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| Author |
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Urgrace
Member
08-19-2000
| Wednesday, February 08, 2012 - 2:34 pm 
Kappy, here's my two cents worth. An interior designer can assess your problem areas and help you choose what needs to be demolished and replaced. They are helpful if you wish to redesign the floor plan as well. Going straight to a contractor is not always the best, because they need the design first, and they just make what they are told to make. You should have a figure in mind as to how much you want to spend and stick to your budget when making the purchase decisions.
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Riviere
Member
09-09-2000
| Wednesday, April 25, 2012 - 7:50 pm
My house, Ye Olde Money Pit, has decided to fall apart feet first! The widow we purchased from had foolishly laid indoor-outdoor carpet on the entire lower floor over tiles. Now our water heater has broken, seeping water all over. In removing this ugly carpet we see rug installers had used glue & nails damaging tiles underneath, so we'll need all new flooring... She never heard of area rugs?!? This will be a $10k fix just for damages.....
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Biscottiii
Member
05-29-2004
| Wednesday, April 25, 2012 - 9:19 pm
Oh NO Riviere! That is simply horrible!! 
I am so sorry.
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Hukdonreality
Member
09-29-2003
| Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 11:50 am
Homeowners should cover something like that Riviere. A pipe going to my neighbor's upstairs bathtub broke and water went through the floors and pulled down her living room ceiling. Her furniture and carpeting downstairs was soaked, too. Her insurance covered everything
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Kitt
Member
09-05-2000
| Friday, April 04, 2014 - 5:19 am
This thread hasn't had any traffic lately but I'll try my luck at a question...
The house we're moving to has very good quality hardwood floors. Frankly the floors are higher quality than we are, they are tung oil coated and need to be re-oiled every 2-3 yrs, something we don't particularly want to do.
Right now the floor needs to be refinished so we were wondering about options that wouldn't be as hard to maintain. Looking online I think I might not be using the right words to search, I keep finding things about urethane coating for floors, but that seems to be all.
Does anyone know if urethane is normal (it sounds plasticky) or if there are other options? I know I should be able to find something with the flooring websites but they seem to assume you know things that I obviously don't!
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Friday, April 04, 2014 - 9:37 am
Kitt, go look at bona.com and see if you can find what you are trying to figure out. I know that you have to put some type of finish on the floors, I can't remember what I have seen them use on HGTV.
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Kitt
Member
09-05-2000
| Friday, April 04, 2014 - 10:07 am
They seem to have stuff for doing them yourselves, we still want to get someone else to do it, but were just trying to work out what the options are.
I did find an article on the different types of urethane coating though, and I think that's what was confusing me. I thought there was one type of urethane but there are many, and some of them are more like what we're hoping for in term of less gloss, more hardwearing etc.
Thanks for your reply  .
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Friday, April 04, 2014 - 10:41 am
Yes I thought they might have some info to explain what others need to do, LOL, I don't want to do it myself either but I check their site for info.
Oh, you know HGTV.com might have some other information that would help.
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Roxip
Member
01-29-2004
| Monday, April 28, 2014 - 1:21 am
Anybody here ever repainted painted kitchen cabinets? I am thinking about selling my house in a couple of years so was going to start doing small jobs (of course I don't consider this a small job because I have lots of cabinets) in preparation. Also I would like your opinion. I currently have natural colored beadboard walls and ceiling. If you were going to look at a house to purchase would you prefer to see something like that already painted or would you wish the previous homeowner hadn't painted them so you could make that decision yourself?
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Roxip
Member
01-29-2004
| Monday, April 28, 2014 - 1:24 am
This would be one view of my kitchen... (By the way, the fish tank is now clean - it was pretty bad.
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Rosie
Member
11-12-2003
| Monday, April 28, 2014 - 1:28 am
i vote not to paint
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Roxip
Member
01-29-2004
| Monday, April 28, 2014 - 4:12 am
That's kind of how I'm leaning. But those green cabinets - they are definitely on their way out! I'm thinking about replacing the pantry doors with some more contemporary frosted glass ones.
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Monday, April 28, 2014 - 5:40 am
The green looks like it goes with the wood so I would leave it alone. If you really think something should be done maybe look at new pulls, although I like the white ones, it might change the look of the cabinets.
