home sectionhome sectionProtect the stairs leading from your garage with durable, long-lasting linoleum. While linoleum typically is not used on stairs because of the slip factor, installing it with a nonskid edge makes the stairs both safe and attractive. Linoleum tiles easily are trimmed to fit both risers and treads, and can cover stairs made of wood or concrete. They fit flush with many kinds of rubber tread edges as well, which can give your stairs a finished profile once they are done. Your new stairs are ready for use 24 hours after installation.
Before you can install a finish floor, there must first exist a foundation layer for the finish material to be set on. This is where subfloors come into play. Subfloors can be built from a variety of types of material, ranging in flexibility and thickness, and floor materials themselves vary as well, adding to the overall height of a floor.
Dumbbell pullovers primarily work your lats, or latissimus dorsi muscles, which are the large muscles of your midback just below your rotator cuffs. Pullovers are also powerful exercises for your chest and shoulders. The traditional setup for this exercise is to lie on your back on a weight bench, extend your arms behind your head and allow the weight to hang off the bench. However, if you want to do pullovers on the floor, try the straight-arm variety.
Cork floors consist of the same soft, lightweight material used to make wine corks. Floors made from this material offer flexibility and comfort as well as superior sustainability compared to many other floor coverings. While traditional wine corks come in basic brown, cork flooring comes in a virtually unlimited array of colors to suit the needs of any homeowner.
Caulking around a rubber floor requires you to use a very special type of silicone caulk to get the job done right. Caulk a rubber floor with help from a Foreman for Lighty Contractors in this free video clip.
Installing toilets on basement floors always requires you to keep a few really important things in mind. Install toilets on basement floors with help from a Foreman for Lighty Contractors in this free video clip.
Anyone with vinyl flooring can tell you that the natural enemy of such a material is candle wax. Get tips on how to remove candle wax from vinyl flooring with help from the owner of Floor Coverings International in this free video clip.
Vinyl flooring removal requires you to take a couple of important precautions to help avoid potential problems later on. Find out about vinyl flooring removal precautions with help from the owner of Floor Coverings International in this free video clip.
Fixing a burn on vinyl flooring is something that you can do in a couple of different ways depending on your preferences. Fix a burn on vinyl flooring with help from the owner of Floor Coverings International in this free video clip.
You should always remove vinyl flooring before tiling for a couple of different important reasons. Remove vinyl flooring before tiling with help from the owner of Floor Coverings International in this free video clip.
You can remove buildup on vinyl flooring with the right tools and a little bit of elbow grease. Remove buildup on vinyl flooring with help from the owner of Floor Coverings International in this free video clip.
Removing or pulling up vinyl flooring requires you to use just the right tools in just the right ways. Remove or pull up vinyl flooring with help from the owner of Floor Coverings International in this free video clip.
If there is a water leak under your vinyl flooring, you'll be able to tell by keeping an eye out for a few basic things. Find out how to tell if there is a water leak under vinyl flooring with help from the owner of Floor Coverings International in this free video clip.
Fixing a nick in vinyl flooring doesn't have to involve replacing entire tiles. Fix a nick in vinyl flooring with help from the owner of Floor Coverings International in this free video clip.
Putting your hair into a gorgeous updo doesn't have to be the most difficult thing you try to do all day. Learn about simple, easy, do-it-yourself hairstyle updos with help from a hair stylist in this free video clip.
Pedestal seats look simple and clean and can be tucked up under a bar or table for easy seating. Often this design is seen on retro bar stools, but the style works equally well for almost any style of home. Making furniture often seems daunting for a novice, but after your first successful seat you will feel more capable. The best thing about handmade furniture is that you get to decide on the design choices to make the piece look exactly the way you want. You also save money over the same style of seat sold in a store.
The floor plays a very important role in any dance studio. Find out what type of floors a dance studio should have with help from a dancer and choreographer in this free video clip.
You can do alphabet photography on your own with the right equipment and the right techniques. Learn about do-it-yourself alphabet photography with help from a director of photography in this free video clip.
