(Part 2) Best flooring & tiling accessories according to redditors
We found 130 Reddit comments discussing the best flooring & tiling accessories. We ranked the 56 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
https://www.amazon.com/Leveling-System-Tiles-Leveler-Spacers/dp/B07FYFJ215/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1537272493&sr=8-3&keywords=tile%2Bspacer&th=1
It's probably not that big a deal. Get a board, sand it like you sanded your floor, put on the sealer you used and apply the stain and finish you want. In other words, reproduce what you've done on something you can throw away. Or use the floor in a closet, if you're that lucky. Before you think about sanding, contact the manufacturer of the finishing products you plan to use. Some things to consider:
Changing solvents (in this case water to something like mineral spirits) sometimes matters and sometimes doesn't. In this case, it probably doesn't matter very much, but it would be good to test it in limited area before you comit to the whole floor. If you're switching solvents, it's generally important to let it dry completely. Wood will always have some moisture. If you leave it for a day and have good ventilation in your house, it should be as dry as it's going to get, but you can test it by taping a piece of clear plastic down and leaving it overnight. If there's condensation, it's still drying. A moisture meter is more reliable, but really, if it feels damp or surprisingly cool to the touch, it's still too wet, and if it feels the same temp as everything else, it's probably dry enough.
It's very hard to prevent uneven absorption of stain around knots. How you apply the stain matters. I made a dining room table out of pine and did a lot of stain testing beforehand. Using a wood conditioner or shellac (which can also be used as a wood conditioner) mostly just made the stain lighter, and didn't substantially prevent uneven staining. The problem was wiping the stain. Any grain that was slightly more open, like around knots, collected a lot more stain as I moved the stain over the surface. Spraying with an HVLP gun made a huge difference, since all of the parts got the same amount, regardless of the grain. I used a TransTint dye stain diluted with alcohol, but there are alternatives. You could put TransTint on your floor, but if you were going to spray you'd have to mask off the lower few feet of your walls even with an HVLP gun. TransTint dyes are extremely concentrated, kind of like pen ink, so you can tint without significantly diluting finishes.
One option is to seal the wood so it doesn't absorb any stain, and then use a toning approach like is used in mass-produced furniture. Basically, you can tint the finish itself, and then as you add layers, it gets darker. It's not splotchy, because the floor is already sealed. The downside is you lose some clarity, since you are looking at the wood through a tinted film (polyurethane or whatever).
I'm not sure what brand you're using, but I'm not a fan of the Home Depot and Lowe's finishing products. I've been repeatedly disappointed by Minwax stains in particular. Their floor finishes are okay, but you can do better. Something like Bona.
My opinions are based on this book and experience, some with refinishing floors, more with woodworking.
I have had good luck removing that adhesive with this:
https://www.amazon.com/500MR-Mastic-Remover-Concrete-Gallon/dp/B00U2RCK2C
Says it's for concrete, but it works on wood, as well.
I got chu bro.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DP2C68E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_oFsByb4DNEHN6
Walnut takes stain well, provided this is bare wood. If not then the existing finish needs to be removed first.
I am partial to Saman water based wipe on stains. Easy to work with, dry fast, allowing complete finishing job to be done in one day if water based poly is used as a top coat.
They make wax crayon thingies specifically intended for marking pigs/ other livestock.
https://www.amazon.com/Laco-Markal-Livest-Marker-ASSTD/dp/B00CAO9PHI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472853483&sr=8-2&keywords=livestock+marker
Just a heads up, type a persons name like u/cursedsun or u/djinnisequoia in a post if you want them to be tagged in it, or ensure you're hitting a reply to one of their comments.
Home depot apparently doesn't stock epoxy grout (may have it in store but the website doesn't list it). Lowes does.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/MAPEI-Kerapoxy-CQ-1-Gallon-Charcoal-Sanded-Epoxy-Grout/1000128021 - I've used Mapei's kerapoxy in the past and it's good stuff.
https://www.amazon.com/Laticrete-SpectraLOCK-Premium-Mini-Parts/dp/B00FAU3YH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525066258&sr=8-1&keywords=kerapoxy - offering from Laticrete, just a forewarning though I seem to recall a thread on the john bridges forums (tile specialist forums, basically) where tilers were having issues off and on with this product. Can't remember exact details though to be honest.