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Roxip
Member
01-29-2004
| Monday, April 28, 2014 - 6:33 am
Oh, the pulls are going too - they are falling apart anyway. I am also going to have to replace the countertops - they are white tile and they are breaking and falling apart.
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Monday, April 28, 2014 - 6:33 am
All the shows I see about preparing your house for sale say keep things neutral and pretty sparse, so we f I were selling it, I would probably paint them white or dove grey or something and probably make the bead board white. The whole dea is to appeal to the largest possible group of buyers and I suspect the neutrals do that better than green. But if you do white, I'd wait until you're just about to sell. Too many opportunities for fingerprints, messes, etc.
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Monday, April 28, 2014 - 6:48 am
Since the counters and pulls are going then you should definitely do the cabinets. The best jobs I have seen is when they spray them rather than brush paint them so you might want to look into that.
A agree with Tishala a light color would be best.
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Roxip
Member
01-29-2004
| Monday, April 28, 2014 - 6:58 am
I have an acquaintance who is a real estate agent and her advice is almost identical to your's, Tishala. Paint the walls either white or light grey - paint the ceiling white, paint the cabinets either white or light grey. Countertops should be white and the pulls are probably going to be those brushed silver (chrome) ones. I'm going to test a couple of techniques. I actually have a paint sprayer but haven't used it in years, and I also found a website where the author gets phenomenal results using a combination of a brush and a small sponge roller.
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Kookliebird
Member
08-04-2005
| Thursday, October 16, 2014 - 2:35 am
Does anyone have experience with Bamboo flooring?
I bought a condo that has bamboo flooring in the kitchen. The rest of the condo is carpeted, which I want to replace before I move in. Rather than replace with more carpet, I was thinking of just extending more bamboo flooring to the rest of the living area leaving only the bedroom with carpeting. However, some people have suggested to me that Bamboo flooring is not that great.
I want something durable, cost effective and low maintenance (i.e. if I spill something, there's not an issue) Any suggestions on bamboo or any other type of hardwoods to look at?
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Thursday, October 16, 2014 - 3:41 am
Kookliebird, I don't have any experience with bamboo but always heard it was really good.
I did a little research and it seems it is good except in Florida. Here is the link, http://www.city-data.com/forum/sarasota-bradenton-venice-area/1459844-thinking-about-putting-bamboo-floors-anyone.html
I just searched "bamboo floors are bad", and a lot of links came up.
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Biscottiii
Member
05-29-2004
| Thursday, October 16, 2014 - 7:55 pm
One thing to bear in mind is perhaps Cold Winters. Here in Seattle, the neighbor renters are moving out (dang!) because the realtor ripped out the carpets to replace with cheaper fake wood floors. Just too cold with the little cadet heaters. High electrical costs but still too cold.
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Kookliebird
Member
08-04-2005
| Friday, October 17, 2014 - 1:41 am
Biscottii, I'm in Portland, so I am with you about the weather. I've had hardwoods for years and love them. A lot of it has to do with dust. Hardwoods are easier for me to keep dust free. Usually, I have area rugs to add to the warmth. Frankly, where I rent now, I have a small central gas heater and very bad windows. When it's really cold out, the inside is horrible cold. At this point, anything will be a step up for me.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Friday, November 14, 2014 - 12:08 pm
A belated thank you to Urgrace and Texasannie for your replies up above!
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Friday, June 26, 2026 - 5:15 pm
In an earlier post and probably a different area I posted about the desire, challenges, and cost of replacing our exterior doors last year. We did replace them and while not inexpensive we really have seen the difference and worth it. So now comes the next big renovation challenge, and some might say it’s a maintenance issue, and that’s replacing failed and failing windows. A couple of months ago we had our roof replaced because of storm damage and that was covered largely by our homeowner’s insurance. In the coarse of doing that one of the covered aspects was replacing damaged window screens. Long story short that after opening, or trying to open, eight windows four of them failed and we were lucky to get them closed. With 30+windows we quit, it simply wasn’t worth the risk to open them all and have more or worst failures.
So today we met with the same company who did our doors and were fantastic to deal with. We went window by window for the whole house and they will work up an initial estimate. No knee jerk or high pressure “sign today because it’s a one time offer” stuff. No we’re not going with the heavily advertised on TV “replacement by Anderson” windows. Not saying those aren’t great windows, maybe even top of the line, but the cost is extraordinary and way beyond what this “older” couple is willing to pay. Anyhow, we have started the process so stay tuned.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-06-2000
| Friday, June 26, 2026 - 5:28 pm
Yikes to 30 + windows! I hope they aren't all huge. But you must have a nice bright house.
