bee_pipes
02-03-2007, 03:20 PM
We moved into this place about a year ago. The kitchen had peel-and-stick tile on it. That stuff doesn't last too long - it started to buckle and peel at the edges of the room. My wife has done a fine job of indulging me while I work on the land and such, patiently waiting for cold weather when she can get a new floor. I'm no carpenter, and a floor is a pretty intimidating project. I gotta tell you, it came out better than I would have expected.
The stuff is pricey - comes in cartons that cover 17 sq ft for about $50 a carton. We needed to cover 91 sq ft. We went to Lowe's to look at the stuff and found two damaged cartons being sold for $20 each. We got a total of 5 cartons and had almost enough to do the entire kitchen. The damaged cartons weren't that bad - a few chips on the surface, but they are covering floor under the refrigerator, freezer and stove. My wife was impressed with the stuff - a friend at work brought in a piece of it while he was doing his floor. She tried scratching it with keys, screws and other assorted stuff - it didn't scratch. Now, if you put your mind to it, you could damage it, but we have every confidence that it will hold up well under everyday use.
The panels are a tongue-and-groove sort of affair. The wood veneer (red oak) is backed with some sort of press board and a foam pad. It's really a self-contained floor. When the tongue is engaged, the panels pull tight to each other. A little tapping with a rubber mallet is all that's needed. They recommended putting down a vapor barrier when laying the floor over linoleum. We pulled up the old peel-and-stick, stripping down to the linoleum underneath. The old stuff left a sticky residue from the p&s adhesive. Tried acetone, but didn't seem to work. Cooking oil actually worked better. We left the floor a little tacky to hold down the vapor barrier and laid over the top of that.
Had to pick up a sixth carton to finish the kitchen, leaving us with three panels and a lot of scrap. Not too bad - I was concerned with having a carton or two left, and at that price I would have been pissed. The worst part was the quarter round. Used a back saw and mitre box, but there seems to be some trick to cutting angles that eludes me. The ends just don't match up. I guess that's the difference between a competent wood worker and a hack. Still, the flaws are barely noticeable.
My wife is happy with the results, and in the end that's pretty much all that matters.
Regards,
Pat
The stuff is pricey - comes in cartons that cover 17 sq ft for about $50 a carton. We needed to cover 91 sq ft. We went to Lowe's to look at the stuff and found two damaged cartons being sold for $20 each. We got a total of 5 cartons and had almost enough to do the entire kitchen. The damaged cartons weren't that bad - a few chips on the surface, but they are covering floor under the refrigerator, freezer and stove. My wife was impressed with the stuff - a friend at work brought in a piece of it while he was doing his floor. She tried scratching it with keys, screws and other assorted stuff - it didn't scratch. Now, if you put your mind to it, you could damage it, but we have every confidence that it will hold up well under everyday use.
The panels are a tongue-and-groove sort of affair. The wood veneer (red oak) is backed with some sort of press board and a foam pad. It's really a self-contained floor. When the tongue is engaged, the panels pull tight to each other. A little tapping with a rubber mallet is all that's needed. They recommended putting down a vapor barrier when laying the floor over linoleum. We pulled up the old peel-and-stick, stripping down to the linoleum underneath. The old stuff left a sticky residue from the p&s adhesive. Tried acetone, but didn't seem to work. Cooking oil actually worked better. We left the floor a little tacky to hold down the vapor barrier and laid over the top of that.
Had to pick up a sixth carton to finish the kitchen, leaving us with three panels and a lot of scrap. Not too bad - I was concerned with having a carton or two left, and at that price I would have been pissed. The worst part was the quarter round. Used a back saw and mitre box, but there seems to be some trick to cutting angles that eludes me. The ends just don't match up. I guess that's the difference between a competent wood worker and a hack. Still, the flaws are barely noticeable.
My wife is happy with the results, and in the end that's pretty much all that matters.
Regards,
Pat