You should always take great care and repair shower floor grout to avoid things like leaks later on. Find out how to repair shower floor grout with help from an experienced construction professional in this free video clip.
Cleaning products are mysterious, filled with unidentifiable surfactants and detergents. It can leave a homeowner wondering what, if anything, is safe to use for cleaning their home. Vinyl floors owe much of their success to being designed to be easy to clean and maintain, thanks to a polyurethane-based coating. Nonetheless, harsh detergents and abrasives will eventually destroy their no-wax coatings. Homeowners who wish to keep their vinyl in top shape have a wide range of gentle detergents from which to choose.
Linoleum is a natural product made of linseed oil, cork and wood dust, limestone, natural resin and coloring agents. While many people call all forms of sheet flooring "linoleum," sheet vinyl and linoleum are distinctly different products. While the installation of both products is very similar, a high-quality linoleum floor will last 30 or 40 years. If you are extending the linoleum up the wall instead of using baseboards, it is essential to precisely match the corners on the flashed coving. A mistake may haunt you for many years to come.
Floor drains allow water that reaches the floor to run down to a central collection point to be carried away through a drain pipe. They are essential in showers, tubs and rooms that get wet frequently, to prevent water from pooling up and causing mold or mildew growth. Commercial drains are specifically designed for different flooring surfaces, such as vinyl.
A pool adds value to a house, giving homeowners another way to enjoy their yard. A natural swimming pool requires less energy to run and is more environmentally friendly. In addition, natural swimming pools are run like a healthy pond -- in harmony with the surrounding animals and environment.
Winder stairs with steps that turn direction without pausing at an open landing come with positives and negatives. There is less area required when no landings are involved, but the varied step size and angle can at times be difficult to navigate. The process of framing winders requires that a landing be installed at the location of each turn. The landing platform will then serve as both the bottom directional step and the foundation on which the remaining steps are built.
The SVAT Viss600 is a video intercom system consisting of a single camera and monitor. The camera is all weather so is typically used externally to identify visitors. With the addition of a second SVAT Viss6002 camera and monitor, you can create a 2-way intercom system, with each monitor connected to a remote camera for a synchronous video and audio conversation. The only limitation is the maximum distance of the wiring, and the interior-only restrictions of the video monitors of the system.
Tar, an asphalt-based liquid, once was the standard waterproofing for the outside of basement walls. It was messy and hard to install and has largely been replaced today by other treatments. A rubbery compound called ethylene propylene diene monomer, or EPDM, can be applied either as a liquid or as a solid membrane. It should be installed on the outside of basement walls, preferably during construction. Adding EPDM or other waterproofing to an existing basement wall requires excavation, removing dirt down to the footings of the basement wall. A do-it-yourselfer can apply EPDM while the wall is exposed.
Garages are substantial structures for storing vehicles, or sometimes washing machines and other items that are important for DIY and general household repairs or maintenance. It can be expensive to hire a contractor, but you can build a garage in a couple of weeks and save the contractor's fees.
After the drain outlet and original mortar bed floor is installed in a shower, a rubber membrane needs to be laid over the bed and 6 inches up the side walls. The walls are tiled, and the shower curb is built. Once this is done, a second mortar bed is laid over the rubber membrane before tiling the shower floor. This bed must slope downward from the walls toward the drain, and the surface must be perfectly smooth to prevent tiles from cracking. The easiest way to do this is to use a patented shower floor mud-forming device, which is…
Conductive vinyl and vinyl composite tiles are used extensively as resilient flooring for large spaces. Though each is a vinyl product, there are substantial differences in the tiles that affect their application. The differences include the composition and use of the material, and these carry through to the installation and maintenance stages.
Any house built with a basement may eventually have sagging floors, as soil conditions change and foundation walls settle into the ground. Internal changes also may affect loading on floor joists in the basement. Adding an interior wall or installing a heavy new appliance such as a large freezer can shift the weight distribution on joists. Cuts into joists to make space for additional water or gas lines, electrical wiring or plumbing pipes also may cause joists to sag. Any change in the basement will be reflected in the level of the floor on the joists.
