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The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends securely anchoring heavy objects like bookcases to walls or the floor in areas at risk for earthquakes, but if you have small children or pets in your home, safely anchoring top-heavy pieces of furniture to the floor makes good sense in any case. This is especially important for very tall shelves or those holding large books or other heavy objects. The simple anchoring process is well worth the effort to guarantee against accidents.
Removing and reusing hardwood floors is a great way to get a little extra mileage out of old materials. Remove and reuse hardwood floors with help from a hardware flooring business owner in this free video clip.
A walk-in freezer is an essential component to almost any business establishment that needs to store frozen food, such as a restaurant or a grocery store. Some homeowners may also have small walk-in freezers installed in their home if they need large amounts of frozen storage space. The floors of walk-in freezers are often built using ceramic tiles, as the tiles are fairly easy to clean, and are available with treads on them to provide more traction on the frozen, icy floor. If you're overhauling the freezer, you can remove the old tiles to install a new floor.
Hardwood vent covers allow homeowners to protect the floor register from becoming clogged with foreign objects, while creating a seamless finished appearance. The vents are generally held in place by screws, wood glue or a combination of both. Wood putty is also often used to fill in any gaps between the vent cover and the flooring. Gather together the correct tools for the job before attempting to uninstall your hardwood vent cover.
Flagstone is derived from any evenly stratified stone -- usually sandstone -- that splits into flat pieces for paving or flooring. Flagstone generally requires a sealer to protect it from spills and surface wear. Stone enhancers are a type of penetrating sealer formulated to darken the stone and bring out its natural colors, although regular penetrating sealers also darken the stone somewhat. These products are available at stone dealers and larger home improvement stores. You may need to experiment with several brands to find the one that produces your desired level of darkening.
Without walls or adjacent cabinets to serve as nailing and support surfaces, island and peninsula cabinets have special anchorage requirements. A floor-mounted frame of wooden blocks provides a nailing surface for freestanding cabinets. However, anchoring cabinets to tile surfaces adds an extra layer of difficulty as you must predrill through the tile to reach the floor's substrate. With the precise layout and the right tools, anchoring base cabinets to tile floors is straightforward and relatively easy.
Installing new tile flooring is often accompanied by the task of removing existing flooring. Removing old tile from concrete floors requires a lot of hard labor. While you could simply tile over the old floor, removing the tile allows you to create a smoother surface and make sure that mold and water has not built up under the existing tile. The best ways to take up old tile off concrete floors involve taking the required safety precautions and using the proper tools for your particular type of tile.
Pine is one of many kinds of wood that is ideal to make up the stair treads in your home. Using pine for this purpose has several benefits, making it common in many homes. White pine and red pine provide slightly different appearances, but both are readily available at wood stores and share the same benefits.
Joint compound is a thick white paste used for smoothing the joints between sections of wallboard and for texturing walls and ceilings. Occasionally, the homeowner or construction worker accidentally spills or smears joint compound onto tile floors. Joint compound cleans up much easier when it is still wet. Dried joint compound is a bit more of a challenge, but it comes off as well with a little patience and perseverance.
Most floors in a home have horizontal surfaces, which provide ideal terrain for installing nearly any type of floor covering. As long as the surface of a floor lies flat, however, the floor doesn’t have to be perfectly horizontal to install flooring. If you want to install a sloping tile floor, for instance, you can accomplish the task by building up the floor and then laying the tile on the new sloped floor surface.
If you are looking for an economical and unique alternative to traditional tile, birch plywood is an option. This is a much higher grade of plywood than obviated strand board or regular plywood. You can stain this wood to any color you would like, or just keep it natural and seal it with polyurethane for a lightly colored floor. You can cut down on the time for this project by creating a special template for the tiles.
When terrazzo flooring loses it's luster, there are multiple options for covering it up. Terrazzo flooring was popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States. It is a composite of rock and stone pieces set in either cement or epoxy. When new, it is shiny and smooth. Removing the terrazzo requires breaking it up, similar to removing concrete. The more convenient route is to cover with carpet or tile.
When renovating the floor in your home, note the thickness of the flooring you are removing and the flooring you plan to install. While no strict rules about the proper thickness of flooring tiles exist, selecting a similar thickness of tile to your previous floor prevents several issues.
