- Reaction score
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- Points
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I live in a turn of the century townhouse in the Beach in Toronto. I rent, but the landlord is more than happy to pay for materials (and the odd tool that I slip in) in order to get work done around the house. We have been in th house since 2001, and it looks like we will be here for at least one, if not two more years.
So, I'm trying to curry favour with the wife (build up my Club B points - like Club Z, but the reward is waaay better what with me going away to AStan and all, so I decided to replace the kitchen floor with glueless laminate. Having already stripped two rooms back to their original subflooring, I knew that i was in for a treat...
Even though glueless laminate can be layed directly over existing floors, I decided that I needed to remove one layer of the old linoleum tiles, to reduce the overall height of the floor and ease the transition to the dining room. Big mistake.
The first couple of tiles come up relatively easily - and there are really old tiles underneath. So far so good. It appears however that the guy who layed the tile floor ran out of tile glue, and so he used whatever he had at hand - which happened to be...wait for it...roofing tar Cue frustration - and then the inevitable weekend carpenter injury - hammer meet finger :'(
With a bandage on (one of my two typing fingers - very aggravating) and renewed vigour, I attack the floor. I tried every possible tool, looking for the TMD (tool of mass destruction) that would work, to no avail. The only thing that works is a chisel and hammer. Slow going, and the tar is very sticky. It got so bad that I developed a blister on my palm under my work glove (last time I had a blistered palm I was 15... :-[
Standing up to get the first aid kit, I failed to realise that my shoes were stuck to the tar - and down I went in a heap, aggravating an old elbow injury (bone chip).
So, now I have a crushed finger, a blistered palm, and a bad elbow, and the floor is still not complete. Bits of tar backed linoleum have been showing up all over the house (and my dogs), the wife is pissed at me, I wasted my well earned Club B points, and the floor still ain't done.
So today I will try and finish the tile removal (which as my wife has pointed out, really wasn't necessary). I can't wait to wrestle with the flooring...
Dave
So, I'm trying to curry favour with the wife (build up my Club B points - like Club Z, but the reward is waaay better what with me going away to AStan and all, so I decided to replace the kitchen floor with glueless laminate. Having already stripped two rooms back to their original subflooring, I knew that i was in for a treat...
Even though glueless laminate can be layed directly over existing floors, I decided that I needed to remove one layer of the old linoleum tiles, to reduce the overall height of the floor and ease the transition to the dining room. Big mistake.
The first couple of tiles come up relatively easily - and there are really old tiles underneath. So far so good. It appears however that the guy who layed the tile floor ran out of tile glue, and so he used whatever he had at hand - which happened to be...wait for it...roofing tar Cue frustration - and then the inevitable weekend carpenter injury - hammer meet finger :'(
With a bandage on (one of my two typing fingers - very aggravating) and renewed vigour, I attack the floor. I tried every possible tool, looking for the TMD (tool of mass destruction) that would work, to no avail. The only thing that works is a chisel and hammer. Slow going, and the tar is very sticky. It got so bad that I developed a blister on my palm under my work glove (last time I had a blistered palm I was 15... :-[
Standing up to get the first aid kit, I failed to realise that my shoes were stuck to the tar - and down I went in a heap, aggravating an old elbow injury (bone chip).
So, now I have a crushed finger, a blistered palm, and a bad elbow, and the floor is still not complete. Bits of tar backed linoleum have been showing up all over the house (and my dogs), the wife is pissed at me, I wasted my well earned Club B points, and the floor still ain't done.
So today I will try and finish the tile removal (which as my wife has pointed out, really wasn't necessary). I can't wait to wrestle with the flooring...
Dave