Hardwood Flooring

Posted on by Tim Carter

Hardwood Flooring | These pieces of hardwood flooring, believe it or not, will end up looking like the finished floor just beneath them once they're installed, sanded, and finished. All that's needed to make the color transition is water-based urethane. The above flooring was not stained.©2021 Tim Carter

Hardwood Flooring - It's Time Tested and Gorgeous

DEAR TIM: I'm about to undertake the installation of hardwood flooring. I'm talking about traditional tongue and groove hardwood that's 3/4-inch thick, not engineered hardwood flooring. My plan is to try it myself and only call in hardwood flooring installers if I mess up. What do you think of this idea? It can't be that difficult to install as you just nail the boards to the floor. Do you know anything about hardwood flooring cost? What tips can you share to help me do this job by myself? Susan W., Palo Alto, CA

DEAR SUSAN: I usually encourage people to try things themselves for any number of reasons. First, it's fulfilling to accomplish a task and stand back seeing stellar results. It's also possible to save money. But when it comes to installing hardwood flooring and you're a complete rookie, I'll have to tell you that you're probably going to fail.

Is it Hard to Install Hardwood Flooring?

It's a true art and skill to install the material you've chosen. And forget anything you've seen on some of the cable television home-improvement shows where they gloss over the finer points of installing this wood material that can last generations.

To get an idea of all you need to know, you should read my other hardwood flooring installation column. Seriously, CLICK or TAP HERE and absorb all you see.

What Tools are Required to Install Hardwood Flooring?

You need the following minimal tools to install hardwood flooring:

  • a special angled nailer
  • mallet
  • circular or miter saw
  • a wood chisel
  • a measuring tape

I'll never forget watching the first hardwood floor go down on one of my jobs. The tools the installer used were some I'd never seen. He had a funky-looking spring-loaded nailing tool that he hit with a rubber mallet. This tool drove special nails at the precise angle through the tongue of each piece of the flooring.

If you’re interested in learning more about the estimates to install hardwood floors I have an article here.

AsktheBuilder Podcast

CLICK this image and listen to the first call on the podcast. I talked to Jill about how to repair wood kitchen flooring, and possibly installing an inlay border as an option. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

Does the Hardwood Have to Acclimate?

The hardwood flooring material must acclimate to the temperature and humidity of your home. This can take a week or two. The material needs to be unpacked and air needs to be able to get to each piece of the flooring material.

But that was the glory part. What's mission critical is to make sure the flooring material acclimates to your home. This means the wood you're going to use must be brought into the home and allowed to normalize itself with the house's temperature and humidity. This is a step often overlooked by rookies. If you don't let the wood acclimate, gaps may eventually form between the pieces of wood. It can take days for the wood to become stable.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from local contractors to install hardwood flooring.

How Do You Prevent Squeaks in the Flooring?

Professional hardwood installers know all sorts of tricks to ensure that squeaks don't happen. They use special nails that have tiny barbs and/or ribbing on the shaft allowing the nails to really bite into the subflooring.

Should Felt Paper Go Under the Flooring?

Yes, you should install felt paper under the new hardwood flooring.

You'll also see professionals install 15-pound felt paper under the strips of hardwood. This is an added touch that helps prevents vapor from entering the underside of the wood in case the wood is being installed over a crawlspace or a damp basement. The felt paper also helps, to a very small degree, with squeaking.

Should Low Spots Be Filled In Before Installation?

Yes, low spots in the subflooring should be filled in. The hardwood flooring should not flex when walked on.

Have you thought about how you're going to deal with a subfloor that has humps and low spots in it? If you make a mistake here, you'll absolutely end up with squeaks or gaps down the road. Professionals use a long straightedge to detect humps and low spots. They fill the low spots with asphalt shingles to support the hardwood strips.

hardwood floor with inlay fireplace

This is the hardwood floor, with decorative inlay, that was in my own home I built. The installer I hired used a straightedge and shingles to make the hardwood perfect. There are many hardwood floor inlay designs and medallions. (C)Copyright 2021 Tim Carter

How Do You Nail the First Piece of Flooring?

The first piece of hardwood should be installed parallel with a string that is the baseline for all the flooring.

What are you going to do when you nail your first piece? How will you know it's perfectly straight? The entire floor builds off the first piece, so it must be correctly installed. The pros that worked for me used to carefully string a line across the room and laid the first pieces exactly to this line. It's important that the line hover just above the wood so that the pieces you install don't nudge it as you face nail them.

Is the Layout of the Flooring Important?

The initial layout of the flooring is very critical, especially if you're extending the hardwood into several rooms. You want to avoid, if possible, cutting narrow strips next to any of the walls where the strips run parallel to the walls. Be sure on these walls where the wood runs parallel, that you don't install it tight to the drywall or plaster. Leave a gap that's as thick as the baseboard that is on the wall. The bottom of the baseboard needs to be slightly above the flooring so that the wood can expand into the void space in case the humidity soars.

Should Prefinished Hardwood Flooring Be Installed?

If I've talked you out of installing the floor yourself, you may want to try some prefinished hardwood flooring. Some of it can be easy to work with. But be sure to follow all the instructions with respect to acclimating it to the room.

What is a Floating Hardwood Floor?