Wood stains achieve the same result whether they are applied to exterior decks or indoor flooring and furniture. They add color and vibrancy to aging wood. But there are some crucial differences between these products, so they are not to be used interchangeably. Exterior deck stain products often incorporate additional chemicals, such as fungicides, that may be unsafe for interior use. They are formulated for better durability, but produce fumes that simply aren't appropriate for an indoor environment.
An installed tile floor’s thickness and height is important when creating a transition between the tile and flooring in an adjacent space. Thresholds, traditionally milled or cut from hardwood, stone or metal, are used to level out the transition between tiled areas and adjacent floors. They are typically installed in doorways, screwed to the floor or subflooring material. Know the thickness of the tiled floor to choose an appropriate threshold. The thickness is easily calculated by finding the sum of the thicknesses of all flooring and materials used.
Wood flooring can be expensive because it adds beauty and value to your home. If not cared for properly, wood flooring can become damaged and look worn, warped and unattractive. Bellawood cleaner is designed to offer gentle cleansing for hardwood flooring to ensure that it always looks its best.
There are always multiple ways of doing things in construction, and string lines are a perfect example. Ask 10 different experts and you will get 10 different answers regarding the use of strings in tile. The strings can help with a variety of layout concerns, ranging from perimeter markings to actual joint progression from tile row to tile row.
Raised tile floors help cool and increase airflow in buildings. They're particularly important for rooms that house special equipment such as electronics, which are sensitive to significant temperature changes. For instance, floors that are too low or two high in data centers can affect network performance and result in system failures. To determine the proper flooring type and placement of raised floors, builders must consider factors such as square footage and loads in their master plan. This will ensure that raised floors produce adequate cooling effects wherever equipment is installed on the floor.
Premixed thinset is a popular choice for home shadow marble floors. It is easy to mix and apply and creates a secure bond. But premixed thinset is formulated differently than regular mortar thinset and must be treated as such. One of the biggest differences between traditional and premixed thinset is the cure time. Before you seal your shadow marble, you must allow the thinset to cure properly. Rushing the job will seal moisture in instead of protecting the floor from water damage later.
Tile floors in a basement or the first floor of a house are a common point of entry for water. Tile grout in particular is more porous than tile, allowing water to seep into a house from the soil. Flooding caused by rain can lead to extensive damage in your house, including mold growth, unless you take steps to keep the rainwater out and directed away from the house.
If you're not careful tape could potentially leave a sticky residue behind on your hardwood floor. Remove tape from a hardwood floor with help from the president of a home design company in this free video clip.
Maple polyurethane wood floors need to be cleaned in a very specific way. Find out how to clean maple polyurethane wood floors with help from the president of a home design company in this free video clip.
Clogged toilets can overflow, creating major inconveniences for homeowners. Toilet overflow is essentially sewer water containing bacteria, parasites, viruses and other disease-causing organisms. All home surfaces exposed to toilet overflow are susceptible to contamination and serious structural damages. Wood floors and trim near toilets are especially vulnerable to overflow and hence typically acquire water damage. Even after thorough cleaning and disinfecting, wood may still display signs of water damage from toilet overflow. Detect wood damaged by toilet overflow before the wood becomes permanently damaged.
Though wood and carpet can work as flooring choices in a living area, bathroom or kitchen, they can suffer from moisture penetration and rot while attracting insects. Stone and ceramic tile are more impervious to water and insect damage and can add textural interest. Tile skirting is an option that enhances the look of the material.
Schnauzer name is German for “snout” because of the breed's distinct snout, beard and whiskers. The breed was developed in the 15th century to catch vermin and act as guard dogs. They come in giant, standard, miniature, toy and teacup size – all with the distinctive schnauzer beard and whiskers. This characteristic, while part of the dogs' heritage, can collect food, debris and sometimes, odors. You must frequently clean the schnauzer's face to keep it free of food and dirt. Keep up with it on a daily basis and it's an easy task.
Tile floors require some effort to install, but the floors may last a lifetime if they are anchored properly. The correct tile adhesive holds tiles firmly so they don't come loose. Properly applying the adhesive ensures all the tiles lie flat, and that the floor is even and smooth. Measure the room and mark out your tile pattern with chalk and chalk lines before you begin anchoring the tile. Planning the design in advance allows you to work quickly, so you get the tile down before the adhesive begins to dry.
