Home Improvement Today?

Just got an old farmhouse that has been in my family since about 1920 maybe earlier. It is so old that part of the foundation is actual rocks cemented together. I am going to be updating the place very slowly and on a very tight budget doing just about everything on my own. Tonight I started on the bathroom which had pink carpet in it and then that very ugly black tile with pink, blue, and green spackle all over it underneath the carpet. After taking about 4 hours to rip everything up, it is ready for a new floor. I have decide to do a laminate wood floor (floating). I know tile is normally the best thing to use but... I am on a budget so this will have to do for now. Its better than pink carpet. I also have pink tiling the goes halfway up all 4 walls in there so that will get a tub/tile paint.

Here are a few pictures of tonight's progress. Also, please feel free to offer any input/ tips/ tricks! This is my first major home improvement project.







Tomorrow will be underlayment and the flooring

 

X2
Especially the "Have fun!" Part

I have a 100 year old farm house. Real 2"x4" studs, plaster and latte walls. Quiet (hardly any noise from outside) but messy to work on

 

Definitely get a respirator

 

That underlayment looks like it may have asbestos. Hope you took safety precautions.

 

Agreed. Be safe. I think you will find that tile isn't going to be much more expensive compared to laminate considering you will be doing the install yourself.

 

Good luck Aaron!

 

thanks guys! Definitely got a respirator! Its going to be a lot of work but will looks nice in the long run.

Kolunatic- there actually wasn't an underlayment. The black stuff was old laminated tile. I took trim off and got all the way down to original wood floor but didn't find any noticeable mold or asbestos. Other parts of the house might be a different story though. I will be taking down some walls to replace so only time will tell.

PkTaco- I looked at tile but just couldn't afford to do it at this time. I might pull the laminate up later down the road when I have the funds to do a nice tile in there but for now, my main focus was to get the old carpet out and put something halfway decent down.

 

How much are you paying for sq foot for laminate?

 

I got this laminate for 80 cents a sq foot. The tile alone is about the same if not cheaper but by the time I buy all the tools and grout and mortar, I am well over my budget.

Yeah that is one issue I know I am going to have in a few of the rooms. The floors in some are sunk a little bit so I need to figure out a way to level them out.

 

What size were those tiles? 9"x9" tiles are almost always asbestos containing. And a respirator should be fitted by a professional. Dust masks and such don't filter down far enough. Best advice is to wet the tiles down with some water while you're taking it up. Keeps dust down and lowers the risk of the fibers becoming friable or airborne. Best idea would have been to let it there and go over it.

 

Roofing Singles make excellent floor levelers.if an entire area is low.

I guess to me its better to put in the tile now rather then rip out laminate later and put tile down. The tools to put tile in are cheap.

I just much prefer tile over laminate. I understand that laminates are a good option for a lot of people though

 

they were 6x6 tiles. I bought the 3m 6000 series respirator that has asbestos/ mold filters on it. it cost about $40. not a bad idea to wet them down though. ll remember that next time.

tat is a good idea! I just had to redo the shed roof and have some old shingles left over.

 

Looks like some old wood flooring under there! Maybe 3 1/4" fir? Kinda hard to tell. Being a hardwood floooring specialist i see this type of thing all the time. Lately ive been turning these nasty jobs down but if youre up for the task you could make those floors look beautiful. Just gotta rent some sanding equipment and dedicate a weekend to it. Good luck whatever you do!

 

One tip with the laminate, in a bathroom application like that, be sure to glue all the seams before you snap them in, this will seal the seams up, giving you more resistance to water damage to the flooring.

 

Maple counter top is set. Glass arrived, omg I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

The thought of carpet in bathrooms makes cringe. I wear gloves and clean any of my tools after jobs like that.

 

Turned out great

I'm reconsidering the yellow cedar top I talked about

 

Thinking maple now?

 

I have VG fir and some black walnut

The yellow cedar has some spiral shrinkage cracks in it that I'm worried may get worse but I've only looked at one of my boards , still gotta dig out a few more before I decide

 

Can you dent or scratch the cedar with your fingernail?