A floating hardwood floor is one that is not nailed to the subfloor. The pieces interlock and they become one giant piece of flooring that's usually installed over thin foam for soundproofing.

Floating hardwood flooring is also gaining in popularity. It's not nailed to the floor below. The pieces interlock with one another. Sometimes the connection is mechanical and other times it's a glue joint. These flooring systems can be challenging to install if you've never done it before.

Will I Love Hardwood Flooring?

You'll love your solid hardwood flooring if you decide to use it. It's the only material I'd use in my own home. I love everything about it. Perhaps the best part is knowing that it can last hundreds of years if cared for. If you care for the finish, it only needs to be sanded lightly the first time it's installed. Every coat of finish after that only requires a light screening of the previous finish. There's no need to sand away the wood.

Column 869

Ice Dam Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Ice Dam

Hi, I'm Tim Carter from AsktheBuilder.com and I'm outside, as you can probably see some snow falling. A really big snow storm is headed this way. I want to show you someone that a lot of people don't get to see up close and personal. It is an ice dam on the roof.

What has happened is this. If you look under the roof ice dam, you will see the soffit and the exterior of the house. Well, guess what's happening? Right behind the ice dam where you can see the shingles. There is enough heat that can pass through the insulation and radiates to the underside of the roof deck. This heat melts the snow pack.

As soon as the melted snow flows down the roof and touches the ice-cold gutter, it starts to freeze instantly. As this process continues, the ice damming gets thicker and thicker.

On another area of the roof, there are no ice dams. So why is there no ice here? What is different? This roof is over the garage and there is no heat in the garage. Thus, no heat comes up and heats the underside of the roof. Melting the snow pack and causing it to freeze when it hits the cold edge of the roof.

If you want to prevent ice dams, there are a couple of choices. First thing is to get the snow off the roof. Don't beat the roof chopping ice, remove the snow pack with a snow rake.

Another one of the ice dam solutions is putting a radiant barrier on top of the insulation, making sure it doesn't touch the insulation. This barrier would run up the underside of the roof leaving an air gap of about 1-1/2 inches on top of the radiant barrier. This barrier would cause all that escaping heat to be deflected back down into the house.

If you want to stop the ice dam leaks, you will need to put an ice and water shield on the roof. (Click here to watch my Ice and Water Shield video.) This ice dam membrane will prevent the water backing up behind the ice dam from getting into the house as the water gets under the shingles. In heavy snow areas, like New England, the ice and water shield needs to extend up the roof about six feet. Better yet, apply it to the entire roof. This ice dam membrane can only be put on when you are re-roofing or building a new home.

This popular and important video was shared with all my readers in the January 28, 2014 AsktheBuilder Newsletter.

Concrete Repair

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I’ve got an unexpected concrete repair I have to make to my poured concrete foundation. A water leak caused me to have to remove drywall in my basement. To my surprise, I discovered rows of holes 5/8-inch diameter in my concrete walls, some that have water dripping through them. These perfectly drilled holes are not random, and are as deep as the foundation is thick. What created them? How can I patch them so they don’t leak? What’s the best material to use when doing concrete repair for cracks or holes like this? Bryan R., Cincinnati, OH

DEAR BRYAN: The gremlin that created those holes worked at your home years ago in broad daylight. The holes were not drilled, they were created by smooth steel rods that were part of the foundation form panels that were used to create your concrete foundation.

These rods passed through the concrete forms. Slots at each end of the rod held a steel pin that prevented the concrete forms from expanding outwards under the enormous weight and pressure of the fluid concrete that filled the forms to create your foundation walls. Once the concrete set and was hard, the form panels were removed and the rods tapped out with a hammer leaving these holes with the smooth bore.

I have to believe that the foundation contractor used a concrete repair product at the very least on the outside face of your foundation that’s now covered with dirt. Unfortunately, he may have used the wrong thing for basement concrete repair.

There are many concrete repair products out there, but my personal favorite for this situation is a powder that contains Portland cement, bentonite clay and some other ingredients that cause the patching material to get hard quickly and expand at the same time. Bentonite is a fine clay that expands when it gets wet.

This hole in a concrete wall can be repaired permanently with the right product and technique. PHOTO CREDIT: Bryan Rubenthal

Many homeowners might try to repair and patch these holes with bricklayer’s mortar or just a mixture of Portland cement and sand. Or they may think that an epoxy concrete repair is even stronger. The trouble is regular mortar or Portland cement shrinks ever so slightly as it hardens and cures. This creates a tiny pathway for water to enter through the holes.

You need a product that actually expands as it cures, much like you see spray foam insulation. If you’ve ever used this foam you know it goes into a crack one size but hours later it’s much bigger as the foam has hardened.

These expanding hydraulic concrete repair cement products are readily available at hardware stores, building supply businesses and home centers. They come as a dry powder in a can and will clearly say on the label that they expand as they harden. This is mission critical. Look for that on the label.

One such product is Waterplug Hydraulic Cement. (Please read my Disclosure Policy about products I recommend.)

These products often contain ingredients that cause them to harden pretty quickly. It’s not uncommon to have a work time measured in just a few minutes not hours. I’d only mix up what I could use in ten minutes. You can sometimes extend the work time by refrigerating the powder to get it cold and using very cold water as you mix it.