I have 8, all fairly large and a slider. I have an end unit townhome. Center units would have fewer. I still have old windows.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Friday, June 26, 2026 - 6:35 pm
We do by some definition live in a big single family house. Roughly 4,000 square feet, two stories, four bedrooms, full kitchen, dining room, office, family/great room, a pool, and a three car garage on 1/2 acre. We bought it 23 years ago when our combined families were much bigger. We’ve lost all parents, lost my sister with no children, and neither my son or sister-in-law have produced any offspring. Today there are only five of us in the world with little to no hope to grow the family. Problem is we’re kind of stuck in today’s market. We’ď pay as much if not more for a smaller home so here we stay.
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Pamy
Member
01-01-2002
| Friday, June 26, 2026 - 7:29 pm
We had 22 ( it included the windows in our back house). It was worth it, kept the house cooler. It's been about 10 yrs and they are still like new
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-06-2000
| Saturday, June 27, 2026 - 12:33 am
I get those cash offers wanting to buy my place but no reasonable place to go in Orange County CA and I have absolutely no desire to relocate. So I have to keep climbing stairs.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Saturday, June 27, 2026 - 5:37 am
We have a main floor master bedroom and while our office and movie theater are upstairs we can easily live on the main floor for the most part. We only momentarily considered replacing only the front facing windows but actually when pulling the screens out the windows that failed were two in the back of the house and two in the front. No way of knowing which ones would have failed or how many if we hadn’t stopped. It will be a few weeks before we know at least the initial bid but we’re prepared for a sizable cost. I should have added that during the door upgrades last year we didn’t upgrade the door from our master to the patio. It doesn’t match exactly the doors from our family room to the patio but we had it painted and I changed the hardware so it looks pretty much the same. We rarely, like in almost never, use it but now is the time to just get it all done.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-06-2000
| Saturday, June 27, 2026 - 10:11 am
Yes, that is a good thing to have, all essentials downstairs.
We do have a very limited number of one story units, but they are pretty small.. Would be adequate but are rarely on the market. I do like sleeping upstairs with a view looking at a very large elm tree.
But it seems like everything you have done and plan to do are making your environment better and better.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Sunday, June 28, 2026 - 3:20 am
Mack, so glad you did not go Anderson. I do not care for them, did not want them when we replaced our windows, was not listened to, and now I'm stuck with them. Ugh.
Here's a little story and something you should check into before you sign anything for any windows you buy.
In the main bedroom, on one wall, we put in 1 giant window that is really 3 windows all next to each other. After they were put in, it was time to decide what to get for window treatments. I wanted Plantation shutters, but no way that was in the budget. Lol! So, I figured i would get individual blinds that went inside the windows.
Well.... I discovered that with these Anderson windows, you can't do that. Because you would have to install the hardware into the frame of the window and that would void the warranty. Wait what?!? Who designs these things? If I wanted shades, I would have to get one very long one to cover all 3 windows at once and put the hardware into the wall, which is ridiculous and would cover the fancy-dancy frames the windows have and just look ugly.
I googled what other people did, and there were a lot of complaints online from people with the same exact problem. One person posted a solution for what he did and it was ridiculous and not a perfect solution. These complaints started years ago, so Anderson isn't listening.
I lucked out and got a set of very expensive blinds (maybe Hunters) from an estate sale from a mega mansion that was being torn down for $50 that fit perfectly, and a carpenter friend who put them up for free and somehow managed to do it without voiding the warranty. They're an old set (they have cords to pull them up and down, and to open and close the shades) but they look brand new. Maybe the old ones have a different way to attach them, or the more expensive ones have better hardware. I don't know, but I love them.
Moral of the story, figure out how you want to cover your windows and check to see if it will void the warranty before you sign anything and save yourself a major headache.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Sunday, June 28, 2026 - 7:16 am
Thanks for the heads up. Indeed one of the things we want to do is replace a lot of the window coverings we have today. Some actually were installed by the original owners of our house some 26 years ago. We’ve kind of lived with them but with new windows and slightly different configuration it’s time to update/upgrade.
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