Hi, we have a lot of issues that we are contemplating regarding flooring and I was hoping y'all could weigh in and help. We have an L-shaped living room/dining room combo and small hallway that had vinyl tile, which we removed and some linoleum that we have not yet removed. The vinyl tiles left some thin black glue marks that we havent cleaned up and the subfloor is concrete slab. Over the living room/hallway there is old ratty carpet which we cut into 4' wide strips to pull up the tiles and then layed the carpet back down.
What we'd like to do is minimize the amount of additional floor prep and do the floor one 4' strip at a time to minimize the impact on our daily life and wallet. Wed like to start with slate tiles at entry ways and around the hearth, then lay laminate down in steps (4' at a time). My understanding of the tile is that it must be glued directly to the floor so the floor must be clean of glue and dry in those areas. My understanding of the laminate is that the floor must be flat, but not necessarily level, and that since there is a moisture barrier and a foam layer, the subfloor doesnt have to have the glue removed.
Not sure what I've left out but thats the gist of it. Id like to know if the slate/laminate is possible to do piecemeal and if there might be better suggestions (My wife is considering doing the whole floor in toothpicks). How much floor prep is really necessary considering we dont like working with the old stuff (we probably already have lung cancer from ripping up the tiles). We dont have much discretionary cash to spend on hiring someone or buying it all at once. Wed like one step up from linoleum but tough and cheap to survice the kids and dog and constant mess.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions/help.
joe
What we'd like to do is minimize the amount of additional floor prep and do the floor one 4' strip at a time to minimize the impact on our daily life and wallet. Wed like to start with slate tiles at entry ways and around the hearth, then lay laminate down in steps (4' at a time). My understanding of the tile is that it must be glued directly to the floor so the floor must be clean of glue and dry in those areas. My understanding of the laminate is that the floor must be flat, but not necessarily level, and that since there is a moisture barrier and a foam layer, the subfloor doesnt have to have the glue removed.
Not sure what I've left out but thats the gist of it. Id like to know if the slate/laminate is possible to do piecemeal and if there might be better suggestions (My wife is considering doing the whole floor in toothpicks). How much floor prep is really necessary considering we dont like working with the old stuff (we probably already have lung cancer from ripping up the tiles). We dont have much discretionary cash to spend on hiring someone or buying it all at once. Wed like one step up from linoleum but tough and cheap to survice the kids and dog and constant mess.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions/help.
joe