http://articles.hardwoodandlaminateflooring.com/rss.xml A blog about hardwoodandlaminateflooring.com daily 365 1901-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://articles.hardwoodandlaminateflooring.com/?a=35557 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>With the rise in popularity of people taking on home improvement projects themselves more people are choosing to tile over their old flooring and although you may believe it is saving you time this can actually cause instability of your new floor. In addition, the floor will seldom be level and will cause your new tile floor to have a shoddy appearance. Here are some of the main reasons you should never tile of the old floor.<br /><br />The surface of a vinyl floor is very slick and shiny, similar to plastic, and almost impossible to adhere to. It is also non porous which also makes it very hard to get a good bond no matter what kind of glue you attempt to use. Even the method of roughening the surface that is recommended by some people is not going to help.<br /><br />One of the biggest reasons not to lay tile over the existing floor is because the floor may start lifting after you lay it causing you to have to relay a section of the floor or possibly have to redo the entire job. I don't know about you but I hate redoing anything, I want to do the job once and be done with it. This is exactly why you should do the same and save yourself the trouble of the inevitable replacement of the floor.<br /><br />Another problem with installing tile over vinyl is that it is extremely tough to get your floor level which is crucial when tiling. Additionally making transitions in areas where the floor level changes or you have to fill in areas is hard to do. It is always best to begin with a fresh, clean surface that the mortar will adhere to.<br /><br />Most vinyl floors are put down on top of thin plywood or even particleboard which is not recommended at all for applying tile to. Laying tile over floors like these in not only unwise it is unsafe and due to the inherent flexibility of the vinyl the tile is likely to crack and you may have to replace the entire floor.<br /><br />If you still want to leave the vinyl floor underneath you will have to make some structural changes to the floor by screwing the vinyl down and then putting down a mortar base with mesh and concrete or lay down a plywood sub-floor that may help lessen the possibility of cracking. It is just as much work to do all of this as there would be if you lifted the vinyl up in the first place.<br /><br />I hope that I have succeeded in dissuading your ideas to install tile over vinyl. Be sure to keep all of the negatives I have discussed in mind because the short cut of tiling over vinyl is really not a short cut, it will cost you more time and money in the future.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Laminate and Hardwood Flooring at <a href="http://www.hardwoodandlaminateflooring.com/">http://www.hardwoodandlaminateflooring.com</a></p> 2006-08-24T01:08-04:00 http://articles.hardwoodandlaminateflooring.com/?a=35556 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>Years ago flooring choices we relatively limited especially when compared to the range of choices available today. Have you walked into a Lowe's or Home Depot lately and just had a look at the flooring choices they have available? So, with all of the choices available, how do you decide on what type of flooring to use in your home?<br /><br />To help you decide, you should break it down into three areas of consideration which are the type of room, traffic the room gets, and how much money you have available or how much you want to spend on the project. The type of room, in conjunction with the amount of traffic will determine to a large extent what type of flooring you will go with. You don't want to go with wood floors in the kitchen and bathroom in most cases due to the likelihood of water or other liquids being spilled on it.<br /><br />Hardwood floors are extremely popular these days due to the look of luxury and character that the addition of this type of flooring gives a room. These types of floors can now be installed over nearly any preexisting sub floor and with the increased demand for hardwood floors has come better quality and variety of choices. You can choose from plank, strip, or long strip depending on your preference and also whether or not you want the wood finished or unfinished.<br /><br />Another very popular choice if you like the look of wood but you are afraid it won't hold up in high traffic or because you don't want to spend the money that real hardwood floors cost, is laminate flooring. Originating in Europe, these floors are easy to clean and highly durable and stain resistant. Even though the majority of laminate floor systems still come from overseas there are some domestic manufacturers beginning to offer the product. The high quality of laminate flooring sometimes has people mistaking it for real wood.<br /><br />My personal favorite is ceramic tile which is very durable and long lasting as well as being resistant to scratches, fire, and water. It also doesn't hold in odor and bacteria, like carpet does, which is excellent especially if you have pets. The only downside to me is that it is very slippery so it may not be practical if you have small children or if you are elderly. Overall however, tile is a very good choice and makes for very easy cleaning and maintenance. <br /><br />Of course your other choice is carpet which is easy of the feet and offers a warmer surface, particularly in the winter time when you may not want to put your feet on a tile floor. My suggestion is to use carpet in bedroom areas that are so highly trafficked and use laminate or tile in the living areas.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Hardwood and Laminate Flooring at <a href="http://www.hardwoodandlaminateflooring.com/">http://www.hardwoodandlaminateflooring.com</a></p> 2006-08-24T01:03-04:00