Thursday, December 7, 2017

It didn't go

quite as we expected. 

I have one experience with laminate flooring.  I was around fifty and kneeling was much easier. We placed Pergo laminate tiles, not fake wood floor, in the kitchen. It was a nightmare.  Steven has more experience and I relied on him to know what to do.

As we laid the first course, he reassured me it would get easier as we progressed.  That was somewhat true after we agreed to live with a gap in the second course. But by the time we reached the angled wall there was no hope. I tried and tired to get that second course against the angled wall to stay together. It just wouldn't work.

We decided that there must be too much of a hump in the floor.  I spent a sleepless night thinking about what to do.  I knew neither of us have the energy or stamina to prep that floor perfectly flat.  My goal is to contain dust and make the floor easy to clean. After reading about various cement sealers, and VOC and ventilation and more prep work, we agreed that the quickest solution is carpet.

Lumbers Liquidators accepted the 27 boxes as a return with no restocking fee.  That was a relief.  We picked up a couple of cheap (and yes, you get what you pay for) rugs at Home Depot and came home, after picking up some dog food on the way. 

Sideline: Frannie had pancreatitis years ago. She eats a low fat kibble. It's pricey compared to Purina. Before we moved, I always bought the food from a local shop as any conscientious locavore would.  (I know I am taking liberty with that term, still..) The food, actually, is only available through independent pet shops. An online search revealed two shops near our new abode. One was on the way home from Home Depot.

"Money is different here," I told Steven as we pulled into the parking lot. I was right. The upscale shop must have a high overhead because the food was twenty percent more expensive. Time to find new food.  It won't help to try the other shop, they share the same name and I am sure have the same pricing. Bummer.


Back to the floor project. We moved more stuff to make room for the plastic underlayment (6ml poly) moisture barrier. We caulked the edges of the walls and floor and a crack and now, today, can place the plastic and lay down the rugs. We would have had to move all that stuff to make room for the laminate, for sure, but now we won't have to be on our hands and knees for hours whacking planks of laminate together.

PS. Don't buy cheap laminate.

10 comments:

  1. I need to pull up the old carpet tiles in my basement where my long arm resides. It has the old tile from the 50's underneath. I don't know what to put down- I was hoping for solid vinyl laminate, but now, hmm. The carpet holds all my threads and cat fur. I would love to be able to clean around my machine easier.
    I have not been able to get the food my cat eats at the local big box, so I found it at chewy.com and it comes in less than 2 days at a good price- free shipping. Maybe they have something?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, the carpet will likely be hard to keep clean. Sigh. Budget woes and time dictate the choice. I would research the solid vinyl laminate. I think there are better products that would work just fine. And thanks for the tip but Chewey.com doesn't have Fromm Weight Management. Sigh again

      Delete
  2. I am sooooo sorry. If there are any open-able windows, and any opportunity, can you redo with the sealants sometime over the summer?
    But for now, sorry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are windows that open. There is too much stuff to move again. The carpet idea seems to be working.

      Delete
  3. I am fascinated by that big,10-12 ft long rolling rack that appears to be holding fabric on tubes. What is that? It must have been difficult to move.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is the frame for my Nolting Long Arm. We had to dis-assemble it to move it. Now that it is back together, it is easy to wheel around the studio on its casters. The carriage and machine are still in boxes. Soon we will liberate them.

      Delete
    2. I would love to rip the carpet in my sewing room - even though I went with low-pile, it's still hard to move the roller chairs. I probably should has insisted on no pad under it. Hopefully being right over concrete with no pad that will not be an issue with you. And as I can't sew with shoes on, my feet would appreciate the warmer floor also.

      Delete
    3. I am with you. I push the foot controller in sock feet. I can treadle with a shoe on but I prefer sock feet. So far, I seem to be able to roll the chair. No pad and a very stiff rug underfoot.

      Delete
  4. Have you tried Amazon Prime for your pet food? My daughters swear by it & order diapers, detergent, etc through them.

    Yes, sock feet sewing. I’ve found as many as 3 pairs of missing shoes in the sewing room because I sew past bedtime & leave them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the tip. Yes, I did check the big A. It is available but not with free shipping. Sigh

      Delete