Alternative option, find a tile supply specialist store in your area (a lot of tiling specific vendors will have a range of products, but big flooring firms/companies that have a "tile section" may not, or their products may not be suitable, and I definitely would be hesitant to tell you to listen to any advice from a place where they don't specialize in tiles). Go in and ask them about epoxy grout offerings, and they may have some other useful advice for you too.
https://www.amazon.com/Roberts-70-010-XL-Serenity-Polyethylene-Underlayment/dp/B00SJZJV08/ref=sr_1_15?crid=3BV6UAOL9XRJN&keywords=underlayment+for+laminate+flooring&qid=1568227389&s=gateway&sprefix=underlayment%2Caps%2C161&sr=8-15
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I think it was this stuff
get a hand grout removal tool. pre made grout in many colors comes in quart containers. the new grout must be pressed down well into place, so get a tool for that. the grout then must dry. before you use a grout sealer, there is this beautiful product to consider. https://www.amazon.com/Polyblend-Bright-White-Grout-Colorant/dp/B00FQ5BIRI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1474082789&sr=8-3&keywords=grout+stain+color
Have you tried one of those bumper sticker removal wheels you chuck in a drill?
https://www.amazon.com/DocaDisc-Decal-Removal-Eraser-Wheel/dp/B074N7GDS6
They are supposedly meant to remove 'em off of cars and paint without damage, at least that's what I've heard!
Amazon:
1 Quart / 950ml 85% Food Grade Phosphoric Acid Rust Remover Clean Etch Metal
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B06Y1B82TG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_P25TCbMY8JCKG
Generally, you get the flat spacers. You want something like this
Yeah they're reusable. Put the spacers up against the wall, put in a few boards. Once you've gone far enough that they don't shift, pull the spacers, and use them for the next sections.
Your rug may be too far gone for this but I put this product in my new rug and have never had issues with corner curls.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PBQ7EA2/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_OoUtDbZ5B99SP
My home gym is in a room in my basement that's about 19ft x 13 ft x 9ft high. It was originally carpeted, but I put in a rubber gym flooring (on top of cement) about 6 months ago. I like the look and stability, but it's made the room really echo-y, which is noticeable when I have the tv on in the background when I'm on the treadmill.
Has anyone run into this problem, and if so, did you manage to fix it? I'm thinking of putting this underlayment down under the rubber flooring, but I'm wondering if it will do much good under the rubber.
Yes, I should be able to do it as a floating floor. I was hoping to. Here's a pic of where the floor meets my kitchen. Here's another from my front door to the wall. There is no difference in height. In the second picture... where the back of the couch lays is where the crawlspace begins... give or take a foot.
Is there any specific brand of underlayment that is better than another? they all seem to be about the same. The one that I was contemplating ordering was Robert's Blackjack.
I'm not sure if you know that we have a grey PVC shower pan liner that goes completely around the interior bathroom wall except for the section between the door frame.
The following week includes many examples of a gray PVC shower pan liner:
https://www.google.com/search?q=grey+PVC+shower+pan+liner&safe=active&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj6xv_ho_LTAhWHsFQKHWUqBKAQ_AUICygC&biw=1093&bih=498
Imagine if one of those gray PVC shower pan liner were properly installed except it had been cut between the door frame.
Therefore— except where the door frame meets the bathroom floor—it seems like it might be unnecessary to waterproof the area at the base of the interior walls because although the mortar is porous directly behind it the gray PVC shower pan liner is not.
Are you familiar with the following products?
Redguard
https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=redgard
Laticrete
https://smile.amazon.com/Laticrete-Hydro-Barrier-1-Gallon/dp/B00BFIWEH8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1494864099&sr=8-2&keywords=laticrete
I wonder if instead of using the rubber baseboard and sealing it with silicon as you suggested, perhaps it might be better to use one of those two products to waterproof the area where the door frame meets the bathroom floor.
thanks for the help. 12mm seems to be on the larger side of what I can find. do you think a 3.2 mm rubber or 6 mm cork would work? any feel for what you'd prefer out of those, or if there is something that is better than those two options?
Aluminum underlayment on Amazon. It doesn't sound like a gimmick, but the installers should be able to tell you WHY it is better than more standard underlayment.
It actually is a cork roll that we glued to the ceiling, we then added a couple of wood panels to secure it and also fix the lamp.
This is the cork roll that we bought on amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007OSICIS/ref=asc_df_B007OSICIS5449759/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=394997&creativeASIN=B007OSICIS&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167135477708&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15344469423916345880&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9017152&hvtargid=pla-304431635404
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H88SWCM/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_rgWUDbNA6GX4P