/diy/ - Do It Yourself

Sure.

nope, we dont care. you are a Nazi who thinks there is exactly one right way to do a thing, without consideration for what the client may want to do in the future, and for which your ONE TRUE WAY is the wrong way. people like you give contractors a bad name.

>Accepting a job where you ruin a perfectly good hardwood floor instead on insisting on refinishing it

No, you sir are the asshole.

>>189603
in OP's picture? That isn't hardwood flooring. a professional wouldn't install flooring over existing flooring.
What you see is call sub-flooring. it's the surface an actual floor is made to adhere to.

>>189602
Loose lay will bubble up with humidity or spills, it is inferior in every way.

>>189603
The "hardwood" is old and has stains from the wear over time. There was no way to remove said stains unless he wanted to replace the wood.

The only reason it looks that nice is because of the prep work we put into it. It looked like this before that.

Take another stab.

Important to get a rough lay of it before you throw down the glue, etc.

You want to trim the big piece to fit with excess on the edges like so.

>>189613
Forgot pic.

i am interested. not because i'm going to do this, i just want to see the way it's done

>>189630
You want the glue to be spread evenly.

If it's too thick you will run the risk of bubbles, etc.

It should be done in an arching pattern like in the OP.

For some reason I can't post pics.

Once that's done you want to lay it back down. Make sure you roll it up from the edge when you go to apply the glue, this way when you re-lay it, you just roll it out and eliminate the chances of getting glue on your nice new vinyl.

Pro-tip: Use a push-broom, squeegee, or something to that effect to get the air out from under it and push from the center, towards the edges.

Remember, it's all about doing portions at a time neatly.

>>189656
Then do the other side.

>>189658
Never be afraid to over sweep it, no negative affects can occur. The more the better, in fact.

When it comes to vinyl, air bubbles are your worst enemy.

You should look like this once you're done sweeping it and laying it down.

At this point you are ready to do the fine trimming and final caulking to finish it off.

>>189659
Derp.

The final result (don't mind the things that need finishing, such as the outlets, etc. that's a whole other thread)

I'll probably do a write up on how to install electrical outlets later during the week.

Thanks for taking a look!

>>189662
What's with the white caulking along the cabinets?

Looks like shit

>>189669
They don't make brown caulking as far as I know?

You have to put white and then paint to match the stain of the cabinets if you want it to match.

I guess we could have done black or clear, but it's not as easy to match since it won't take the color as well.

>>189673
where do you live that caulking only comes in whit eblack and clear?

>>189676
Oh wow, where did you find that? (The store)

>>189678
caulk colors in google

http://www.groutgetter.com/shop/colored_caulk.shtml

>>189680
Is it available locally or online?

The local hardware suppliers don't have that stuff. I live in a small town in Texas.

>>189682
buy stuff off the net

Include the price in your quote and make sure the client knows you went above and beyond to make it right.

>>189669
>>189676
Thank you for showing me this by the way. I'll probably have to source it online or from out of town, however.

Still a vast improvement over what was originally there though, would you say?

>>189691
Yes, way better.

>>189691
No offense to you or your work but vinyl floors look and are cheap as shit. I don't know why anyone would use it. Period.

>>189706
The sub-flooring was rough, with a tile or ceramic installation the cost would go through the roof for the client and would require a lot of work to the floor unless he wanted cracked tiles everywhere.

He wanted something that fit his budget, so I recommended a good foam-backed vinyl that is thick and will stand up over time. It's as thick as a standard piece of tile, but offers the flexibility to conform to the floor.

I did berber carpet with 1/2" foam padding to the rest of the little condo.

>>189706
>>189709

Just so we are on the same page, I don't like vinyl much either, lol.

He just couldn't swing the cost for anything else at this point.

i don't mind vinyl. but then again, I've never really been uptight about anything, especially something as frivolous as floors.

looks ugly as shit, but all vinyl flooring does.

Hey it's like real stone! I'm in a castle!

Thank you op for the excellent /DIY/ on vinyl flooring. Even though many people dislike it, it was still a well assembled and organized project and you make it look easy.

Thank you again.

PS. Think you could do other flooring diy's?

vinyl floors looks cheap, vinyl floors are cheap.

Not that is something bad, sometimes you want something fast and cheap (like you mother) i have installed some of those, but the ones that are like tiles, not the full sheet.

Good job anon.

>>189656
I'm surprised they don't make specialized tools that are like rolling pins on a long handle.
Maybe even empty, that you can fill with water for even greater pressure, and then you can roll out the bubbles.

but i guess a heavier tool means harder work, and may not even result in a better finish.

Look up lawn rollers I have a plastic one, you fill it with water to add weight.

>>189731
I have one, for my lawn of course. but that's not exactly a hand implement you can use to help install a floor.

>>189726
>>189731
>>189765

better than fucking laminate.

Vinyl is cheap, but when it's new it at least looks shiny and new for a while. I dunno, I don't mind vinyl for kitchens.

I had hardwood (little squares that looked like strips?) by the back door. And over the years the snow melting off people's boots actually damaged the sub floor. So I ripped it all out and laid down vinyl. It doesn't look as sharp, but the water doesn't seep and clean up is easier.

>>189791
to state the obvious, if water is seeping through any kind of hard flooring, it was laid or finished improperly. although for an entryway flooring, i would imagine real, grouted, tile is optimal

Did you seriously lay this shit on the glue without using something like >>189784, and only use a push broom? That's like....retarded man.

>>189890
Half assed jerb, he didn't even know grout/sealant comes in various colours.