Wood floors that are flooded need to be dried carefully. Flooded wood can be seriously damaged and often needs replacing. However, wood that is dried too quickly can also be damaged. Allow the wood to dry slowly, taking advantage of natural evaporation. You can speed up the process somewhat by drying out the air in the room.
Buckled wood refers to wood that has been warped and is pressing against itself so much that it starts to jut out from the floor. The boards press against each other until they peak or overlap. This is a serious flooring problem and often requires extensive repairs, but it does not usually spread to nearby walls. If you find wall damage around your buckled floor, however, the problems may have a common source.
If your home has been exposed to flood or water damage, it is essential to clean up after the event as soon as possible. If the floor remains damp over a period of time (as a result of contaminated flood water), bacteria and mold growth can quickly develop. Although ceramic tile normally withstands water or flood damage fairly well, water can be “wicked” into walls or subflooring to which the tile is attached. Quick attention to water removal can help reduce the amount of water absorbed by walls or the wooden subfloor. Use fans to increase air movement and provide…
Consisting of chips of marble, glass, quartz or granite, traditional terrazzo is precast or poured into place using a binder consisting of cement and chemicals. After a terrazzo mixture cures, it undergoes grinding and polishing processes to create a smooth surface. You can create the look of poured terrazzo on your shower floor with terrazzo tiles butted up against each other so they have a seamless appearance. This process is similar to installing regular tile floors and eliminates the need to use dangerous chemicals to etch the floor. To make sure the tiles slope appropriately to the drain, have them…
An octagon is a specific type of shape with eight sides. Draw octagon floor tiles with help from an artist in this free video clip.
Palazzo tile is a floor tile that is usually made of ceramic or stone. The word "palazzo" is Italian and refers to a palace. Multiple companies such as La Nove Tile and Artistic Tile use the term to describe their lines of luxury floor tiles, which are supposed to be more durable and more attractive than cheaper designs. Troubleshooting palazzo tile flooring requires some investigation to ensure the tile is properly fitted and isn't suffering from cracks.
The art of taxidermy provides you the opportunity to immortalize a pet or create aesthetically appealing tableaus from deceased animals or their severed heads. In the world of taxidermy, the term habitat refers to the area in which a deceased animals “lives” as a specimen. A pedestal habitat, therefore, constitutes a pedestal used to mount an animal or part of an animal and its habitat. Pedestal habitat materials include pedestal construction materials, parts, accessories and tools.
The proper removal of an aggregate floor is sometimes the first step in updating a room. Polished aggregate flooring has come in and out of fashion. The flooring is made of small pebbles, or aggregates, infused in an epoxy or concrete base. The durable floor has a concretelike nature. Unlike tile, the aggregate is poured in place, making its removal arduous.
Reconstituted stone contains marble, quartz or granite combined with a resin. Bench tops made from reconstituted stone are more resistant to damage from stains or cracking than some natural stone. Although strong, these bench tops may be damaged if used or stored improperly. If you need to store one or more bench tops, taking a few protective measures can ensure the bench tops remain whole and beautiful.
Terrazzo floors are attractive, durable and crafted by skilled workman. Discovered accidentally by marble artisans, terrazzo is made by mixing chips of stone, glass and even plastic with colored Portland cement. Although different installers may have slightly different techniques based on individual preference, there is really only one method for creating terrazzo.
Tile is one of the most common flooring options for kitchens and bathrooms, frequently adjoining other types of flooring such as carpet and wood. Floor saddles, also called thresholds and transition strips, enhance these joints aesthetically by hiding small gaps. They also protect the edges of each floor material and prevent tripping hazards.
Wood banisters hold up to constant human interaction. Hands persistently moving across the surface of the wood eventually removes the protective coating and leave scratches. This can eventually lead to an unsightly fixture on your stairway. Fortunately, minor to moderate damage can be removed through a restoration process that involves no specialized woodworking knowledge or expensive tools. Cleaning the banister and adding wood stain returns your banister to its former glory and possibly look better than new.