Be sure to vacuum out the holes and remove all debris. If you can insert a small bottle brush to get out any dust or silt that’s on the concrete, this will really help ensure patching success. You want the concrete surface in each hole to be perfectly clean with no dust, dirt or debris.

Just before filling each hole with the expanding concrete repair product, use an old spray bottle and spritz the hole with a spray of clean water. You want the surface of the inside of the hole to be slightly damp. This will really help the patching material bond with the dry concrete.

If you have running water coming through the holes now, try to wait for a dry spell to do the repair. Some of these hydraulic repair cements will work if there is moving water, but it’s not always guaranteed.

You don’t need to fill the rod hole to it’s complete depth with the repair material. If you just get it into the hole about 2 inches, that should be plenty.

Once the material hardens after about 30 minutes, try to keep it damp by spritzing the concrete wall around the hole with the spray bottle and clear water. If you can keep the repair compound wet for at least 24 hours or more, it will really help create a strong and permanent repair.

Column 868

Condensation Causes – Lots of Things In Your Home

Posted on by Tim Carter
condensation causes green framed wet window

Condensation Causes | This glass has window condensation on it that can peel the paint and cause both wood rot and mold if it is not stopped! You can STOP window condensation with ease.  Copyright 2021 Tim Carter

Condensation Causes - There are Many In Your Home

DEAR TIM: My husband and I have huge condensation problems in our garage and new home. The garage was unfinished by the builder, but we just added wall and ceiling insulation and vapor barriers on the walls and stapled them to the underside of the garage ceiling. We then covered the walls with plywood and the ceiling with drywall. A vent-free propane heater helps keep the garage somewhat warm. We are also getting condensation on windows inside our home that are close to the garage. What’s wrong? What can we do to stop the window condensation as well as the frost on the garage ceiling and the water that’s running down the garage walls? Regina W., Alexandria, MN

DEAR REGINA: Oh my. You’ve got major problems indeed. Preventing condensation is not as easy as one might think, especially where you live in frigid Minnesota. Condensation causes are probably many in both your garage and your home.

condensation causes two car garage

The open garage doors with snow on the ground are allowing everything in the garage to get cold. If the weather heats up and moist air gets into the garage, condensation will form on metal objects for sure.

What Causes Condensation in a Garage?

There are several dynamics happening that are contributing to your massive garage condensation issue. First, you made an enormous mistake installing a vapor barrier on the ceiling of the garage. Ceiling vapor barriers are high on the list of condensation causes.

How do I Prevent Condensation Damage?

You need to immediately crawl up into the attic space above the garage, move the insulation out of the way and cut out the plastic vapor barrier from between each of the trusses. You can replace the insulation once you get the plastic out of the way.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from local contractors to stop bathroom condesation.

Should I Have Roof Ventilation?

Be sure you have plenty of roof ventilation, I suggest several turbine roof vents, to adequately provide lots of air movement through the attic of the garage. Be sure you have plenty of soffit ventilation so cold, dry air can be brought up into the attic space as the turbines exhaust the water vapor.

Where Does Water Vapor Need to Go?

The water vapor generated by the melting snow off your cars and that created by the propane heater needs to exit the attic space before it can condense on the underside of the roof sheathing. Turbine vents moving in the wind up in Minnesota will do a fantastic job.

condensation causes

Cars can bring in snow that melts into gallons of water packed onto the undercarriage of the vehicle. This liquid water easily condenses on the cold surfaces of the garage. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

Does a Vent-Free Propane Heater Cause Condensation?

The vent-free propane heater you’re using is creating water vapor that's causing the condensation. When you burn any fossil fuel like propane, water vapor is a by-product of the combustion process. You’re pumping lots of water vapor into the air inside your garage when the heater is operating. Add that to all the meltwater that undoubtedly comes off your cars, and you can see that this water needs someplace to go.

Do Vapor Barriers Trap Water?

The vapor barriers you installed on the walls and ceiling are keeping the water vapor trapped inside the garage. You want a vapor barrier on the walls, but not the ceiling. The water vapor will readily pass through the ceiling drywall and the insulation on its way outdoors.

How Do I Minimize Garage Condensation?

To minimize condensation in your garage, and I suspect some of the water vapor from the garage is getting into your main living area, you need to cut down on the water that’s in the garage. It’s not easy to do, but try to get as much snow off the underside and out of the wheel wells of your car before you park it inside each night.

How Long Should the Propane Heater Run?

Limit the use of the propane heater. When it’s on, it’s pumping water into the air of the garage. My guess is that you want to heat the garage just to keep the cars warm. If that’s the case, I can tell you that they don’t mind being cold.

The condensation you’re experiencing inside your home may lessen considerably as soon as you allow the water in the garage to escape through the garage attic and then to the outdoors through roof vents.

What Causes Condensation Inside Houses?

Condensation inside houses is caused by:

  • houseplants
  • cooking with boiling water
  • allowing laundry to dry indoors
  • a humidifier
  • aquariums
  • steamy showers and tub baths
  • vent-free heaters

Remember that condensation is a moving target. As the outdoor temperature drops making window surfaces colder, water vapor in the air will condense on the glass much faster and in greater volumes.

How Do You Stop Condensation?

You stop condensation by doing the following three things. You can do all of them or just pick one. These all come with a price tag.

