On Sun, 27 Feb 2005 22:56:32 +0000, Mary Fisher wrote:
"Mark" wrote in message
...
Mary Fisher typed:
That's the best way and what we did but there are still some who
thinks it look OK with an edging attached to the skirting. I think it
looks a dog but what do I know?
Recently I noticed that this (with the edging) is the way it was done
at the West Yorkshire Playhouse restaurant/community area.
It looks cheap.
It does, and with everything there is a But.........
If you are putting this spit flooring down In a nice older house the
skirting boards aren't going to come off without a fight,
Tell me about it ...
and you stand a
good chance of splitting them into much smaller bits.
We managed it.
You now have to find replacement 8ins mouldings to match your possibly
hand
made originals, Very expensive.
You could make your own - a scratchstock would do it. Spouse has made
mouldings to match others like that.
Then accident time, very common with the cheep stuff.
I don't think ours was all that cheap although we did get a discount. There
were no accidents.
Oh ive got a few spare boards left in the loft,
oh I have to take the skirting off (and most of the wall decoration and
plaster with it) again to replace one board.
Yes, replacing plaster which came off with skirtings was a fag. They were
nailed on into huge wood plugs. They're not now!
Next week laminate flooring is now considered tasteless junk
(should have been last month)
Oh I now have a nice big gaps under all my door posts.
We don't, Spouse was more pernickity about that than he usually is. With me
standing over him.
It also meant that the ancient round pin (both two and three pin) sockets
were removed and their terrifying wiring. The opportunity was taken to
instal new ones. The sixty years of filth from behind the skirtings was
unbelievable.
The horrid carpets have gone and it's so easy to keep clean. I love it. But
I'm not fashion conscious! I couldn't give a damn about what's in and out or
what you or anyone else considers to be bad taste. I probably wouldn't like
what you have in your house but it's not important.
Couldn't agree more. Talking of objectionable fashions, what is it with
carpets everywhere these days? The *last* place carpet belongs is in the
hall, bathroom and toilet (yuk). Especially with a little 'un. Yet
everywhere I've been that's a post 70's build has it, sadly including our
rented house. Takes me a full day with a Rug Doctor to get everything back
to vaguely decent, lasts a month and it's back to yukville.
We love the laminate we put in our previous flat. Took minutes to clean,
spills wiped off and it looked bright and airy. Really cut down on the
dusting too. We did use a decent make (Pergo). I suppose the same could
all be said of parquet or other wood finishes, only we couldn't afford
them.
The only thing I would criticise it for if it's damn slippery with bare
wet feet from the bathroom (the bathroom and kitchen we did in vinyl).
We'd already sanded and polyurethaned the dining room floor and it took such
a long time to do a fine job, it caused a huge amount of mess all round the
house (that dust gets everywhere) and to get that superb finish with top
class varnish was expensive. We thought that laminate would be cheaper and
quicker and less mess. It wasn't any of those things but I'm not sorry that
we did it.
Just out of interest, what make of varnish would you recommend, Mary, and
how did you apply it (thinned first coat, or any other tips)?
I've got some rotten broken chipboard to replace in my Dad's house, and
having noticed that new pine floorboards are coming in at a similar price
to decent old hardwood boards from the salvage yard, I'm intending to
relay with old boards and do exactly as you did. The mess isn't a problem
as I'll be making a right mess in several different ways at the same time ;-
Thanks
Tim