Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 04, 2000 01:58am | #1

   *
   Oops.

   I thought I had logged on to
   b Fine
   Homebuilding, but must have hit the bookmark for "ruining fine homebuilding" instead.

   What else can we help you with, maybe put some vinyl over cedar siding?

   MD

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 04, 2000 02:05am | #2

   *Hi There,To do a proper job means that you have to ensure the hardwood is solidly nail to the subfloor first.This may require the use of a pneumatic nailer.Secondly, you have to fill in the gaps with any good wood filler.Third, you will have to install a 1/4" underlayment.Once this is all done, you are ready to install your (yuk) carpet.Chat later,Gabe

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 04, 2000 02:09am | #3

   *Easy, now, MD... Maybe Leon wants to put down a large area rug.Right, Leon? We're sure you wouldn't want to mess up those wood floors with tack strips and the resulting problems when you or a future owner want to go back to the wood floors, so you're gonna get some nice carpeting. have it bound, and lay it over a pad.I'll bet your local carpet folks can recommend the proper pad for the carpet.Good luck, Steve

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 04, 2000 03:30am | #4

   *A voice from the distant past... hey Gabe!

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 04, 2000 01:34pm | #5

   *Hi George,Us old dogs don't die, we just don't bark as often as young pups!Chat later,Gabe

2. 
   Guest_ | Apr 04, 2000 02:51pm | #6

   *Just plop that carpet right over that floor. The sand and other dirt that filters down thru the carpet will eventually fill up those grooves and the spilled drinks, especially if you have little ones, or the standard sloppy older ones, will casue the residue to solidify into a relatively smooth mass and automatically glue down the carpet.

3. 
   Guest_ | Apr 04, 2000 06:14pm | #7

   *Leon, speaking as a homeowner who recently had to deal with the problems associated with someone laying carpet over beautiful hardwood, I have to urge you not to do this, and to reconsider area rugs. The man who we hired to refinish the floors had a hell of a time filling all the holes and sanding away 60 years of built up grit and sand. Not to mention ME who felt much like a pincushion after ripping all the carpet out and ripping up the tack strips. Trust me when I tell you that I cursed the previous owners to Hades and back. Isn't there another way, Leon? Come on, no one HAS to do anything!

2. 
   Leon_ | Apr 04, 2000 08:12pm | #8

   *
   I appreciate the concern for "preserving the beautiful hardwood floor". However, the existing floor is far from beautiful; there are many missing sections, and the grooves are impossible to keep clean. They are also extremely unpleasant to walk on in bare feet (I suppose you can tell me "don't walk in bare feet"). I thought about having this floor sanded down to eliminate the grooves (it's 3/4" oak, so there'd still be almost 7/8" left), but at closer inspection I noticed that the grooves hide the fact that boards aren't very tightly butted together. If the grooves were eliminated, the gaps would become painfully obvious. Thanks for the help anyway.

3. 
   Guest_ | Apr 04, 2000 08:27pm | #9

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   Leon, you've obviously thought this through. Please pardon my sarcastic remarks. Like others here, I've experienced the problems of restoring wood floors where wall-to-wall carpet had been put down, and like many here, want to preserve wood floors whenever they're worth saving.

   Best of luck to you, Steve

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 04, 2000 08:33pm | #10

   *Ditto what Steve said. Just having gone through the restoration of an old floor I didn't want to see anyone else have to do it, too. If the floor is really beyond help, then a good quality carpet is obviously needed. It's still sad, though, that the person before you didn't take better care of it...

4. 
   Kwan_Choi | Apr 05, 2000 08:49am | #11

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   I know that this may be worse blasphamy, but if saving the wood floor for the next generation is in your mind, how about a floating floor? One thing, I heard that walking on the "formica" faced flooring does not feel like the wood.

5. 
   Leon_ | Apr 05, 2000 08:49am | #12

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   I'm planning to put carpeting over an existing hardwood floor (I know, I know: sacrilege; but I need the carpet). Anyway, the existing hardwood is made up of chamfered 2" and 3" boards. The resulting grooves between adjacent boards are about 1/4" wide and 1/8" deep. What kind (if any) special steps should I take to prevent excessive wear or telegraphing in the carpet due to these grooves? Is a regular pad adequate? Some kind of heavy duty rubberized pad? Or do I need to install a thin underlayment? Thanks in advance.