Liquid Nails is to a contractor what a glue gun is to a crafter. It can cure a number of problems quickly and easily, and may seem like the solution to just about every home improvement challenge. However, this solvent-based, rubber adhesive has its limitations. It can be used to repair a loose vinyl or tile floor, but it should never be used for installation. Brantz Appraisal, an independent firm that tests construction materials, does not list floor tiles among the construction materials for which Liquid Nails is suitable.
People often put tiles down in shower floors for both aesthetic and practical purposes. However, an equally aesthetically pleasing and practical, though less expensive alternative is terrazzo flooring. Traditional terrazzo floors are made from marble chips in a cement base with a sealer on top to provide shine, and in the case of shower floors, slip resistance as well. Since these floors are precast, you need only lay them over the sub floor. This project may require more than one person.
A burst water pipe in your home will cause damage eventually, depending on the location and severity of the pipe damage. Whether large or small, a burst pipe and resulting water will damage your walls, floors or belongings until the water is shut off and drained from flooded areas.
Some manufacturers offer PVC flooring in the form of vinyl tiles that can be grouted just like ceramic tiles. Instead of using thinset adhesive to bond the tiles to the subfloor, the vinyl tiles are self-adhesive with a protective paper backing that is peeled off just before installation. Groutable vinyl tiles are installed with a grout gap between them, just like ceramic tile. With grout appropriate for vinyl tiles, the grouting process is the same as for ceramic tile.
Floor stains infuse a wood floor with color that lasts longer than paint. After staining the floor, you have the option of a glossy or satin finishing coat. Both have advantages. Base the choice on your personal preference and the room you are staining.
Laminate flooring is durable, comes in a variety of finishes and is generally less expensive than wood or tile. It is easy to care for and is more resistant to water than you might imagine. The way it is made, as well as steps you take during installation, help any type of laminate withstand moderate amounts of moisture.
Tile is a common finish for shower stalls, walls, floors and countertops. Tile surfaces provide durable finishes that resist wear and water damage. The tile material usually cleans easily, although the grout in between your tiles may develop stains and areas of discoloration. Grout cleaners contain ingredients designed to help kill germs and restore the appearance of the grout to its original condition. Fumaric acid is one type of ingredient that can help clean your tile grout.
A renewable resource, bamboo flooring has caught on as an environmentally-friendly material. A member of the grass family, bamboo shoots also have exceptional hard parts which are made into flooring. Despite the best of care, bamboo flooring can experience scratching. A scratch may occur during installation, while moving furniture across the flooring's surface or from every day wear. Promptly fixing the scratch will make the floor aesthetically pleasing. If the flooring becomes deeply gouged the homeowner may wish to replace the entire board instead of attempting a repair.
Laying tile of any kind needs a strong, level subfloor as a tiling surface. If your floor doesn’t have the strength needed to support the weight of the tiles, it will require reinforcement before you can set the tile in place. Fortunately, a layer of cement backerboard above the subfloor can provide the reinforcement you need. The board covers the subfloor in a smooth and even surface, and it is held in place by mortar and screws so that it moves along with the natural movements of the subfloor without buckling or heaving beneath the tiles. Placed correctly, the backerboard…
Some imperfections in hardwood stains are possible to fix without refinishing the entire wood piece. Light spots in surface finishes and thin or discolored spots in penetrating stains require basic touch-ups to fix the spots. Bubbling, peeling, cracking or dark stains in surface finishes necessitate a complete refinishing job, which takes a fair amount of supplies and time. Penetrating finishes, in general, are easier to touch up than surface finishes. Wear protective rubber gloves, long sleeves and glasses when working with harsh chemicals.
Tile provides a sturdy material that withstands water, making it suitable for use in showers and tub enclosures. Improper installation or damage to the tile or caulking can lead to leaks. A tile floor in your shower area that leaks water requires some investigation to determine the source of moisture. Prompt repairs can help minimize water damage to the subfloor and other underlying surfaces.
From the subfloor and underlayment to the thinset mortar and the tile itself, a variety of elements make up the thickness of a tile floor. While overall thickness isn’t important for floors that don’t match up with other areas, when you have transitions from room to room or through doorways, planning ahead for height is sometimes a necessity.
