Ask Mason tagged 'floors'

Floored by Squeaks and Groans, Oh, My!

Mason — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 01:00:00 -1800

Question for Mason : I don't know if it's the change in the temperature or what, but the former minor squeaks in my hardwood floor -- especially in the white pine in the kitchen -- are out of control. Is this something that your handyman folks can make go away?

I confess that I've tried fixing it myself. I read that you could rub graphite powder in the floor joints to fix. Can't tell you how %#@@ed-off my wife is about this now that there's black fill in the light f [...]

Recycling Cedar for Flooring

Mason — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:00:00 -1800

We are buying a 1922 stick built home. In the back two bedrooms the walls are tongue and groove cedar planks. My question is if we can remove the planks and reuse them as flooring else where in the house??
Thank you
Catie

Catie,

I certainly encourage all forms of recycling. We should strive to make the most of our limited resources, and avoid waste wherever we can.

Generally, the most common forms of cedar, such as Eastern Red [...]

Kitchen Flooring - Stick a Cork in It!

Mason — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 -1800

Mason,

Would you recommend cork flooring for a kitchen?

Brenda G. Dallas, TX

Dang, Brenda, I didn’t know our blog went all the way to the Lone Star State! Welcome, and know that I love your question!

There are SO many choices for flooring these days. Kitchens, obviously, have some very special needs in terms of durability, maintenance, clean-up, comfort, and of course, STYLE! The “best” floor for your kitchen should be based on which of these consider [...]

Patch to Match, This Way or That

Mason — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 -1800

How do you repair hardwood floors after taking out walls? I want to take out a wall to open up my living space, but I don't want to redo or replace the existing flooring--it's not rare and important, but it is over 50 years old and in good shape. Can you patch the floor and make it look okay? The flooring runs perpendicular to the wall I want take out.

Amy O. Richmond, VA

Amy,

I am reminded of a bit from The Honeymooners (I'm not that old, but we did have r [...]

Hard Time with Hardwood Floors

Mason — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -1800

Mason:

Our hardwood flooring was buckled in several areas, so we hired a flooring guy to sand and refinish all of it throughout our first floor. Two months later, those same areas have buckled again! What happened, and what do we do now?

Elsie M., Gum Springs

Dear Elsie:

There are several possibilities for this, but (without examining the before and after conditions), I can give you the “90% probability” response…

When the [...]