  1. Minimize or eliminate the source of the moisture. That’s not always as easy as it seems.
  2. Raise the temperature of the surface where the condensation forms above the dew point of the humid air. This prevents condensation from forming on the surface. This option can be very expensive as you’re burning lots of fuel.
  3. Set up a fan to blow air across the surface where the condensation is forming. This air movement will often prevent the condensation from forming because it just puts the water vapor back into the air until such time as it can’t hold anymore.

Column 867

January 18, 2011 AsktheBuilder Tips And Newsletter

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Newsletter?

Latest News
Builders Show
New Products at the Show
AsktheBuilder Facebook Page
New York City Moms & Stain Solver
New Share Button
Latest Columns

Remember, Do it Right, Not Over!

I do product reviews frequently. Please read my Disclosure Policy to understand the relationship between me and the companies that make the products or offer the services I review.

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER

Friendly Question Reminder!

If you have a question for me, don't hit the Reply button just yet. Go immediately to my web site  and type in the keywords about your problem into my Search engine. The search box is at the top of every page of my web site. You could have your answer in seconds if you do this! Please pay attention to all links you see at my web site. The exact products and services you often need are right in front of you, and you might be ignoring them.

Latest News

There's a light snow falling here in New Hampshire as I write this newsletter. It's a gorgeous winter's day. I'm absolutely going skiing tomorrow. No doubt about it. Come with me tomorrow afternoon over at Ragged Mountain.

I hung and filled all of Kathy's bird feeders out on the deck a couple of weeks ago. The hungry birds have a convention of their own outside each day gorging themselves on the food since the snow cover has cut them off from easy pickings.

Yesterday in the trees closest to the house, I saw a giant pileated woodpecker. Wow, those birds have a brilliant red head and are enormous. I thought a pterodactyl had landed in the tree at first!

Last Week at the Builders Show

I believe I've been going to the annual Builders Show for almost 16 years. The first one I attended was in Houston at the Astrodome. I'll never forget how confused I was and how out of place I felt. The size of the show made me feel very insignificant.

Go back about seven years ago when the real estate and building bubble was growing larger and larger, the show was expanding faster than Oprah's waistline when her personal trainer goes on vacation.

Five years ago, the show was in Orlando, Florida as it was last week. If you've ever been to the Orange County Convention Center, then you know how big the show can be when both the West and South Buildings are packed with booths. It's enormous.

However, for the past four years the show has been shrinking. This year, I estimate, the show was just 35 percent the size it was five years ago. The entire South building was shuttered and vacant. In the West building, there had to be at least 100,000 square feet of show floor that was void of booths.

On opening day, the aisles were not overflowing with attendees. It was eerily quiet and subdued. Many manufacturers of products had no presence at the show. In years past, the aisles were so crowded with people, you were constantly bumping into one another and it was very difficult to make your way through the crush of people.

I don't see this changing anytime soon. The show is just a ghost of what it once was. It's so bad that you can't even find a bottle of water in the Press Lounge. What a way to treat those who are there to advertise the show for FREE! It's a shame. I will be attending the Kitchen and Bath Show in Las Vegas at the end of April. This show has, I believe, been growing in size. We'll see.

New Products I Saw at the Show

Even though the show was dismal from my perspective, I did see some products that may be of great interest to you.

At the Sears Craftsman display, I saw two fascinating products. One was their cordless tool Quikboost battery charger. Let's say your run out of power on a job. You take out your battery and pop it in the charger. Push the Quikboost button and in three minutes the charger gets you back up to 25 percent charge. That may be enough juice to allow you to complete the job.

Sears was also showcasing a riding lawn mower that had Turn Tight Technology. It's a special linkage in the front axle that turns one wheel more than the other. On most riding lawn mowers both front wheels stay parallel as you turn them. By making the inner wheel turn tighter, you get a much tighter turning radius. This large mower had, I believe, just an 8-inch turning radius. That's more than enough to get you around a small tree that's got some mulch around it.

At the Daltile booth, I saw all sorts of new or newer tile that looks like hardwood flooring, or textiles of all things! Yes, you can buy ceramic tile in 6-inch by 36-inch strips that have a hardwood design and color imprinted on them. You lay them randomly to look like strip hardwood flooring.

Do you want a log cabin? But not the maintenance associated with logs? I saw vinyl siding that resembled logs. Crazy. This is not necessarily a new product, just that it was at the show. You can Google "log vinyl siding" to see it.

Here's another product that's not new, but was on display. At the LE Johnson booth, they had their magnificent hardware that's made for bi-fold doors. If you're an old-time subscriber to this newsletter, you know that they make the best pocket door hardware.

But I'll bet you didn't know about their 1601 hardware for bi-fold doors. This hardware allows the doors to swing out completely from the frame giving you great access to the entire closet. Traditionally bi-fold doors have been a royal PIA as when folded up. They were in the way of you accessing things in the closet.

Announcing the Long Awaited AsktheBuilder Facebook Fan Page!

For well over six months, you may have been one of my great fans who's begged me to start a Facebook Fan Page. I was bogged down with the move and just had too many irons in the fire.

But now it's up and live. If you're a Facebook user, I'd love for you to become a fan and send the word out to your Facebook friends about the page. Here's a few reasons why it pays to be a fan of AsktheBuilder on Facebook.

