Q. I have this horrible laminate flooring in my house but it's hard to take off the sub-floor because the laminate is glued to the floor. I have been taking it out with a screw driver and hammer and it kinda damages the sub-floor. Is there a way to take out the laminate with little damage to the sub-floor?

A. That is a very tedious job. You will be sitting there forever with a pry bar though. You can also buy a floor scraper for about $20 at any hardware store. Generally found in the flooring dept. Take my experience though, all depending on what you re-cover with (ie. tile, carpet, etc) if you are going with tile, you need to have a glue free surface. Plywood is inexpensive and easier to remove that your laminate, Not to mention the time and aggravation you will save.

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Q. I want to buy 12" x 12" vinyl flooring and place it on top of a laminate flooring that is currently there. The installation for the vinyl flooring is "peel and stick". Will the vinyl flooring adhere to the laminate flooring ok? Is any additional adhesive needed? Thanks in advance :)

A. It may stick but it won t last. The movement in laminate will cause the laminate seams to telescope thru and show and eventually crack the vinyl. Laminate is so easy to take up and save . GL

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Q. The sub pump in my basement failed twice in my 12 years living in this home, so im not sure if i can use laminate flooring in my basement, the wood kind. i really dont want to put tile down there

A. Carpet is the most preferred option for the basement flooring due to its low cost, softness and sound muffling quality. It is comfortable to use and provides warmth in winter. Cement flooring is also a popular choice for basement. In fact, it is the most affordable and durable materials till date. laminate flooring probably isn't a great choice because water could lift them.

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Q. I am moving into my first house next week and I am doing the laminate flooring myself....can anyone tell me if they have done it an how easy or hard it actually was? Also, do you know if I can just put the pad and laminate flooring on top of the kitchen flooring that is already there? Thanks for your help in advance!

A. Make sure the particular flooring you are getting needs no other supplies..some requires a simple underlayment(fabric type sheeting)..and some require you buy these foam rubber gasket type items that the baseboard needs pulled and they have to tuck under it to help lock in without moving..Just make sure before purchasing..that you are aware of what all is needed..Remember..most of these floorings need to have the base board removed to install properly

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Q. I want to get Black wood flooring but the problem is it's really expensive it ranges to 4.00 to 6.00 a square foot but people were telling me if I bought unfinished wood flooring and stain it black but see im not a craftsman and personally I don't want the paint fumes and all of that but my ? is Can I go to someone and can they stain it for me? if so can you suggest a company? or give me ideas who to go to for this and also if you find Black wood flooring less than 2.00 a square foot please notify me Thank You So Much.

A. You can sometimes get discounted wood flooring for as low as $2 a square foot (see the link I have provided), but it will cost you at least another $3 a square foot to have someone install it and finish it black for you. Hardwood flooring is a luxury, and add alot of value to your home. Remember, the money you spend doesn't go away; you keep it as in investment in your home.

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Q. I am looking for a cheap flooring job in a room in my house, and it has to be wooden floors. I am friends with a guy that is a flooring contractor and he gets to keep all extra pieces that do not fit in the house. So he has all of the flooring that I need, they all fit each other, but not all of them have the same texture/gain and color. Is there any way to get them all to be the same? I was thinking that I would be able to sand them down and maybe stain them, but I'm not too sure.

A. Probably not. All woods accept stains differently. The only way to have uniformity with differing species and grains is paint.

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Q. We are considering laying hardwood flooring in the living/dining room of our new house. The floor is concrete and we have been told we need to wait for a period of time before laying wood flooring. The time period varies with who we ask, but we've been told anything from 3 months to 2 years! Does anyone have any direct experience of this? Is it a load of rubbish or is it genuine?

A. Would have thought that after a week or so when the concrete was set it would be ok to lay flooring. Maybe the flooring contractors are trying to put you off until they can fit in the job!!

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Q. I live in Sydney, northern suburbs. I'm trying to find the optimum solution for a bedroom floor to replace the sick carpets with an alternative healthy floor. My ideal is bright sand color flooring. Timber seems not that tough as bamboo, but bamboo products are imported from China and the quality may not be as good. If anyone has a bamboo floor for a few years now, I'd like to hear from you, and if you are happy with the quality, please let me know where to buy it from.

A. Well we haven't had it for two years, but we have had it for a couple of months. we have the dark maroon color and it shows dust and cleaning streaks retty badly so i have to clean it every other day to. i wish i would have went with the lighter color now like you are talking about. as for scratches, since ours is so dark, the deep ones do show but i go over them with a matching stain. i have never noticed lighter scratches. but since you are talking about getting the lighter colored flooring, the scratches wouldn't show up very easily. we were very happy with the quality. it wasn't like hardwood flooring where you have to inspect each piece before you put it down, each one that came out of the box was in perfect condition. and the brand we bought was nice and thick.

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