... than down in my basement, with a 4” razor scraper, removing GOK what adhesive from the concrete floor in preparation for Thursday, when the installer comes to put new linoleum down.
When I bought my condo, a full bath was already built in the basement, but it had cheap shag carpet, a toilet a raccoon wouldn’t wash his food in, an old partially-rotting cabinet, and a $5 faucet. I pulled up the toilet to find that the flange had snapped off long ago and water had leaked for who knows how long. I then tried taking up the carpet to find it had been glued to the padding, which was glued to the concrete floor. The cabinet/faucet came out in about two minutes, and I only had to remove one screw.
So now I scrape and scrape and scrape…
You know, I’d much rather be sanding.
-- Ethan, http://thekiltedwoodworker.com
4 comments so far
scottb
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3648 posts in 2523 days
#1 posted 2330 days ago
Not fun.
We have a few layers of linoleum down in the kitchen, under a hardwood tile floor that has seen better days (it was well worn, yet less than 2 years old when we moved in. Dogs.) So many magazines show us how to put a floor over an existing floor, but with 7 foot ceilings I need every inch I can get, so some day its coming off. Not looking forward to all the scraping.
I’m going to put it off as long as possible… but I suppose I can’t wait until I’m too old, but then I could hire one of the neighbors kids for some character building.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Van Gogh -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
Don
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2592 posts in 2373 days
#2 posted 2329 days ago
Ethan, your blog reminds me of the thought, perhaps nightmare is a better word, I had about the thousands of homes around the western world that have patterned their DIY attempts after those inane shows that feature home renovations done is 60 minutes. The common raw materials are MDF, staples, glue, and paint. The humble but joint is the only joinery ever used. And before your very eyes the reno unfolds. At the end of the show, the so called ‘reveal’ is done to tears of joy and “oh, my god! The client (victim) is usually dumbfounded and before anything falls apart the show is over. That would be OK if the only victim was the party featured on the show, but I suspect there are actually thousands of victims who believing that home reno’s are as easy as depicted rush out an purchase their supplies at the local big box depot and perpetrate their crimes in the privacy of their own homes.
Yes, nightmare was the right word.
-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.hillsbiblechurch.org/
MsDebbieP
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18328 posts in 2356 days
#3 posted 2329 days ago
you’d think that we’d learn—after so many curses have flown thru the air regarding removing such headaches, you’d think that we wouldn’t repeat the horror, but we do. Here we are in 2007 and things are still being glued to floors (and walls)... why, why, why??
Don, I’ve watched those shows, and I remember one carpenter they had that refused to do the quick fix. He was a cabinet maker by trade and a true craftsman. His work was beautiful—and they still got done on time! Not sure if his commitment to quality rubbed off on the others though.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Ethan Sincox
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765 posts in 2370 days
#4 posted 2329 days ago
Don,
Having been looking for a new old house to move to for the past six months, my wife and I have been knee-deep in poor DIY renovations. I’ll work my experiences into a blog entry for today, maybe…
-- Ethan, http://thekiltedwoodworker.com
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