An uplifted vinyl or ceramic tiled flooring section not only appears unsightly but serves as a safety hazard as well. Although flooring tiles are designed for wear and tear, they may begin to bulge or lift for a variety of reasons, including improper installation, cracking or dried adhesive, substrate movement and moisture. Repair loose or uplifted floor tiles as soon as possible to prevent them from cracking or becoming further damaged. Replace the tiles that are severely damaged with identical pieces.
If you have an older home, you may have a basement floor that's buckling, crumbling or in otherwise less-than-prime condition. Pouring a new basement floor on top of an existing one is a quick fix that is both effective and inexpensive, though it's not appropriate for all basement floor restoration projects. Resurfacing concrete is much easier than entirely replacing the floor; properly done it will result in a solid surface that will last you many more years.
A floor sink is more of a drain than a sink. Like other sinks, it has a basin set into the floor. Unlike other kinds, floor sinks have no faucets. Some floor sinks have grates for covers and others don't. These grates are sometimes offered as optional extra. Whether or not a particular floor sink needs a grate depends on its application.
Hydronic baseboard heaters bring warmth from a central heater into one or more rooms of your home through a series of pipes. These hot water baseboard heaters take advantage of heat's natural tendency to rise. Because the perimeter is surrounded by heat, the temperature remains consistent throughout the entire room. Contact a plumber to install the boiler for your hydronic baseboard heating system if your home does not already have one.
Asphalt siding has been in use for decades but has recently fallen in popularity, with the growing preference for aluminum and vinyl siding. Nevertheless, asphalt siding is a time-honored and highly effective method for protecting the exterior walls of your home. Installation is simple and straightforward.
If you notice humps, bumps, ridges or bulges in your basement floor, these could be signs of serious damage beneath the surface. The cause of the damage can vary based on the type of basement you have and what floor material you use. Some causes have easy fixes, such as replacing certain parts of the flooring. Other causes indicate much more serious problems that may require remodeling to fix.
The 1995 model year was a marquis one for the compact Cavalier, as Chevrolet performed its first complete redesign since its release 13 years earlier. Throughout its lifespan, the Cavalier did see some basic styling changes, but it remained the same basic shape. This new design featured a wedge shape, giving it a sportier look. The 1995 Cavalier’s heating and air-conditioning system used a resistor to regulate the voltage going to the blower motor to control the fan speed. When this resistor fails, the vehicle’s HVAC system typically only works on one fan speed. Replacing the blower motor resistor is…
Drainpipes, or drain tiles, located under a basement floor are generally installed to capture water and prevent it from entering the basement. After several years, even properly-installed drainpipes can become clogged with sediment or otherwise break. In this situation, the basement floor, which is typically made of concrete, must be broken up, the old drainpipe removed and new or cleaned-out drainpipes laid then covered correctly.
Herringbone is a complex geometrical floor design using small pieces of parquet and positioning the pieces like a puzzle. While the pieces must be custom cut for standard hardwood, parquet companies manufacture custom-cut herringbone floors with all the pieces necessary to form the design. Even with a pre-cut kit, herringbone patterns are difficult and require impeccable alignment. For a beginner, start with a small square for practice. Most parquet flooring, including herringbone is free floating and uses grooves to fit together.
Wood floors are attractive and durable when properly installed and maintained. Flooring installation is often performed by professionals, but it is a feasible do-it-yourself project if you enjoy the work or wish to save money. Care is needed, however, to ensure that the floorboards are properly aligned with each other and that the boards set properly with the subfloor. Gluing solid hardwood floors down to a wooden subfloor is not recommended because the adhesive doesn't let the wood expand and contract properly in response to temperature and humidity. Engineered hardwood flooring responds more effectively to this method.
