-
Matt H Blueprint request
Hi Joe, I registered last week for the plank bootcamp + support bundle after watching many of your videos. I’m excited for this process and appreciate your offering this service. We are close to deciding on our flooring. We’ve looked at many various LVP, laminate, and engineered wood products. The top contenders are Mohawk Ultra Wood and Rev Wood (mostly driven by color, grain, appearance). These both use an HDF core, but one has a real wood veneer and the other a photo laminate surface. The Ultra Wood is a 7 X 81 dimension and the Rev Wood is a 7.5 X 47 dimension. I’ve attached a floorplan and will also follow up with a link to a video walkthrough of the floors. I plan to do the entire first floor, the stairway, and the upstairs hallway. Some questions for you that would help with our material choice…
– What are your thoughts on installing directly over the tile with an HDF plank product? The existing tile is in good shape (not cracked or loose) and generally flat/level with thin grout lines. I would need to raise the subfloor height in the living room if I go this route and raise cabinet height (we are installing new cabinets) to match the new floor height in the kitchen if I go this route. The other option is to have the tile removed by a local company. That’s an added expense, but there would also be time/cost in raising the living room floor and cabinet height in the kitchen. I would appreciate your thoughts on going over the top of the tile vs. tile removal?
– We really want to avoid transitions… There are a number of doors on the first floor. Is this possible given my floorplan and product choice?
– Other thoughts you may have as we consider our flooring choice?
BTW – I consider myself to be an advanced level DIY’er. I’ve got a full array of tools and have done many projects including cabinet installation, baseboards, paint, plumbing, electrical, tile, etc. I’m meticulous and willing to take my time, go slow, and learn. Thanks so much. I will post a link to a video shortly.
-
9 Replies
-
Here is a link to a video where I walk through the house showing the floors. Please let me know if you prefer photos or if there is other detail that would be helpful. Thanks.
-
Additional details. This is a slab on grade house. So if I remove the tile on the first floor, it will be a concrete subfloor. The tile removal company grinds the concrete to a smooth finish, but I would expect to have to do some patching, apply crack membrane in several locations and potentially do some minor leveling where I know that there is some slope in the slab. The advantage I see to tile removal is not having to deal with raising the slab height in the currently carpeted living room and not having to bring the cabinets up about 3/4″ inch total to account for the existing tile plus the new plank height. My gut tells me that taking the tile out is the right decision, but I would appreciate your thoughts on this decision. Thanks.
-
-
Thank you Joe. I appreciate the quick follow up. You’ve given me some good info to consider in terms of going over the top of the tile and considerations on the stairs. I’ll do some research on hardwood tread options. That would test my finish carpentry skills, but I would love the challenge. To answer a couple of questions from your video response.
– I will be removing baseboards and painting so will be able to adjust to the new floor height
– The person who did the tile did not undercut the door frames so there is still material there if I end up with a lower floor; I’ll just be left with a messy grout line to cleanup if the floor ends up lower
– I am replacing the cabinets completely with standard height base cabinets so shimming them up to the new floor height is definitely an option
– The height of the current tile and thinset is 1/2″; if I use the Mohawk product over the top, that would add another 1/2″ of total floor height on top of the tile
– I live in Arizona so humidity is rarely a problem; the AC is running full tilt during July and August and those are realistically the only months where we get some humidity…
One more question for you… Considering the stairs, is there a brand or product where the stair nosing is a better option in your opinion? We did look at Flooret Silvan (and loved it), but backed away due to total cost. If we saved on the tile demo, spending more on the planks is back on the table.
I will follow back up once we’ve made the final decision on the material. Again, thank you so much. I appreciate and value your expertise on this big decision.😀
-
-
Hi Joe,
See video for a couple updates and questions. https://youtu.be/mDVYfMIOzbE
Key points in video
– I’ve decided to put the planks over the tile. I’m concerned that removing the tile in the rest of the house will leave me an even bigger concrete prep job.
– Living room slab will need some work to flatten, i.e., grinding, filling
– Living room slab is out of level by about ½” to 5/8” (high on dining room side, low on pony wall side)
– I didn’t mention in the video, but I have decided to tackle the stairs as a separate project likely using hardwood treads as you recommended
Summary of questions
a) Your thoughts on my hiring a concrete grinding company for living room slab?
b) Recommendations for products to fill low spots in slab?
c) Recommendations for board product to raise height of living room slab, i.e., OSB + vapor barrier, concrete board, foam board, other?
d) Recommendations on mechanically fastening boards to slab – Tapcon, powder actuated nails?
Thank you,
Matt
-
Perfect Joe. I was leaning toward the Tapcon route. I’ve got an SDS hammer drill so I’m hoping it won’t be too bad.
I’ve seen others ask a similar question. For my tile to dura rock board transition, would you recommend Ardex Feather Finish or Nxt Level Plus for fine tuning the final height between the two surfaces? Thanks.
-
Sorry, I missed that answer. I would use Ardex in that situation.
Log in to reply.