Wood / Laminate Flooring

Tired of that carpet?  Is your carpet worn out? Well replace it with a floating wood or laminate floor. I have already done the main living room and den with laminate flooring. For as much money and support and free exposure I am giving Lowes I should get some kind of kickback.

Well let's get started. This is not a hard job at all and depending on the area that you are covering it could take only a day.  I got my Cherry wood laminate floor from Lowes at a cost of 19.21 a box.  If you sign up for MyLowes program it will keep track of everything you purchase in case you need to buy more or replacement parts. It also allows Lowes to send you coupon savings that you can use for other purchases. Sometimes $15.00 off a purchase of $50.00 and $25.00 off a purchase of $200.00 or more: the saving prices vary. But they do send these out to members especially those who continually purchase material or items from them. 

OK enough free publicity.

Let's Get Started:

The very first thing you should do is to decide on the color flooring you will want to go in your home (yes men listen to your wife, girlfriend, whomever).  DIY is not just for men but women also can do this job with little trouble. 

First, as always measure the area in which you are working. Remember to find the square footage of a room just multiply length x width (LxW = SqFt).  

You will need the following tools to complete this project:

• Tape measure
• Miter Saw
• Utility Knife
• Square
• Wood floor kit (will contain spacers)
• 1/4" round molding
• underlayment
• Rubber Mallet
• Pry bar
• Knee Pads

After you have all the tools you need, you will have to empty the room(s) of all the furniture.  You can just move some furniture aside however this becomes more of a hassle than just taking it out.  Stop being lazy and save yourself some time and frustration by having an empty room.  

Using your utility knife, find the seam in the carpet and cut the seam of the carpet. Grab a corner of the carpet and pull. Carpet is held down by a tack strip that is located at the perimeter of the room. If you cant grab it with your hand grab some pliers and pinch a good amount of the carpet and pull up.  Carpet is easy to remove. Once you have the carpet up, remove the carpet pad, don't be too disgusted about all the stains you will see, some of them are from the foundation or subfloor. Other stains,  well if you have animals that would explain the more prominent stains.

Use the pry bar to remove the tack strips. Tack strip are held down by small nails. If you have a concrete floor you will probably notice some of the cement comes up with the tack strip at the nails. Do not worry it is normal, besides we are going to cover the concrete with an underlayment.   After, you have removed all the carpet, carpet padding and tack strips sweep the floor of any debris.

Underlayment:
There are various types of underlayment you can purchase: standard plastic roll, fiber based and thermal insulated.  Your underlayment must have a moisture barrier.  I suggest you purchase an underlayment that has moisture barrier as well as sound deadening abilities. I do not recommend just using the thin plastic foam underlayment: it will not provide a lot of sound deadening nor comfort as you walk.  Be prepared to spend at least 60.00 per 100 sq. ft. on a good underlayment.  A good one of choice to use would be Tecsun 100-sq ft Premium 0.125-in Flooring Underlayment which can be found at Lowes.  It thickness is an good sound absorption and it is both mold, water and moister resistant.

Underlayment come with a tape strip. This tape strip should face the interior of the room and be able to seal the seams between the underlayment layers. Please ensure you have extra tape as some of the underlayment's tape adhesive may not secure correctly. It does not hurt to re-tape the seams of the underlayments.

Direction of Floor:
I know you are saying what?!! there is a certain direction the floor should be placed?  Well yes of course direction is everything. The grain pattern in the floor can either make a room look small or larger.  Just like they say stripes make you look thinner or bigger depending if they are horizontal or vertical the same thing can be said for flooring.   Determine where your light source is and run the pattern of the wood towards that source (for example if you have front widows the boards should face that direction).

Placing Floor:
You should have the underlayment down and taped securely. The most important row to get right is the first row.   Using the spacers provided in your wood floor installation kit, lay the first row approximately 1/4" from the wall. This will allow the floor to expand and contract during changes in temperature and prevent buckling of the floor. Note: there should be a 1/4" gap around the entire perimeter of the floor.  

DO NOT PRECUT ANY OF THE FLOORING

After you have the first row down, using your miter saw (skill saw or what have you) cut about 1- 2 inches off the first board on the second row.  You need to make this cut so that the floor will be staggered. The horizontal joints at the top of the board should not line up, but be placed in a staggered setting (think of a staircase). Tilt the board slightly on the lip of the first board making sure the bottoms are even.  Continue to connect the flooring  and repeat the steps ensuring to cut 1-2 inches off every other row. 

If you have any corners to go around wait until you get to the corner before making the cut, always measure twice okay maybe 4 times and before you make the cut. You may even want to use the cardboard box the flooring came in and trace the corner on it so that you can use it as a pattern for the cut.

