond at the seams.
I have read some reviews that stated when installed on a concrete floor- the edges tend to come up, so your definately right there.
Although they recommend this for wet situations - from what i have read - the small amount of glue used just dont hold up for wet applications. My living rm is pretty dry so hopefully i wouldnt have a problem there.
I never did try to have anyone bleach out the stains , i did think about it before but ...problem is that i already spent almost $1000 refinishing these floors - and they still look bad...I asked for bleach at home depot but they said they do not sell it and someone needs a licence to purchase wood bleach. So my thoughts stopped there - cause i cant afford to pay someone to do it.
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ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
March 01, 2009
12:52 AM Post #6205019
| I'm pretty sure I've seen wood bleach at places like Home Depot and Lowes--maybe there's a stronger kind that only the pros can use but there's definitely stuff you can buy. Here's one that came up when I googled but I'm sure there are other brands too http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oxalic-acid-bleach.html |
mbhoakct76
Winsted, CT
March 01, 2009
01:04 AM Post #6205045
| thanks for that info april,
I do know what you mean about bad floors - i looked a house only a few away from me last year and the kitchen floor had a crunchy feel when you walked on it - at the time i thought it was a bad install job of laminate - I never even thought about it but chances are it could have been this type of flooring that im thinking about that the owners used.
Since i would actually like to enjoy this floor for a while before i sell - I guess i might reconsider.
I am curious though - when you say the poor quality flooring you seen was peel and stick - was it the type of peel and stick i previously described? the strips with only the edge having the glue? my guess is yes.
I actually have full 12 X 12 peel and stick vinyl tiles in my kitchen (from previous owners) and although i think its ugly - it holds up great. but these are your typical peel and stick vinyl that has glue everywhere and hard to remove.
Do you happen to have any expeirence in veiwing the new cusioned vinyl flooring , i know armstrong makes one, not sure about any others. its just a super thick sheet vinyl - kinda expensive but a salesperson let me stab it with a knife and it heels right up, seems its made of a almost rubber material (ya know how when you cut a rubber eraser - you cant see the cut). They say its heavy enough you dont have to glue it down. Just curious if you happened to come across any of it after actually being lived in ? |
mbhoakct76
Winsted, CT
March 01, 2009
01:13 AM Post #6205075
| thanks for that info ecrane, i bet my hd employee had no clue what he was talkin about , that wouldnt be a first.
I think im gonna try bleaching, it makes sense . From what i read - it will not change the wood color , so its definately worth a try.
And after thinking about having crunchy laminate floors. Well lets say that was a easy way to change my mind.
Besides i already wasted enough money trying to accomplish nice floors, i dont want to throw more money into it and end up with a junky floor that im gonna regret and buyers are going to hate.
PS I live in CT , people are picky around here. Quality is a big factor to think about. |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA
(Zone 6b)
March 01, 2009
01:18 AM Post #6205092
| That armstrong sheet vinyl is great, if the floor is nice and flat or can be made that way with leveling compound or sanding or what have you. I always keep an eye out for large scrap pieces on sale at the box stores. I never made a seam or a joint in it, but it comes twelve feet wide, which is big enough for most purposes (kitchen or bath, but not most living areas). No adhesives, very easy to work with and very tough.
And for whatever it's worth, I like the worn maple. The oxalic acid is definitely worth a try, too. It's a lot more pleasant and safer to use than chlorine bleach, which I have seen used on oak. |
Aunt_A
Tulsa, OK
March 01, 2009
06:10 PM Post #6207742
| DH remembers the flooring as self adhesive but it seems like to me that the adhesive was not over all of the strips. However, you are correct; it was installed over a concrete floor. The floor looked terrific at first glance but was not quite as nice when you really looked at it.
We had some friends in another city that put in the new cusioned vinyl flooring. They loved it. They had a new refig delivered and it cut the floor...but we could not find the spot where the cut was. I was impressed.
We have a lower quality vinyl flooring in one of our bathrooms. It looks like fake rocks. It has held up very well and we like it although tile would be nicer. However, ceramic tile is heavy on a crawl space foundation ( esp. if the area to be covered is very large).
There is also a rolled vinyl flooring that looks like wood. That was in one of our sales 5 or 6 years ago. Not sure if I have a picture. It was nice but the house wasn't very old so not sure how it looked years later.
Hmm...must have been a long time ago. The pic must be on one of our floppy disks...does that tell you how long ago it was. We were so proud of our new camera that took pictures right onto a wonderful little floppy. Hee hee.
I look through our listing files and see if I can find the floppy.
April |
Aunt_A
Tulsa, OK
March 01, 2009
06:21 PM Post #6207792
| Okay, found it. Didn't take too long...LOL...I had it categorized nicely in an "old fashioned" diskette box.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
March 03, 2009
02:49 PM Post #6216627
| If there is a finish (poly or another varnish), it will prevent the bleach (regardless of type) from getting to the wood.
We are still working on an 80 yo pine floor. Drum sanded all old finish, paint, etc. Amazing how much staining and other abuse was hidden. Spent at least 10 days patching, filling, etc. over a 3 month period to repair the damage. Then applied a mineral spirits cleanup, followed by a pre-stain to reduce the bloching. A couple of days later began the staining. Some bloching occurrec anyway, and many of the "fill" spots did not and would not take the stain. Wound up using some paint sticks, and several different color Sharpie's, then applied another coat of stain. This masked almost all but the worst - one looked like someone put a gallon oil can (used oil), another may have been from a bottle of bleach, others looked like a very rusty chain had been dropped or stomped into the wood.
