Federated Handy People

As a customer, never settle for easy choices you don’t love; you have to live with your choices, not the contractor.

As the first bathroom rebuild ever-in-life for this client, the flooring was no easy choice. So many Pros & Cons to worry about! Price, durability, look & feel, finish, size, maintenance, and more all make this a difficult choice. I guided them on the implications of the options at hand. We browsed around the two Big-Box-type chain stores to get up close and personal with materials and to learn about methods of installation. After hours of thinking and looking, the decision was to not decide. That was a good decision in hindsight.

At a later date, they found an item that was not on the Big-Box menu of options (not even on their web pages). When the tiles finally arrived, I was quite impressed. I learned something new about composite vinyl tiles! These were semi-rigid and only partly made out of vinyl. They had a specialty top coating surface employing glass beads which give some non-slip surface properties, a shimmering glow, and a tough scratch-resistant surface. They were warm to the touch and nice to work with.

Part One: Prepare The Area

This is the hard part that people don’t notice … unless it’s done wrong. Use the buttons at the bottom of the photo browser to see the stages of change.

Let's Make It Flat

One of the typical problems with an older floor is it's no longer flat, even if it was in the first place. The earth settles below structures and moves things. Irregularities in the lumber cause shape changes over time. Plumbing leaks soften the wood and allow it to bend under load and stay bent. A bag of self-levelling mix is usually just right for a room this size.

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Part Two: Let The Client Get What They Want

The nature of the patterns was important to this customer and definitely wasn’t to me. I was glad to let them tell me what to do at this point.

Part Three: Assemble The New Parts

Here’s where the room often reveals its minor flaws. It’s good if your contractor is neurotic at this point; it shows experience. Use the buttons at the bottom of the photo browser to see the stages of change.

Trim Trouble

Moving on to the non-wood trim alternatives. These customer-selected trim boards require being glued into place. Like most walls, imperfections in their flatness get revealed when the trim goes up. I was prepared to fight with the materials till the glue dried.

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