Keeping Furniture From Sliding on HardwoodWe recently had hardwood flooring installed in our house. The first problem that I encountered afterward was that our couch needs to sit away from the wall, but on the hardwood, it always slid backwards.
Painted Brick Pattern on Concrete FloorA house I was in had a painted brick floor. First they painted the gray for the cement used to adhere the "bricks" together. Then used a large sponge and pinkish red paint as the brick form/pattern.
Creating a Hardwood ThresholdWhen installing hardwood flooring, there are a number of ways to meet up with a doorway, tiled entry, or tiled hearth. In many instances you can avoid using a raised transition by using pieces of flooring.
Oil Based Paint for ConcreteOn our concrete floors, we washed it down with a mild soap and mopped with plain water. We let it dry and then painted a coat of oil based paint. Let dry 24 hours and added a second coat.
Replace Office Chair Mat With PlywoodMy plastic chair mat was cracked and broken in several places and after a while, even duct tape didn't work. My husband had a great idea about using quarter inch plywood instead.
Baby Socks to Protect Hardwood FloorsThis is something I haven't thought about since the 1950s when everyone had hardwood floors. We bought a 1955 rancher and DH is refinishing the living room and hall floors. I just remembered some things I used to do to protect my floors when moving furniture.
Control Static Electricity With Spray Fabric SoftenerTo help rid your home of static cling, mix 8 oz. of water with 3 tablespoons of liquid fabric softener in a spray bottle. Spray carpets with the mixture when needed.
Faux Wood FlooringI recently pulled up the carpeting in my kitchen. My home was built in the mid 1800's so I was hoping for some plank wood flooring. Well to my surprise there was old tile, that was glued down using black tar. I was so upset.
Luan Plywood FlooringLuan plywood stained with a natural cedar stain and sealed with polyurethane. Nail down with brad nails. I put another coat of polyurethane on it to seal seams where joined.
Can't Beat the Paw Prints?I have 3 large dogs and was so tired of washing up paw prints I decided to join the dogs. I painted my vinyl flooring in my foyer with primer then a coat of white paint. Then I stenciled on the paw prints with black paint.
Berber Carpet RemnantsI found this berber carpet remnant (13 feet x 17 feet) at our local Habitat Thrift Store. I only paid $30 for it and it was brand new! Most Habitat resale stores will carry home improvement deals left over from housing projects.
Painting Old LinoleumIf you have linoleum that is old and dull you can try to freshen it up by giving it 2 or 3 coats of acrylic paint. After it dries you top it with several coats of polyurethane.
Keeping Floors WarmIf you have hardwood or linoleum floors I suggest keeping some throw rugs down to help keep warmer in the winter.
Cheap Wood Floor for a Family RoomMeasure your room and buy enough chip board to cover your floor. Find a stain that you like to stain the floor. Use liquid nails to secure chip board to floor. After the stain add two coats of polyurethane to the floors letting it dry completely between coats. This floor gives a great earthy feel to a room. The stain will penetrate differently on all parts of the chip board so you will get a great multi-tonal effect.
By Debra in Colorado
