Simple Home Maintenance

How to Determine Laminate Flooring Costs?

Laminate flooring costs vary according to the type and amount of laminate that you buy. When you want to find out how much it will cost you to install laminate on one room or your home or the whole house, you have to make up the square footage of the area.

Some of the factors that will affect the cost of laminate flooring include the type of flooring that you buy. Laminate flooring sold in narrow planks of varying sizes comes in 8 mil, 10 mil and 12 mil levels of thickness. Of these the 8 mil laminate is the cheapest. You have to weigh the costs of each of these and get an estimate from the retailer for the total cost of the square footage you want. To find the square footage of the room you are thinking of laminating, use a 25′ tape measurer and measure the longest length and then measure the shortest length. Multiply (long length x short length). Now add 10% (this allows for breakage and having to cut pieces to fit in various places, so you do need to have extra) to that total and this will give you the total square footage.

There is also a commercial laminate flooring available, which is the most expensive. This flooring looks almost like hardwood with the joins and beveled edges on the planks. Unlike the regular planks for laminate flooring which are all the same size, each package of this floor contains a selection of three sizes of planks - 16 inch, 32 inch and 48 inch lengths.

In order to install laminate flooring of any kind, you need to have foam insulation on the subfloor. This comes in large rolls and although it is not expensive, it does add to the overall cost.

Another factor to consider is the warranty you get with the flooring. The longer the warranty, the more costly the floor will be. Most manufacturers will not honor the warranty if you install it in areas of high humidity, such as the bathroom, the kitchen or the laundry room.

You also have to consider whether you will do the installation yourself or if you will hire a professional to do it. If you do decide on professional installation, this will increase the cost of your flooring. Laminate flooring can cost .89 cent up to $6.00 per square foot. So whatever flooring you choose, multipy the total square footage by the price per square foot.

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Marie Portis

Posted under Simple Home Maintenance

This post was written by admin on November 5, 2008

How do you re-tile a kitchen floor?

If you are talking about ceramic re-tiling, you first have to take up the existing tiles, because you can’t tile over the old tiles. They won’t support additional tile and will continue to crack, leaving your new tiles looking bad.

Next, you must smooth out the remaining grout so that the surface is smooth. Make sure you get out as much of the dust and debris as possible to get a firm stick with the next thing you put down.

Then, you need to lay 1/2 inch plyboard or cement board. You can use 1/4 inch, but the grout is MUCH more likely to crack, because older houses can settle.

Once you’ve laid-in the plyboard, you need to check the footboards underneath the counters, because they might have to be adjusted with the new floor height you will have. After that, you need a good sealant around the footboards in order to avoid water damage should some spill or you get a leak.

Now, take the tile you’ve chosen and the size spacers you need, if applicable. Don’t buy self-mix grout. Just buy it at the store and apply it with a dental trowel at about a 45 degree angle. It should be about 1/8 of an inch thick, at least, maybe a little more. You want it thick, but not so thick that it will crack while securing the spacers to guide you.

Butter the backs of the tile pieces lightly and start putting them down one at a time with. Start at a center point on the kitchen floor, preferably underneath the opposite wall where you enter the kitchen. This will give it a nice, uniform look, while hiding any partial tiles that you needed to cut to size under cabinets.

For ceramic tiles you will need to invest about $90.00 for a wetsaw that cuts tile. You will need it! You will also need a bucket of warm water and a cloth, because you cannot let the grout create a haze on the tiles. It is impossible to take off once it dries and it will look like a rank amateur did the work. Wipe clean as you go but don’t allow puddles to form in the grout.

Allow at least 24 hours to cure. You are done!

Posted under Simple Home Maintenance

This post was written by admin on October 9, 2008

Electrical Question

Question

I am trying to replace a regular light switch with a new motion sensor light switch. I can’t seem to understand how the wiring works or even if the new motion sensor wiring is compatible with my existing wiring. I was wondering if you could take a look at the pictures I have attached and see if you could tell me which wires go where.

This is the new motion sensor light switch that I purchased.

My current connections:

This is the wiring for the new motion sensor switch.

Switch Connection #1

Switch Connection #2

Answer:

You have purchased a motion sensor light switch which is designed to operate on a switch that controls one light. Switch Connection #2 photo fits the new motion sensor light switch, because the wiring in Switch Connection #1 suggest that there are more than one switch controlling one light.

To Install:

On your new switch you have a red, black and green wire. You will only use two wires to connect your new switch, the red and black wire. You don’t need the green wire, so I suggest you tape and bury the green wire. Your photo suggests that your home is already grounded, because your previous switch did not use the green wire. Therefore the green wire is not needed for this connection. Caution: Before you touch any wires in your home, find the circuit that you are working on and turn off the power in your main panel. (Electrically safely is very important.) In Switch Connection #2, attach the red wire to any one of the black wires, and then connect the new black wire to your other black wire. Turn your power back on and test you new switch. Follow manufacturers instruction for testing.

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Thanks, Marie (Winchester) Portis

Posted under Simple Home Maintenance

This post was written by admin on September 9, 2008

Single Women Who Don’t Have a Handy-Man Around

I have been a single woman for several years now, and I have found good ways to get work done around the house, without spending a lot of money. The best suggestion that I can give any single woman is to pray before you start any project around the house, because God will give you inside information that you will never think of or imagine.

Once I needed my air conditioning changed. So I started getting bids from companies in the $2000 plus range, but my budget only allowed for $900.00. After praying, I felt in my spirit that all I needed was someone take out the old unit and install the new unit. First, I began searching the web to look for someone just to do what I really needed. I came across this website called Service Magic (www.servicemagic.com) to search for a plumber or heat/air condition company. After filling out their online form, in the note area I put in my search request that I only was looking for someone to take out the old unit and install a new unit. Service Magic sent me a list of contractors in my area to choose from. I enjoyed the rating system they offered, which allowed you some insight into the company or handyman you were trying to choose.

Secondly, I looked in the phone book for heating/air conditioning supply stores and asked them a lot of questions concerning the type of air conditioning unit I currently had and asked for advice on what was new on the market that would benefit my situation. I explained that I was looking for a air conditioning unit that would fit the square footage of my house. I was told that my house only needed a 3 ton unit. At that point, I called around for the best price I could find for that size unit. I found a supply store in Homewood, IL that would deliver the unit to my home for free. The unit only cost me $550.00. I called and set-up an appointment for the plumber to come out the same day the unit was being delivered to my house. The plumbers fee was $200.00, which was to take out the old unit and install the new one. I saved $50.00 on my budget cost because since I was an electrician, I was able to wire up the unit myself. However in a single woman’s case, she could find an electrician the same way she would find the plumber.

Now that home improvement is a booming business, there are handyman sites online that you can use to request help with one aspect of a project. Also, Home Depot and Menards has a section in their “Contractor” department where they allow local companies and handymen (and women) to leave their business card for contracting their services. There are many ways to save money, but the biggest way to save is to look to your Savior.

Posted under Simple Home Maintenance