1/4" Round:
Once the floor is down, use the 1/4" round to cover the 1/4" gap around the perimeter of the floor. When placing the 1/4" round in corners make sure you a scrap piece to get the miter joints correctly, unless you are a pro at eyeing the cuts.  Secure the 1/4" molding to the baseboard with finishing nails: DO NOT NAIL INTO THE FLOOR.  If you nail the molding to the floor it will eventually cause the floor to buckle during the changes in temperature. 

Transitions:
When you are doing a hardwood, laminate or tile floor you will need to have a transition in place. The transitions should be purchased at the same time as the flooring.  Transitions do not come in bundles but in a long piece. The transition will have an aluminum or tin railing along with the raised piece of flooring.  The transition is secured in place by screws that are drilled into the subfloor or concrete. You can cut the transition using tin snips or if you are like me and couldn't find your pair a good pair of kitchen shears will work nicely.  Just make sure your wife isn't home when she see's you whit her kitchen shears or you will get an ear full. But hey they are made to cut just about anything right?

Once you have the rail in place the transition snaps into place rather easily. Transitions are used at openings like doorways and transitioning from wood to tile or wood to carpet.

If you did not want to use the metal rail in the transition you can still use the wooden transition, but you will need to secure it to both the laminate floor as well as the other flooring material. If this is the case (I don't know why you really would do this ) you can use Locktight or similar adhesive. 

Finishing up:
Sweep the floor. Now is a good time to get a Swiffer or an iRobot Roomba. Laminate floors look beautiful and will last you a long time if you take care of them. Depending on the traffic in your house you may end up sweeping them every three days. If you have pets you may want to sweep every day.  

Cleaning your new floors:  You can mop them the same as you would a tile floor however be careful not to place excessive amounts of liquid on the floor as the water can seep in between the joints and cause the floor to ripple.  You can buy laminate floor cleaner from any store, the best application is applied using a Swiffer type wet/dry broom.  NEVER use products like Pledge on your floor. The wax in these products will make your floor very slippery and can cause people to slip and fall.  Though its rather entertaining to watch your pets try to walk across the area that you waxed its not very safe for humans.

Lastly, use furniture pads on the bottoms of your furniture to make sure they do not scratch the floor when rearranging rooms.  Though laminate flooring can be replaced easily, you really don't want to have to replace boards unless there is a serious need.

Sit back enjoy your new floor and marvel in your work. 

Replacing Existing Fascia Board

Everyone will deal with this issue at some point in time during home ownership. Mine came sooner than expected.

What is fascia boards?  Fascia board  in layman's terms is the wood trim around the exterior of your home which traditionally supports your gutter system.  There are many blogs out there about how to replace sections of fascia board (http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/step/0,,20183702_20076509,00.html)  but what if you have to replace all of it. What these blogs fail to state are the steps to take when replacing the fascia.  

Here I am taking you on the steps I did to replace the fascia board on my home.  My home was built in 1964 and we replaced the roof in 2008 (yes the roof was DIY project as well)  at the time of replacing the roof the fascia board was perfectly fine.   But 6 years later sun and water cause the boards to rot.  As you can see mine were severely rotted man I am just lucky animals didn't get in there then it would be a whole different adventure. 

Detecting Rot: 

There is one sure way to find out if you need to replace your fascia: are your gutters loose or sagging?  If you have gutters on your home and you notice that the gutter fastener has come loose from the fascia it is a sure sign that rot has begun to set in on your fascia.  If you do not have gutters closely look at your fascia board, using the handle of a screwdriver tap on the fascia board, if you notice a difference in sound and or hardness you will need to replace that board.  

Replacing the Fascia on a existing roof can be done without calling a roofing company or a contractor. If you are good with using a miter saw, tape measure, nail gun, hammer or drill then you can do this project yourself.  I suggest you get two friends to help you on the bigger jobs. 

Tools:

• Kobalt 8in Stainless Steel  Drywall Taping knife
• Drip Edge (if necessary)
• Miter Saw
• pry bar
• Tape Measure
• Ladder (2 or a scaffolding)
• 2 x 6 x 12 treated lumber (Lowes or local lumber supply)
• Roofing Tar (10oz  All Weather Roofing Cement)
• 1lb-Galvanized Roofing Nails
• 1-lb #10 x 3.5-in Countersinking-Head Polymer-Coated Phillips Deck Screws
• Rubber Mallet
• Hammer
• Hammer Drill with phillips srew bit
• Rotary tool (saw to cut nails if needed)
• Caulk
• building permit (if required)
• Plastic sheeting (in case of weather)

My estimated cost of this project total was $220.00. Yes that is for all the fascia board on the house.

Total time well time is relative after all things come up and so does weather at times. 

