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 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'm planning on purchasing and installing laminate flooring myself in my girls room. But I'm unsure as to what materials I will need to install the flooring. Other than the flooring itself, what materials will I need to purchase to install a laminate flooring over a concrete foundation on the first floor. Is it fairly easy, or would paying someone to do it be a much better choice? Hint: I'm trying to keep the budget for the flooring to $200 for a 160 sq. ft. room. Thanks!

A. PLus the under layment, which you ll need 2 100 s/f rolls you should get the installation kit , About 20$ This comes with a tapping block spacers and a pull bar. You also need basic power tools such as chop saw and a table saw. Everything can be done on the table saw , its just easier to have a chop saw. A skil saw and or a jig saw can also be used. You ll need a hand saw to under cut the trim and of course a hammer.And a basic utility knife for cutting the under layment. If your half way handy you can do this yourself. It isn t hard. Saving 300$ (+-) in the process. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar . I ve attended several installation seminars as well as installed a few 100,000 s/f. GL

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Q. Im getting new flooring in my room and the walls are yellow. What color of carpet would look best in it or would hard wood flooring look best and if so what type? And its a small room if that has anything to do with it i was thinging of bamboo flooring, would that look good to if i picked that

A. Bamboo flooring is not only a beautiful choice, available in many stain colours (light to dark), IT is also an environmentally friendly and sustainable product. Great Choice. -stain colour : light

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Q. I live in a tri-level home. The upstairs has hardwood floors in all but the bathroom and it has ceramic tile. The main floor will soon be remodeled so its not an issue at this point. The bottom level has a bathroom, pantry and bedroom. We have gutted the bathroom and are trying to decide what type of floor to put down. Its a concrete floor as of now. What kind of floor would be best and should i do the ENTIRE lower level the same flooring? Im thinking resale value.

A. Any moisture at all in that lower level, I d do that whole area in ceramic..And if the house is a few years old, and you have no vapor barriers , again I d do ceramic. Using area rugs as needed. Any moisture issues at all or no vapor barrier I wouldn t do any carpet or vinyl since it can ruin carpet and the hydro static pressure can blow off any vinyl glued down. If this level comes off a garage again I d do ceramic.. If you have a vapor barrier and have no moisture troubles a glue direct engineered hard wood looks great and ceramic in the bath unless its a 1/2 bath then you can let it flow right in there but thats your choice. Any other flooring questions you can e mail me thru my avatar GL

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Q. I read about the electrically heated strips that can be installed on the concrete floor. What types of flooring can be used with this type of heating?

A. Most hardwoods are suitable, ceramic tile, carpet, and some laminates. its always a good idea to check with experts.

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Q. This is in the bathroom. Right now we are down to the bare wood planks. What should we use as a sub floor before installing the vinyl flooring?

A. Most commonly called luan, ( 1/4" smooth on one side ply) Screws, ring shanked nails or you can rent a special stapler to put it down with. Use a special joint compound on the seams and any small imperfections in the wood. Dries an matter of minutes , 1/2 hr at the most. Most commonly used for this is called Ardex, but there are others on the market. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar..GL

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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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