First, I'm going to try to post late-breaking news and tips on the page frequently. You'll see these posts on your Facebook News Feed, and all posts will be archived on the Ask the Builder Facebook fan page.

For example, I could have used this tool last week while at the Builders Show to update you with great products I was seeing. I did this on my Twitter feed, and it showed up at the Facebook fan page because I have the two accounts connected.

Emergency messages, recall alerts, or other last-minute news will also be put on my fan page. This means you get these messages quickly if you're a Facebook user.

You also get to write on the Ask the Builder Wall at the Fan Page. I have that unlocked. This allows you to share tips so others can benefit. The intention is to create a community so that we can all discover new things that will save all of us time and money. Of course you can comment on posts of mine or add a comment to that of another fan. Ah, the complexity of Facebook!

The bottom line is this new Fan Page should be beneficial to you. I'm hoping you Like it, get it? You need to go to my fan page and click the Like button!

www.facebook.com/AsktheBuilder

New York City Moms and Stain Solver

Moms, I need your help to introduce Stain Solver to the nation.

Fifteen years ago, I lugged the first 100-pound sack of oxygen bleach Stain Solver down the basement stairs at my home. We used to mix it back then a bucket at a time using a garden trowel. Ellen, Kathy and I would bottle it and carry the boxes ready to ship to you back up the steps. It was insane. As you might expect, the business has grown. Now, we regularly ship truckloads from our distribution center.

This year, Kathy and I have assembled a crack team to take Stain Solver to the next level. We're finally ready spread the good word and enlighten as many people as possible how to clean and save their stuff with Stain Solver.

With the help of a professional public relations firm, we've sent out invitations to the top lifestyle magazines to meet up with us in New York City for a little event we're putting together Tuesday, March 1st. You and your stories about Stain Solver are at the heart of this event.

If you're a mom and have used Stain Solver, we'd love for you to share your story with us. What has Stain Solver saved in your life and how can it help the lives of others? Would you consider sending your photos, videos, drawings, and stories of anything you'd like to share with us and the magazine editors? Your experiences will go a long way to prove to the magazine mavens that Stain Solver is really an amazing product.

Wait, there's more. If you're a mom who has saved something with Stain Solver and live in the city or within driving distance to New York City, we want to invite you to the event on March 1st. All you have to do is share your story, in person, with the magazine editors at the event. Just an honest conversation with me and the editors about Stain Solver. There will be good food, good conversations and lots of fun.

Afterwards, I'd love to say thank you by taking you out to dinner. We'll have a blast. Please email me soon if you can come to the event with your story and possibly the item you saved with Stain Solver!

New SHARE Button

When you go read all the latest columns at the AsktheBuilder website below, you'll see something new. Look just to the right of the headline above each column. See the Share button? We just installed it yesterday on every column. Take your mouse and hover over it. Look at all the options you have.

In seconds, you can share a helpful column with your friends, on your Facebook page, your Twitter feed, email it to a relative or co-worker, etc.

I'd appreciate it if you would start to use that each time you're at the site. The increased exposure and traffic helps me to keep the content at AsktheBuilder for free. More traffic to the website also allows me to improve it and to add more features that will help you.

Latest Columns - Try the Share Button!

Do you struggle with a Clogged Toilet?
What's Sheathing?
Discover Deck Piers
Joist Hangers Allow You to Hide Beams!
Get Engraved Brick for your Patio!
Wood Beam Benefits
Granite Countertops Tile - Crazy, but True

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Discount Ceramic Tile

Posted on by Tim Carter
ceramic floor tile

This snap-together ceramic floor tile can save you money in hidden ways. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

Discount Ceramic Tile

DEAR TIM: I don’t know about you, but money is really tight in this economy. I want to install a new kitchen floor and desperately need discount ceramic tile. Ceramic tile costs seem to be through the roof, so I need a tile that I can install myself with little experience. Do you know of any discount tile flooring that will allow me to freshen up a room that really needs help? Can you share some ceramic tile flooring installation tips? Amy B., Baltimore, MD

DEAR AMY: Discounted ceramic tile can be found in many places, but you need to look way beyond the price of the actual tile to see what your floor will end up costing you in the long run. Some tile stores and home centers operate like grocery stores.

A savvy ceramic tile store owner may get you in the door with an attractive price on the tile, possibly selling it at cost or at a thin margin, but then they soak you for all the other supplies you’ll need to install the floor. The cost of the grout, adhesive, underlayment board, etc. may be way overpriced.

You also need to know that discount tile may be inferior. The clay that’s used, the glaze and the firing process may be all substandard. You may get a tile that fractures or cracks easily or doesn’t wear well. Not all ceramic tiles are made the same, not by a long shot.

Porcelain ceramic tile are currently the rage right now. They are very durable, and the modern printing technology and equipment allow patterns to be imprinted that mimic the look of natural stone. The downside to porcelain tile is that you need a diamond wet or dry saw to make all cuts. Dry saws create lots of dust, so make cuts outdoors and wear a great mask to ensure you don’t breath in any silica dust from the tile.

You may be very interested in a new ceramic floor tile that can be found online. This tile requires no adhesive, often no underlayment and absolutely no grout. You save money on all three of those components before you even lay your first tile!

