I re-grouted the tiled entry way and though it looked decent. I decided to do the kitchen and dining room tile. Yuck! Granted I have always hated the tile (white) and it had black grout. So after regrouting it all ---2 days work--I stepped back and said nope I need new flooring. I went and bought hardwood flooring and have started installing it. Problem---I now want it everywhere I love hardwood floors!
So is anyone else crazy like me? Someone who starts a project and ends up with a ton more?

By Karen~moderator on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - 03:31 pm:

Yvonne, are you telling me that *YOU* are installing this stuff yourself?!? I am amazed, woman! And yes, we started with the laminate flooring last summer and it started a domino effect of things that have to be done, but are waiting for the funds to do them.

By Yjja123 on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - 03:58 pm:

YES--I am installing it
It really is very easy. Trouble is I want it through the whole house!

By Karen~moderator on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - 03:58 pm:

How did you learn to do all this stuff????? Are you installing real hardwood, or laminate?

By Kate on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - 04:00 pm:

Are you nailing it down? Tongue and groove? Or gluing it?

By Yjja123 on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - 04:27 pm:

It is tongue & groove. I watch way too much HGTV and have no fear in tackling these things. Worse case senario--hubby has to help. So far I have never had to have him take over any projects.

By Conni on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - 04:45 pm:

Did you pull up the tile? Or laying it over the tile? Will it be level with your other flooring?

I really like wood too. Too be honest I didnt think I liked it when we first moved in. But now I would like to have it every where!

No I Am not like you. I am pretty good about starting projects and not finishing them tho!!!! ROFL

By Yjja123 on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - 04:52 pm:

I am laying it over the tile. It is level with other flooring (carpet) but I am considering pulling up the carpet and continuing the hardwood throughout.
I am pretty good at starting several projects at once but I do complete them. LOL.
I just thrive on chaos, I guess.

By Crystal915 on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - 07:22 pm:

I go through the same phases, where I get a creative streak and crank out as many projects as possible! WTG for you, re-tiling is no small task!!

By Reds9298 on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - 07:49 pm:

You are SO COOL for doing this project on your own!!! I would have laminate glued to my head!!

By Kittycat_26 on Thursday, March 2, 2006 - 08:06 am:

We just redid Timmy's bedroom with laminate. I just love it. It really was pretty easy though it did take some time.

I've already started saving to do the next room.

I'm with everyone else on this one. I just love the look of it.

By Kate on Thursday, March 2, 2006 - 08:10 am:

Hmmmm, so you can lay this right over the tile because with tongue and groove you are nailing each board to the side of the other board, correct? You're not trying to drive nails into the tile, right? How does it keep from moving, though, especially on a slippery surface like tile? Will the base moulding be what keeps it in place? How are you cutting each piece?? Will you have to stain and seal it, or is it prefinished?

By Yjja123 on Thursday, March 2, 2006 - 08:52 am:

The boards are finished. They attach tongue & groove. It is a floating system but it does not slide on the tile. It has a padding underneath. The pieces that have to be cut are cut with a circular saw. I have the dining-room almost finished and will be working on the kitchen today. Hubby came home and loved it. We agreed I should buy more today to do the living-room and hallway. Hubby thinks we should work on doing the whole house. The kids do not want to lose their carpeted floors though so we will see. We have an open plan so when you walk in you see the living-room, dining-room and kitchen. It will be great to have them all with the same flooring. It won't look so cookie cutterish.

By Yjja123 on Thursday, March 2, 2006 - 08:57 am:

The tongue & groove means they snap together so they are connected as one. You do not use nails or glue.

By Kaye on Thursday, March 2, 2006 - 10:44 am:

Do you want to vacation in Houston? If so, boy could I make you a deal

By Yjja123 on Thursday, March 2, 2006 - 10:48 am:

Too funny Kaye LOL
I used to do a lot of faux finishes (on walls) and actually did barter once for a vacation in Michigan (a cottage on the lake). I painted their bathroom and my family stayed at their cottage for a long weekend. Only thing--I spent more time painting then playing. My family had fun though.

By Feona on Thursday, March 2, 2006 - 03:21 pm:

Okay, you are just too handy for words. I wish I was that handy.

