The Many Advantages Of Installing Tiled Floors

Flooring is one of the first issues that need to be addressed when moving into a new home. That is because the floor is one of the main things you see when you enter any room, apart from having an obviously important practical role. If you, too, are trying to decide on the best alternative of floor covering for your house, know that many people swear by tiles.

For example, tiles are considered to be rather easy to install, as many people set them up themselves without having any special knowledge and with just the basic tools. Then, they are very low-maintenance, as they don’t require any special polishing substances or other tricks; a little warm water and your basic cleaning liquid will do just fine.

Another great advantage of tiles is that they are extremely easy to clean. You just need a bit of warm water, some basic cleaning liquid and a soft mop, in order to avoid scratching the surface. If you really want to make things easy, clean up every spill and splash immediately after it has happened, so as not to allow it to dry up; this way, you will always have shiny floors with the least bit of effort.

In addition, tiled floors are extremely sturdy, being able to handle things like humidity, pressure, and even temperature variations. This resilience is what makes them appropriate for just about any part of the house, be it a steamy shower, an elegant living room full of massive furniture or an outdoor patio. Plus, if a piece should happen to be damaged in any way, it’s easy to just take it out and replace it, without having to disturb the entire floor.

Finally, you can surely see that tiles offer a lot of benefits to homeowners. If you, too, would like to install such floors in your home or office, take a look at what the market has to offer, compare your findings to what you initially had in mind and only then make a decision. This way, you will be taking the smart road to a beautiful, comfortable house that you will be able to enjoy for a long while.

If you’re trying to find practical floor coverings that are also esthetically appealing, check out limestone tiles.

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Replacing Flooring: Prepare the Old Before Installing the New

You purchased new flooring for your home. You’re excited about how the room will look. You have a limited budget, so you plan on installing the new surface yourself. Carpet and carpet padding can be pulled away from the base or sub-floor, rolled up, and taken to the curb or the dump. Tile or vinyl can be chipped away and pried off the sub-floor, loaded into a garbage can and taken out, too. But what then? Is that all there is to preparing for installation? Unfortunately, the answer is a no. If lining it up, connecting it, and fastening it down was all there was to it, there would be far fewer contractors making a living. The primary step in any replacement is removing the old material and flaws first.

The key to lovely, long lasting flooring reaches not over the surface but under it.

Laying new tile is time consuming enough without having to replace it again in just a few years, because the sub-floor or slab wasn’t prepared properly, and cracks, sliding, or snapping of material has wasted time, effort, and money.

The surface receiving the new material must be clean and absolutely smooth. Even small grains of dirt or sand can void a seal or connection, as well as create gaps and bulges that stress the new material. If placing tile, for instance, over old, worn hardwood planks, ensure the seams between the boards are sealed level; nails and screws are sunk below the surface of the wood and filled with a wood fill compound, and the boards themselves are level, well sanded, and thoroughly cleaned, including washing—not just sweeping or dusting. Also, ensure the receiving surface is completely dry; allow sufficient time for air drying before laying a new surface on top of it.

Caution areas include slab sub-floors, walls, and entry ways.

Slabs require additional waterproofing protection before laying new flooring on top of it.

Most contractors automatically place a material over the slab between the concrete and the new material to allow moisture drawn up through the slab to evaporate before attaching itself to the underside of the new material.

Especially in older homes, vinyl tiles and linoleum was laid under the edges of walls and cabinets. Removing that layer can destabilize the structure and should be avoided. Instead,cut the old tile or linoleum as close to the resting edge as possible; if the material is soft enough, carefully angle a retractable blade down and in to cut the material under the edge but leave the remaining floor material in place. Gently slip the new flooring just under the structure’s edge to begin installation. Some experts recommend not using glue on the first one-half inch of the new floor material to allow removal next time the material is replaced, but always leave the original under the bulk structure alone.

When replacing entry way flooring, special challenges occur. Because the door frame is set into the wall structure, the new wood, tile, or carpet must allow the door to open and close fully, lest problems arise. You should replace the sub-floor or build up the sub-floor to allow proper spacing and depth. If that’s not possible, trimming the bottom of the door, if possible, is the next option. If you have a metal door, you may have to remove the entire door frame and adjust the opening to allow a higher floor clearance, depending on the floor material you’ve chosen.

If you choose to raise the door frame, you may want to install a support post under the house or otherwise brace the house frame. Tensions and tolerances are determined for the original framing configuration, and adjusting the height of a doorway may degrade stability without the additional support.