calpoly-z Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Wanted to get a couple opinions on good DIY home remodeling/repair forums. I'm about to buy my first house and I'm really looking forward to the "ultimate" project. The house is in great shape but is in desperate need of some updating. My main concern is the flooring. The master bath has carpet in it now which has got to go, and I want to pull the carpet in the master bedroom and den and replace that with either a good quality laminate wood floor or engineered wood. I don't have a ton of experience with this type of thing, but I learn quickly and have no real fear of tackling tough projects. Plus any excuse to buy some new tools is a good one, right? Let me know what you think and if any of y'all have come across any good resources for learning and asking questions as I go. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z2go Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 DIY network has a lot of really good tutorial videos on what to expect in a lot of projects. They list all the tools needed, as well as some idea of technique and procedure. It should get you going in the right direction. Lowes and Home Depot also have a lot of good video tutorials of the same nature. And don't forget Youtube! My master bath also had carpet, which was one of the projects I tackled (installing tile), as well as landscaping my whole backyard, including a paver stone patio and rock retaining wall. Tons of great info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emoximuu Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Your local Home Depot prolly does monthly, if not weekly seminars on basic home repairs and what not. I went to a couple to see if they had anything for me that I hadn't already known. They were great for my wife (made her a safety brat), not so much for me, but a great free hands on experiance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zcarnut Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Some of my favorites: http://www.familyhandyman.com/ http://www.askthebuilder.com/ http://www.diychatroom.com/index.php http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/forums/ http://www.doityourself.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calpoly-z Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 Thanks guys. Some great recommendations. Looks like I have a lot of reading ahead of me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proxlamus© Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Home Depot does weekend events and clinics. Tile, paint, framing, windows and doors, gardening, etc. check out your local home depot or go to homedepot.com and look at times and sign up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 I put bamboo flooring in one of my shipping containers to use as an office. Made finished insulated walls, etc... But in the house...screw that, pay the guys to come do it while you're away and be done with it. I find the hassle of making everybody happy with a renovation tiring. Me? I like my bamboo is 45 degrees to the wall because that's the way I wanted it! Same for the false wall in back, and running conduit for the wiring instead of Romex. Hell my CONEX box is nicer than the study in the house was when I worked from home. I think this qualifies as a true "Man Cave"... Face it, you can do what you want, but you'll only have a say in the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy 77zt Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 i do my own demo work -removing old stuff.then call in a pro with a contractors license to intall the new stuff.if you strip the old stuff out and set up the project so the work is like doing new construction you can get a big price break Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72 SBC 240Z Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 If your biggest task is going to be laying down the laminate wood flooring then consider yourself lucky. It's real easy to lay down, just pull up your quarter round or whatever kind of base molding you have, after you have pulled up your old floor and get to cutting and laying down the new stuff. Just make sure you do a decent job of laying down the foam pad that goes under the laminate flooring, otherwise you'll be hearing dirt and dust and everything else crunching under your feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I did most of the floors in our livingroom---reinforced appropriately and insulated. No creaking at 365# on it at midnight thankyouverymuch. When it was time for the covering though: called the carpet guys, called the laminate flooring guys. They did in a DAY what would have taken me months of weekends to finish. Now, the Man Cave... I'm telling ya, concentrate on the garage, it's all you will have left! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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