By Missbookworm on Thursday, March 2, 2006 - 03:36 pm:

Yvonne! That's sooooooooo great! If I wasn't renting I'd be doing all those things too!

The most I've done here because I'm renting is to install a new toilet seat (wooden) a nicer mirror/medicine cabinet in the bathroom (will take it down when I move), new towel bars, and put up some ceiling fans. I also landscaped the yard *grew grass and put in a flower/herb garden*.

I do minor repairs around the house when they need to be done and aren't costly it's soooo much easier then calling the landlord lol!

Are you going to take a pic to show us how it looks when it's done?

By Nicki on Thursday, March 2, 2006 - 03:46 pm:

Yvonne, that is great! I love hardwood floors. We live in an older home. It was wall to wall carpet, but one of our kitties decided we needed to pull it up, so he saw to it we didn't have a choice,lol. So up it came, and much to our surprise there was beautiful hardwood flooring everywhere.

I love to do projects like this but I lack the skill, but I am getting more adventuresome. Problem is, I get those spurts and start several projects but don't finish. I am attempting a mural on my daughter's wall. But, I took a break to tear off some wall paper in the bathroom and I've started re-painting the family room. I'm hopeless!

I hope we'll get to see photos, Yvonne. I'd love to see your results. You should be so proud!

By Kate on Thursday, March 2, 2006 - 03:55 pm:

Hey, Yvonne, can you link us to the flooring you are using?? Is it online anywhere, with the info and such about installing and measuring and such? Thanks!

By Yjja123 on Thursday, March 2, 2006 - 04:41 pm:

http://www.mohawk-flooring.com/laminate-floors/styledisp.asp?n=COUNTRY%20COTTAGE&cl=Jefferson%20Oak%20Plank

By Pamt on Thursday, March 2, 2006 - 05:23 pm:

Good for you!! We are saving to put down laminate in our whole living area. We have the grossest, nastiest carpet and it disgusts me, but we can't afford to do anything about it right now. We bought our house from a couple who had 2 y/o quadruplets so you can just imagine the sippy cup drips all over the place, plus housebreaking a dog. Ick!!

Are you pleased with how the laminate looks? That's my only hesitation. I know we could do laminate ourselves and it is much more economical than hardwood, but I just worry that it looks like....well, laminate. However, we will probably be looking to move in 1.5-2 yrs, so it would look better than our gross carpet and someone else would inherit it anyway. Would you mind posting some pics when you finish? TIA!

By Yjja123 on Thursday, March 2, 2006 - 06:01 pm:

I definitely think there are different qualities of it. This was more expensive than some. I liked the look of it better. It has a layer of real wood. I have the dining room finished and love it. Now you need to understand, I had ugly white tile before. Anything is an improvement
I installed carpet in our living room 3 years ago. I hate it. I just feel like carpet is never really clean. I use my steam cleaner way to often. We are goiing to rip up the carpet Saturday and put the wood flooring there too. I will take pictures when it is done and maybe I can get Karen or someone to post them. I can do home improvements but loading pictures? Hmmm---I have not mastered that. LOL.

By Yjja123 on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 08:10 am:

We finished the living room, dining room & kitchen (hubby helped this weekend). I emailed pictures to Karen hoping she can post them for me. I am proud of it. It is such an improvement over the carpeting & tile we had! If Karen posts the pictures please ignore the mess in our dining room. We stacked up all our tools, wood, etc in there. I took the picture before we cleaned up the room

By Kym on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 08:46 am:

I had no idea you can do it right over tile! Almost our entire house is tile and I'm a WAY over it We put Bamboo in our bedroom last year and have been wanting it in the kitchen.

For those of you looking for wood, check out Lumberliquidators.com, they had awesome prices for real wood and laminate!

By Tschwab on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 06:00 pm:

To anyone who wants to put wood floors into their house:
If you live in N.Y., and you know where the costco in Nanuet is, they were recently having a really good deal on wood flooring. Call to see if they are still having this bargain, and ask for more details if you need it. If it is good for you and you want it, make sure that you have a coupon!

By Karen~moderator on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 08:26 pm:

Check out the photo board to see her handywork!!!!!

By Yjja123 on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 08:50 pm:

Thanks for posting them Karen!