These new tiles snap together just like old-fashioned interlocking acoustic ceiling tile. They are precision made and come with recessed edges that create a natural-looking grout line once the tiles are connected. I estimate that a person could install an entire 10 foot by 12 foot kitchen floor, with all cuts made, in several hours. The best part is that you can walk on the floor immediately and move in furniture the moment the last tile is snapped into place. There’s no wait period for adhesive or grout to dry and cure.

This floor tile comes in attractive designs and finishes. It’s very durable porcelain tile. You will not be able to cut it with a traditional tile cutter that snaps tile along a scored line. The trick to minimizing your rental time on a wet saw is to install all the uncut tile first and then leave the cut tile as the last ones.

Another trick to lowering your cost when renting a saw is to have at least two helpers. One helper is marking the tile to be cut and the second helper is the saw operator. In the time he makes trips to and from the saw, the marking helper hands him the next tile to be cut.

The most important thing about installing this new snap-together ceramic tile is understand your floor needs to be solid and in the same plane. Same plane doesn’t necessarily mean level. It means that there are no humps or low spots in the floor. Uneven subfloors mean the tile will not fit together well and that they may crack. If you step on a tile with a void spot under it, that tension can easily crack a tile.

AsktheBuilder Podcast

CLICK this image and listen to the second call on the podcast. I talked to Greg about what can be done with porcelain tile, including borders to offset certain spaces. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

You can eliminate humps and dips by using pourable self-leveling compounds. Using these materials adds an additional step that will slow you down as the material needs to dry and harden. But if you want professional results, the smoother and flatter the subfloor is, the better your new tile will look once installed.

Discount tile stores can be found both online and in traditional sticks and bricks stores. If you want an education about how different the tile can be, take the time to visit a ceramic tile store that sells high-quality or expensive tiles. Talk to the store manager and have her/him demonstrate how inferior a discount tile may be.

I clearly remember years ago buying discounted ceramic tile. We used it in a sun room in the second home I renovated. This tile had a great pattern and color, but the core of the tile was a deep red clay. When the tile chipped, which it did with little effort, you would see through to the red core of the tile. It was a stark contrast to the lighter glaze that made up the color you saw on top of the tile.

This tile was also quite soft. It took very little effort to snap or crack it. That’s not an issue if the subfloor is rock solid. But if you’re installing ceramic tile on a wood floor system that has some flex to it, be prepared for lots of cracks in the tile if its strength is low.

Column 866

January 12, 2011 AsktheBuilder Tips And Newsletter

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Newsletter?

Latest News
AsktheBuilder Meet Up In Orlando
The New American Home
New eGuide
DoorSaver

Remember, Do it Right, Not Over!

I do product reviews frequently. Please read my Disclosure Policy to understand the relationship between me and the companies that make the products or offer the services I review.

 

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER

 

Friendly Question Reminder!

If you have a question for me, don't hit the Reply button just yet. Go immediately to my web site and type in the keywords about your problem into my Search engine. The search box is at the top of every page of my web site. You could have your answer in seconds if you do this! Please pay attention to all links you see at my web site. The exact products and services you often need are right in front of you, and you might be ignoring them.

 

Latest News

I started writing this newsletter as I was climbing out of 12,000 feet in one of Southwest Airlines 737's on my way from New Hampshire to Orlando, Florida. Today the annual Builders Show begins. I'm predicting a very small turnout and a fairly small show compared to the boom years five years ago.

I plan to take all sorts of video of new products and will be uploading them to my YouTube channel throughout the show.

 

AsktheBuilder Meet Up in Orlando

This Friday morning, January 14th, at 8:30 am, we're going to have an AsktheBuilder meet up at the Village Inn Restaurant just across from the front door of the Doubletree Hotel at 10100  International Drive. The only problem is that the driveways to both places is NOT on International Drive. You have to turn onto Westwood Boulevard. We should have a great time if it's anything like the one last week in Washington DC.

 

The New American Home

Last night after getting to Orlando, I went to see the New American Home. Each year, a striking new home is built for all the attendees to see.

These houses are glamorous beyond belief and almost always incorporate the latest technology and products.

My only problem with these houses is that they don't represent what 98 percent of homeowners can do in their own homes. Only very wealthy people can afford much of what you see in these homes.

Yes, some of the inner workings of the home you might see in a tract home, but you're not going to see the over-the-top appliances, the stunning bathrooms, etc.

I'd love to see this annual project be a home that's targeted to the average middle-class family with two kids and a modest budget. I've lobbied for this for years, but to no avail.

My guess is because a house like that would have little sizzle.

http://go.askthebuilder.com/newamericanhome

 

New eGuide for You

Ten days ago, I took a couple of hours to create a step-by-step color photo guide titled:

Fixing a Stripped Wood Screw Hole

Have you ever drilled a hole too big in a piece of wood or over tightened a screw? Yu know what happens, the screw doesn't bite or it spins and spins never tightening.

How would you like a special introductory 50-percent-off price for this eGuide hoping that you'll provide we with some feedback.  Your price for this eGuide, that has many clear color photos is only $1, yes, one dollar.

After you purchase it and look at it, could you do me an enormous favor and tell me how I can make it better? More importantly, what new eGuides would you like me to create?

What projects do you need help with? These eGuides are going to sell for just $2. I want them to be colorful products  that show you how to do something with many photos and a few words. It's my intention that they'll pave the pathway to home-improvement success!