Locking floors are usually made from laminate or engineered hardwood. The floorboards click together making them easy to install. This works very quickly on flat floors but when you install it on stairs, you can run into trouble. This type of flooring needs to be installed directly on the stairs without any underlayment. In some circumstances the planks won't click together easily because there isn't enough room to angle them into the locking mechanism. Always lay out the planks on the stairs after they are cut and before you glue them down to make sure you can easily lock them…
Installing something flat, like the mounting plate of a light fixture, over singled siding can be a challenge. The siding extends outward from your home at an angle, so anything flat you install will also be angled out from the exterior. If you are trying to install something large, it will cover more than one siding panel, so it won’t lie flat against your home at all. Use a mounting block to get around these issues.
Expansion and contraction is a normal part of any concrete structure, and, typically, when a large concrete slab is poured, the installer will cut expansion joints into the slab with a saw to help alleviate movement and force the slab to expand and contract in a controlled point. However, this can also be achieved to a lesser degree through the use of cold joints. Cold joints are sections where a previously poured section of concrete meets up with another section of concrete that is poured later. These are natural seams that can work like control joints for expansion.
Pebblestones add elegance and texture to a driveway. Available in shades of gray, brown, white and red, pebbles have round edges and smooth finish, helping to soften the sharp, straight lines of a yard and providing a strong, durable surface. Laying a pebblestone driveway is a multipart project that involves digging and grading, ground and aggregate packing, framing, pouring concrete and seating pebbles. Assign a couple of assistants to help with the pouring of the slab to ensure it is properly manipulated before it hardens.
A subfloor must be level and smooth before you can install tile, carpet or floorboards. The extent of repair on a sub-floor depends on the severity of the problem and the degree of the slope. For instance, if you have a sunken section of foundation in a crawl space you would install jacks to raise the sunken section until it is level. If the concrete floor slab has sunk considerably, mudjack or inject grout into pre-drilled holes around the edges with a pump. A slightly sloping subfloor can be leveled with self-leveling compound, resulting in an even surface for tile…
Porches add character to the house, but they also provide a transition between the ground and the house entrance. Most porches are a combination of steps, decking and railings, and many are covered by some type of roof to protect visitors entering or leaving from rain or snow. Unfortunately, because porches are subject to moisture, standard wood porch decking eventually warps or deteriorates. Replacing the porch floor gives the porch an instant face lift.
You can use many different types of materials to construct a wheelbarrow axle. If you are building the entire wheelbarrow yourself, you might consider making the axle out of the same type of material you are constructing the rest of the barrow out of, such as metal or wood. Whatever material you decide upon, make sure it's a strong and durable material. Much of the burden of a wheelbarrow's load falls upon the wheel and axle. A failing axle can cause injury to the user or others if you're trying to move a heavy load. With a few basic tools…
Traffic Master tile, manufactured by Shaw Industries Inc., are long-wearing and easy to install. Traffic Master tiles come in a multitude of colors and styles, which means they can work with many kinds of decor. While you may want a professional to install a glue-down tile, peel-and-stick tile installation is quick and easy. Before you begin, clear all the furniture from the room. Pry off the old baseboards carefully so you can reuse them. Remove all of the old flooring down to the subfloor, and clean the subfloor.
Trafficmaster Ceramica vinyl floor tiles are touted to offer a realistic ceramic look at a fraction of the cost of ceramic tile. The peel-and-stick application is generally quicker and easier to install than ceramic tile, making this flooring option attractive to homeowners who like to do their own remodeling. Ceramica tiles can be used with or without grout, and can be replaced or repaired if damaged.
Vinyl flooring is notorious when it comes to air bubbles -- a perfectly-installed vinyl floor can develop an air bulge after a long period of bump-free existence. While air pockets may be difficult to remove, one of the advantages of glue-less vinyl flooring is that it's possible to adjust a floor with bubbles. Air bubbles in glue-less vinyl floors are often caused by a temperature change, so keep the room at its normal room temperature while repairing the bubbles.