Skill Level:  6 (if you can use a saw and know how to read a measuring tape you are suited to do this job)

Getting Started:

First measure the total number of square feet you will need to purchase lumber.  Remember to find the sq.ft. you need to measure the length x width.  Lumber will be your greatest expense. I recommend buying an extra board after you calculate the amount of lumber needed, this will save you time in case you measured wrong or your mitering skills are not great.  

Once you have all the materials needed to get started (a good friend included) start by lifting up the the first row of shingles. I know you are saying What!?!?!  But you must lift up the first row of shingles in order to pull off the bad fascia board.  

Removing The Fascia Board:  can be the longest part of the repair process. If you run  into issues like I did with having the roof decking tied into the nailer board.  If yours is similar you will need to break out the Dremel tool to cut the decking nails from the nailer board, if not then your removal will be easier.

Using the Taping knife, place it at the crease of the drip edge and the shingle. What is Drip edge.  Drip edge is the shiny metal that flashes the joint between the edge of the roof and the top of the fascia board.   Tap the taping knife until it goes between the drip edge and the shingle, be careful not to tear the shingles we are not trying to replace your roof just the fascia boards.  Repeat this step for the section of the boards that you are replacing.  You can do one entire side of the house if you desire to save time.  Lift up on the tapping knife and the tar should break loose under the shingles. 

Take your pry bar and find the roofing nails in the drip edge and remove them. Roofing nails are only about an inch long so you do not need a lot of room. There are usually 4 - 6 roofing nails per drip edge.  Use the pry bar to assist you in removing the nails from the drip edge.  Once the drip edge is removed use the pry bar to pull the fascia board loose from the rafters. Tip start at the edge of the miter joint in the fascia board and pull toward you. the fascia board is typically held in with 3 inch galvanized nails. 


Please note: I did not re-install the nailer board on my house  instead i used a 2 x 6 x 12 board that is used to replace both fascia and nailer board.  Nailer board smailer board who needs it anyway? in 90% of houses they all have nailer boards to offset the placement of gutters.  Me  I am not replacing the nailer board, why?  My reasoning was simple: I am just going to rest the gutters directly under the drip edge, if I choose to use gutters again.  Once you have the nailer board and fascia board off you should be able to see inside your attic area.  YOU DO NOT NEED TO REMOVE THE SOFFITS UNLESS THEY ARE DAMAGED. 

Save the drip edge:  if you are careful in removing the nails holding the drip edge you can reuse them to save you some money. Drip edge can be found at any hardware store and  each rail costs under $10.00.  Since the drip edge is thin, be careful not to bend twist or damage can occur. If you do damage them do not worry, you can tap out some bends and dents using a rubber mallet. Drip edge can be painted so if you mark it up don't worry, just cover it with paint.

Installing New Fascia:
Be safe, work smart and efficiently.  Make sure you place your miter saw on a level surface and use saw horses to help support your lumber. Familiarize yourself with the miter saw before plugging it in and before cutting.  There is something to that old rule measure twice cut once.  You've seen that show on DIY Network? That should explain it all. You don't want to end up with too short of a board when you are up on the ladder. 

Your miter cuts must be 45 degree angles, practice on a piece of the old fascia board before you cut your new lumber.  Miter both ends of the board. Please note: flip the board over to perform the correct 45 degree cut on the opposite end. Miter cuts should butt up against one another.

Instead of nails, I decided to use (3 1/2") screws to attach my fascia board to the rafters. I know, I know, what you are thinking, screws are overkill: but nails pull out during storms and down here we have hurricanes and we are talking about the roof.  Any chance of the wind lifting up the roof will now be reduced.  If I need to remove the fascia (which I shouldn't) I can just unscrew them instead of prying them off as I did during removal. 

If you have a good drill (hammer drill works  better) you do not need to drill a pilot hole. If you do not have a powerful drill you will need to drill pilot holes in the lumber and in the end of the rafters.  Pilot holes should not be the same size as the screw you are using. 

This is a good time to run to the store or send the wife/girlfriend to get food, snacks or beer to bribe your friends over to help you. You will need two people to install the new fascia boards. The length and weight of the boards make them rather cumbersome to lift into place.

Lift the boards into place (2 man lift) and mark the board according to the location of the rafters. Make sure you find the center of the rafter so the nail or screws will have ample area to grab.

Once you have completed replacing the fascia board, re-install the drip edge using new roofing nails.  Because you don't remove the first row of shingles you will need to use your rubber mallet to drive the nails into the roof decking and drip edge.   Take the roofing cement and run a bead of cement under the shingles and on top of the drip edge. If there are any loose shingles secure them back using the roofing cement.

Run a bead of caulk between the fascia board and where it meets the soffits to ensure an energy efficient seal.  If there are any gaps either at the miter joints or the roof line you can use spray foam to seal these gaps to prevent any moisture, insects or animals from entering the house. 

Once you are done  you can paint or stain your new fascia board and re-install your gutters.