I'm looking for ideas for small projects where 20-40 photos completely tell you the story. Here are a few examples:

  • Install a doorknob
  • Install a toilet
  • Replace a shingle

On the other side of the coin, here are ideas that you could never do in 20-40 photos. Please avoid suggestions like these:

  • Build a house
  • Remodel a bathroom
  • Construct a room addition

Click here to submit your suggestions.

Fixing a Stripped Wood Screw Hole

Use this promo code fixing-sale to get your 50-percent discount.

If this eGuide doesn't interest you, I still need your suggestions for new eGuides!

 

DoorSaver

You know those pesky bumper door stops that fit on a hinge pin? Or those door stops that screw into baseboards?

I'm now here in my hotel room and in my show packet there was an ad for a new product called the DoorSaver. It's sleeker and appears it might work. I'll try to get one to test it!

That's it for this week.

AsktheBuilder.com
100 Swain Rd
Meredith, NH 03253, USA

Low Water Pressure

Posted on by Tim Carter
Water Pressure Gauge

Low Water Pressure | This gauge on the water system tells you how much pressure you have. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I’ve got low water pressure in my house. Is there any way to improve it? My neighbors all seem to have much better pressure, and we’re all on the same city water main out at the street. I do also have this problem at a summer cabin where the water is supplied by a well. What are the main causes of poor water pressure? How can they be fixed? Frankie S., Kingston, RI

DEAR FRANKIE: I sure can sympathize about your low water pressure. The house I purchased in New Hampshire has minimal water pressure. The house I moved from had great high water pressure, just under 85 pounds per square inch (psi). I’m lucky now to have 45 psi.

You did the right thing checking to see if your water pressure was prevalent in your neighborhood. I know many city locations where water pressure is low in every house on adjacent streets. As crazy as this sounds, you’ll often have this problem at houses up on top of a hill very close to one of those massive water towers that help create pressure in a municipal water system.

My house in New Hampshire is on a well, and the pressure gauge clearly shows that my pressure is just above minimum standards. I’m going to install a water pressure booster pump several weeks from now to solve my problem.

As for the causes of low pressure, there are so many I just can’t list them all. In your case, the main water line feeding your home could have a kink in it that’s restricting water flow. The line could be partially clogged with deposits. You may have some sort of inline water filter that’s clogged with debris and this is restricting the flow.

If your home is an older one and has galvanized iron water pipes, the horizontal pipes that run under floor joists could be clogged. This is very common, while believe it or not, the vertical pipes that run between floors don’t suffer from this sedimentation issue to the same degree.

Some people suffer from point-of-use low water pressure. The most common locations are showers and kitchen and bathroom faucets. To comply with Federal water-use regulations, shower heads have flow restrictors in them.

These restrictors have very tiny holes in them to slow down the flow of water. Very tiny pieces of sediment can quickly clog these openings. When enough openings get clogged, you see the water pressure drop faster than a falcon going after a pigeon.

You can see water pressure drop drastically at a kitchen or bathroom vanity faucet for the same reason. But in this case, the pieces of sediment clog holes in a similar plastic disc and the aerator that creates the uniform flow of water.

Shutoff valves within your system could be partially closed causing the problem. Perhaps someone turned down the main shutoff valve at your house and didn’t open it up fully after a repair was completed.

Your home water pressure might be suffering because of a faulty water pressure relief valve. You can determine this, with some effort, by installing a water pressure gauge on each side of the pressure relief valve or a pressure reducing valve.

The gauges tell you the pressure being supplied by the city water main or the well pump. But the secondary pressure gauge, installed downstream of the other valves will tell you how much the pressure has dropped because of those other devices that are in your water system.

If you have water pressure issues just at a few faucets and your shower heads, you can pretty easily solve the problem. Just carefully remove the aerator from a faucet and carefully take it apart away from the sink so parts don’t fall into the abyss. Remove a shower head and pull out the flow restrictor.

Use a pin or needle to push sediments out of the holes. Soak the parts in warm white vinegar to remove scale buildup. Let the parts soak overnight, and then lightly scrub with an old toothbrush.

If you’re thinking of adding pressure gauges or replacing clogged pipes, be sure you test your plumbing skills first. Also make sure you’re allowed to perform DIY repairs on your water pipes. Some localities prohibit this and require work to be performed by a licensed plumber.

I shared this information in my February 9, 2011 AsktheBuilder Newsletter.

Column 865

January 4, 2011 AsktheBuilder Tips And Newsletter

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Newsletter?

Latest News
Ordering Ceramic Tile Online
Green Movement Survey
Condensation on Windows and Doors
Boosting Water Pressure
Sewer Gas Smell

Remember, Do it Right, Not Over!

I do product reviews frequently. Please read my Disclosure Policy to understand the relationship between me and the companies that make the products or offer the services I review.

 

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER

 

Friendly Question Reminder!

If you have a question for me, don't hit the Reply button just yet. Go immediately to my web site and type in the keywords about your problem into my Search engine. The search box is at the top of every page of my web site. You could have your answer in seconds if you do this! Please pay attention to all links you see at my web site. The exact products and services you often need are right in front of you, and you might be ignoring them.