God, why do people cover up nice wood floors with that ugly, tacky vinyl shit?

Why not just get that wood refinished?

Also, as a side note, loose lay is totally fine if you get products that work with it.

>>189676
I've lived in 5 states, and those are the only colors I've found it in. And one of those states was fucking California.

I was the person who suggested the foam-backed vinyl, because the original thread was asking for the cheapest possible solution for a small, rented kitchen. The person in that thread wanted something easy to do themselves and temporary, because they did not have permission from the landlord to modify the premises.You proceeded to get on your high horse about how you owned a high-end flooring business and how idiots like me shouldn't do anything themselves on a tight budget, when expensive craftspeople like yourself existed to take our money. Not everyone can afford a professional fitter, and in the case of a rented accommodation, it may not even be appropriate to do so. I maintain that loose-lay foam-backed vinyl will do the job just fine if that's what your budget and situation dictates.

>>189907
Hey OP, sorry for all the hate here. /diy/cks only seem to like dumpster diving, fleshlight, chainmail weaving and neckbeard remote compounds threads.

Anyway, check out various caulking from pecora, sika and vulkem. Also, they have some paintable caulks especially for vinyl doors and windows, prolly workin your application. ALso, to the cunts on this thread, it wasn't long ago, that they onlyculks made to adhere to vinyl where clear and white, so kindly fuck off.

http://www.osipro.com/quad-color-cross-reference.pl

OSI will match practically anything. Yes it's outdoor stuff. No, I don't give a fuck.

>>189890
I have a 100 lb roller, it was not needed in this case. The installer doing the work in those pictures has over 20 years experience, I'm sure he can judge it a bit better than a random person on /diy/ can.

>>189895
Read the whole thread, the sub flooring was color damaged beyond repair.

>>189716
Yes, I could see myself doing that. Anything in specific?

>>189916
Thank you for the tip.

The store has been open for 20 years, I'm not concerned about the quality of my jobs. Like I mentioned in the previous posts as far as caulk goes, I usually have it painted to match the cabinets if the customer doesn't like the white.

As far as rollers go, that's not always needed 100%, regardless of what instructions say. We don't use power stretchers for standard house rooms either and some people think the carpet will wrinkle.

Guess what? I offer a free 1 year warranty on all labor related defects on ALL of my installs. Wood, laminate, ceramic, vinyl, carpet, etc.

So I stand behind what I do very much.

>>189662
Now use the profits to buy a real fucking camera. Seriously.
2,5 megs and the picture looks like it's been taken with a fucking cellphone camera with no flash.

>>189895
Most subflooring is just cheap poplar or pine in big sheets. It's not pretty at all to look at.

i feel damned sorry for that timber floor... half hour with a sander and a lil' elbow grease and it would have come up a beautiful treat. and "stains that will never come out"? shit son, you know anything about timber?

>>189609

Not meaning to criticize your work, but where I live "distressed" hardwood floors are sought after; the hipsters who rent here go crazy for them. I have even seen new installs where the floor guys take metal in mesh bags (bent nails, metal scraps, etc.) and beat the floors with them before staining & sealing. It's not as popular everywhere though, and it is generally more expensive to refinish than to put vinyl over it.

Am I missing out on something here, what is wrong with the floor in OP's original pic?

Its a lovely wooden floor which needs some sanding and varnishing, the wood itself is in perfect condition no fucked up joints or anything.

OP, do you not have a local Lowes / Home Depot nearby? Our local Lowes keeps Almond, Black, White, Brown, and Clear caulk in stock.

Also, when you use clear are you using a paintable latex or a Silicone? If you use the paintable latex do you leave it unpainted??

>>190199
It's usually referred to as 'chaining'

Alot of newer high end laminates come like this.

just use a brown paint marker on that latex caulk while the home owner is taking a shit, pick up the check and GTFO

>>190156
It is a cellphone camera with no flash.

>>190174
We did hit it with a sander, the original plan was to sand and stain, however the stain was soaked into it since the place was previously used by someone to develop pictures. Chemical stains weren't coming out.

>>190199
No hipsters here, fortunately.

>>190209
Portions were stained with chemicals and would need to be removed and replaced.

>>190236
No, not near by. But within a radius, I suppose so.

Silicone on the clear. I usually won't paint clear.

>>190243
I like to use the paint used for plastic/rubber models and a small brush. Works well.

Hope this answers the questions. We're doing a carpet install in the same place soon, I'll be sure to get a write up of that.

why the fuck did you not just use quarter round. It could have been stained to match the cabinets or painted to match the molding. The only correct answer here is that the homeowner did not want to pay for it.

>>190381
That is indeed why.

Is the town you live in small enough that you don't have a lowes/home depot/walmart/ace/etc?

I mean how you could not know there's colored caulk and install floors for a living is beyond me. I personally use a soothing taupe caulk (as it matches the soothing taupe walls in my rentals). You can buy that shit literally anywhere. For a friend's office we even used blue caulk.

>>190815
Small town. Never really had anyone complain about the painting over white caulk method, thus never bothered to look.

I will be stocking it now.

So you ruined a perfectly fine wood floor, applied glue and vinyl to it instead of a nice stain and varnish?

I hate to state the obvious, but you are.

>>191104
>implying vinyl = ruin

there is no right answer to aesthetics. vinyl is a great low maintenance and good feeling flooring option. get a life guy

>>191104
Did you not read the thread at all or are you trolling?

The "perfectly fine wood floor" is sub-flooring and was stained with chemicals from prior owners.

What the fuck would you know about stains and varnishes anyways?