Here is one of the rooms after the first coat of finish.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
March 03, 2009
02:53 PM Post #6216640
| Same room - when we started 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
March 03, 2009
02:56 PM Post #6216650
| After final sanding
Forgot pix.
This message was edited Mar 3, 2009 12:56 PM |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
March 03, 2009
02:57 PM Post #6216662
| Here it is 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
March 03, 2009
05:20 PM Post #6217200
| In transition -
Right - stained,
Middle - pre-stained
Left - sanded (being pre-stained)
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Aunt_A
Tulsa, OK
March 03, 2009
09:32 PM Post #6218265
| Beautiful, Bubba_MoCity!
That is a lot of work but so beautiful now.
Glad you took pics. It is good to hear from someone that walked through the process.
April |
mbhoakct76
Winsted, CT
March 04, 2009
12:21 AM Post #6218967
| that looks great bubba.
I had pine floors back when my teenager was still a toddler - people told me that they were soft wood and wouldnt hold up but i think they held up better than any other floor i had to live with. and the color of pine is just beautifull - as yours are.
I know i will have to strip mine down - I actually got a price to rent a drum sander is $50 per 4 hours (kinda steep in my opinion).
but in the long run - it will still be cheaper then what i paid someone to refinish them for just last year with their poor labor.
Its a big room so i think i will do it in sections like it appears that bubba was doing. That way to we done have to become totally displaced during the whole refinish - especially since i work all day and think it will take some time to really get these stains out.
I am actually going to start moving furniture and prepping this weekend. will probley be another week till i get to bleaching. maybe a week or 2 before i get around to staining...
ya its gonna take a while.
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Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
March 04, 2009
10:39 AM Post #6219965
| Thank you both for your comments.
We rented the sander 3 separate times, and went through at least $100 worth of belts. Last 2 times, we also rented the edge sander and bought plenty of sanding disks. Home Depot bought back all of the sandpaper we did not use. When we hit the house the first time, we had over $400 worth of sandpaper, and had to pick up more of the disks for the edger.
Beware - the drum will dig-a-hole very quickly if not moving across the floor, and the edger can leave some very deep scratches that need to be removed with finer sanders. We used 2 - 3x21 belt sanders, a B&D mega-mouse, a Fein Multimaster, and an old 1/3 sheet palm sander to solve many unevenness and scratch problems.
Here is a shot of the drum in action.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Cambria
Hinckley, OH
March 15, 2009
04:59 PM Post #6271727
| Wow this floor looks great, Bubba. I personally would like to see a hardwood floor in any condition than the other options.
My DH is in the process of installing a hardwood floor in our dining room. It's a Bruce product, and they did NOT give us the amount of flooring in the box that they said it contained. Be careful when ordering from them, they tend to short, so don't cut it close. We are now sitting with a floor that's nearly done except for about 5 rows and are waiting two weeks until another box comes in.
We want to put in a new kitchen floor, and I love the look of hardwood, but I have 2 large dogs. I know their nails would be an issue. I was planning on doing some sort of vinyl flooring that looks like wood because of the dogs. I am REALLY interested in what product that was that "self heals". Can you tell me what brand and line it is? |
Aunt_A
Tulsa, OK
March 15, 2009
05:08 PM Post #6271763
| This is not the brand of the vinyl that heals. I thought I'd recognize the name if I searched on yahoo. However, I ran across this floor. Anyone know if it is really any good?
http://www.greenresourcecenter.org/MaterialSheetsWord/Natura...
Cambria,
Have you considered bamboo flooring? There was an interesting article in the Reader's Digest about bamboo. I'm thinking bamboo might be a great answer to some green questions.
April |
Aunt_A
Tulsa, OK
March 15, 2009
05:11 PM Post #6271773
| Here is another link. Interesting and pretty floors.
http://www.herhome.com/magazine/articles/2004/spring/linoleu... |
Aunt_A
Tulsa, OK
March 15, 2009
05:13 PM Post #6271782
| Found the RD article. Get this quote:
"An added bonus: Bamboo absorbs four times as much carbon dioxide as a stand of hardwood trees and releases 35 percent more oxygen. "
April |
Aunt_A
Tulsa, OK
March 15, 2009
05:30 PM Post #6271860
| Found a bamboo flooring company. I know nothing about them so not recommending them at all. I've heard that bamboo is tough stuff.
http://www.calibamboo.com/bambooflooring.html |
Claira198579
Danville, CA
May 22, 2009
04:17 PM Post #6583980
| Aunt_A Bamboo is great! I love it! |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
May 22, 2009
06:28 PM Post #6584520
| Just replaecd the floor in our restaurant Mother's Day weekend.
Used Alure - Better for the commercial environment.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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hellnzn11
Rosamond, CA
(Zone 8b)
July 12, 2009
03:16 AM Post #6809134
| The only negative about the laminate is if you have a concrete subfloor, and it gets wet, the wood warps bad and quickly and also if it is in the restroom, you can kill yourself getting out of the tub. |