 

Latest News

What a crazy several days it's been. Did you open up my Massive Mistake email? Man oh man was that a doozy. I want to thank you for sending me kind words. I've received nearly 1,500 responses, many with the same "No problem, Tim. If that's the biggest mistake you make, you'll be fine the rest of the year." I sincerely appreciate your tolerance of my human nature.

I'm excited about the Washington DC meet up! That happens on Wednesday, January 5, 2011, at Pat Troy's Ireland's Own pub in Alexandria, VA. I'll be there no later than 4 p.m. and intend to stick around until a little after 7 p.m. I hope you come!

Finally, look below for the Green Home-Improvement Products Survey!

Ordering Ceramic Tile Online

The economy is not roaring. I believe we can all agree about that. But I can tell you that the number of people buying things online is absolutely increasing. There are all kind of studies out about that.

I want to tell you what happened to me the past two weeks in case the company you work for has a website that talks about the products or services you offer.

Kathy and I want to redo the tile in our master bathroom shower. We loved the tile I installed 18 months ago in our Cincinnati, OH master bathroom shower.

I went to that company's website, and it was pitiful. They didn't have great photos of all of their products, they didn't have any way to see colors, and they didn't have a dealer locator.

Here I was, with a credit card in hand, ready to place an order for the same tile and they were basically saying to me, "Go away. Leave us alone. We DON'T want your business."

Perhaps you work for a company that doesn't sell direct to consumers. I can understand that. But by gosh, on your company's website be sure there is an easy way for you to turn prospects into customers!

Oh, so you know. I'm convinced you can easily sell ceramic tile online. Looking for a new business? UPS will pick up the boxes of tile you're sending to your customers all day long. I know as they pick up our Stain Solver orders every day, and those can be heavy boxes!

 

Green Movement Survey

Last issue, I asked for your help to craft a survey about the Green Movement. You really came through. I used your responses to fashion just about every question on the survey. You're not going to believe the questions. I never even thought about some of the things you wanted to know.

Would you do me an enormous favor? Please take the survey. (Survey is now closed.) Share the link with as many as you can. If possible, place the link and a note about it on your Facebook page. I'm trying to get a ton of folks to take the survey so we can see how many feel.

Here's the link for you to paste into Facebook:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/V5R393G

Remember, I used your input to write the questions and answers. When you click "Done" at the bottom of the last question, I'll going to show you to the best Green cleaner I'm aware of.

I'll share the results of the survey in the next newsletter.

Condensation on Windows and Doors

I get a ton of emails this time of year about condensation. There's an entire Condensation category at my website that explains why it happens and how to avoid it.

Here's the bottom line. If you have chronic condensation on surfaces, you either have to lower the humidity in your home, increase the temperature of the thing that has the condensation on it, and/or increase the amount of air blowing across the thing that's got all the moisture on it.

You can do just one of the above and have success, or a blend of all three.

Boosting Water Pressure

In two weeks, I'm going to have a very cool booster pump installed here at my house to increase the dismal water pressure. I'll tell you more about this when the project starts to happen. Suffice it to say that if you have bad water pressure, you can solve the problem and it's not hard to install the pump.

Sewer Gas Smell

I recently did one of my 15-Minute consults with a young woman who lives in western Long Island. She has a horrible issue with sewer gas odor in the bathroom of a condo she's renting. I'm in the final stages of creating a sweet eBook that helps you diagnose sewer gas smells and then shows how to fix them. But that's not what this is about. You'll know when I finish that eBook, as you'll get a special offer on it.

Based on all the things she told me, I'm confident, the problem is coming from a failed toilet gasket. She had a repair person come out and reset the toilet, but it still has the foul odor. Here's part of an email she sent me overnight:

"I called Roto Rooter and the rep would not reset the toilet ... he was convinced it was not a sewer gas because the toilet was stable and there was no bubbling when he sprayed Windex around the periphery of the toilet."

ACCCKKKKK!!! Spraying water around the base of a toilet with Windex or even a soapy water solution is NOT going to help you detect a sewer gas leak. This service technician didn't pay attention in high school physics class.

You use a soapy solution to test for leaks when the pressure inside a CLOSED system is greater than that of atmospheric pressure. In this case, the air on the other side of the water seal in the bowl is at atmospheric pressure. The air inside your drain pipes is at atmospheric pressure because the vent pipes in the roof and the sewer pipes in the ground are all open to the atmosphere.

This is what my checklists are all about. They show you how, in a few minutes, to find the professional contractor or repair person that KNOWS the right way to install or fix things. If Erica had used my Plumbing repair checklist to find her plumber, I would've not been able to share this with you. Why? Because she would have never had to purchase the 15-minute call from me.

AsktheBuilder.com
100 Swain Rd.
Meredith, NH 03253, USA

Christmas Tree Fire Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Hi, I'm Tim Carter from AsktheBuilder.com. It is January 1st, 2011. We just took our live Christmas tree down. The tree is really dry. I wanted to do a fire safety experiment because you always hear about how these catch on fire, very quickly in a house. Lets see if that happens with this one.

I can tell you this tree is very dry and it hasn't been watered in days. Lets see what happens, if anything. Just using kitchen matches.

Look how quickly this tree burns! You really have to be careful with a live tree in your house. They can be dangerous. My little experiment shows that a tree can be a danger when a live Christmas tree runs out of water. Even though the tree still looks green, it quickly caught fire.

Be careful in your home during the holiday season.