01-11-2018, 02:23 AM
Done my share , owner built a couple of extensions to homes and generally do most of the work myself.....Mrs Elwood though has put a stop to my major reno activities although she relents enough for me to help my children.
1. Timber Laminate flooring or Vinyl....yep been there done that... dont buy the real cheap thin boards, they dont lock together properly and the grooved edges will break when you tap them into place especially with a floor that aint too level. Use decent underlay too, dont be tempted to put the new boards straight over any other flooring and dont cheat by putting the boards flush against the skirting, leave the gaps for movement as suggested. My daughter has a new home and the installers decided to cheat because it saved them having to rip cut some boards and when the heat came last Xmas she woke up and the boards had all buckled and she had a mountain peak in her family room...
2. Carpet...forget the DIY, get it installed, you can feck up the laminate boards but if you cut the carpet wrong you are out of pocket big time.
Get a company who sell and install but have their own installers, not subbies....
3
ainting....go for it, buy the better brushes/rollers.......dont use the cheap $2 shop ones that shed fibres everywhere or you will be painting again, get decent edging brushes too and the proper masking tape that doesnt stick...
4: Wall tiling.....too easy, tip...if you are a newbie then butter the tiles one at a time dont spread the adhesive everywhere and have to rush as it will dry out and its a bitch to get off and get level. Another tip, you can tile straight over other tiles in say a kitchen, it does work and come up ok if you prepare the other tiles right, dont be tempted to bash all the other tiles off in a pre 1980's home as you will probably find asbestos sheeting as the backing and you dont want that everywhere.
If you are doing a lot of tiles hire/buy an electric tile cutter, easy to use and saves heaps of time, one of my better investments.....
5. Floor Tiling ie Bathroom.....ok if its flat floor and no drain outlets ie open showers etc but if you have to angle towards drains then forget it, get a waterproofer to do it....
and check all your showers for leaks before hand, soft skirting boards, mould on the outside at the corners says leaks, get that fixed first...
Good luck....
1. Timber Laminate flooring or Vinyl....yep been there done that... dont buy the real cheap thin boards, they dont lock together properly and the grooved edges will break when you tap them into place especially with a floor that aint too level. Use decent underlay too, dont be tempted to put the new boards straight over any other flooring and dont cheat by putting the boards flush against the skirting, leave the gaps for movement as suggested. My daughter has a new home and the installers decided to cheat because it saved them having to rip cut some boards and when the heat came last Xmas she woke up and the boards had all buckled and she had a mountain peak in her family room...
2. Carpet...forget the DIY, get it installed, you can feck up the laminate boards but if you cut the carpet wrong you are out of pocket big time.
Get a company who sell and install but have their own installers, not subbies....
3
ainting....go for it, buy the better brushes/rollers.......dont use the cheap $2 shop ones that shed fibres everywhere or you will be painting again, get decent edging brushes too and the proper masking tape that doesnt stick...4: Wall tiling.....too easy, tip...if you are a newbie then butter the tiles one at a time dont spread the adhesive everywhere and have to rush as it will dry out and its a bitch to get off and get level. Another tip, you can tile straight over other tiles in say a kitchen, it does work and come up ok if you prepare the other tiles right, dont be tempted to bash all the other tiles off in a pre 1980's home as you will probably find asbestos sheeting as the backing and you dont want that everywhere.
If you are doing a lot of tiles hire/buy an electric tile cutter, easy to use and saves heaps of time, one of my better investments.....
5. Floor Tiling ie Bathroom.....ok if its flat floor and no drain outlets ie open showers etc but if you have to angle towards drains then forget it, get a waterproofer to do it....
and check all your showers for leaks before hand, soft skirting boards, mould on the outside at the corners says leaks, get that fixed first...
Good luck....