[00:00:00] Intro: It's

[00:00:05] Intro: around the house.

[00:00:06] Eric Goranson: Coming up in this episode, we have so much DIY packed into one show. We're gonna talk about faucets. How do you put one in? How do you go shopping for one toilet repair? How do you fix it? When do you replace it? Maybe some painting tips on what not to do and so much more including flooring.

[00:00:25] Eric Goranson: What do you do for flooring? Can you do it yourself? Do you have to hire it out? This is gonna be that DIY episode that's gonna get you going. For over the holidays and into the new year. Maybe you can't afford to have it done, but you still wanna stay in that house and do something. We're gonna help you walk through it every little step of the way to get you a beautiful looking home.

[00:00:46] Eric Goranson: You don't wanna miss this one. When it comes to remodeling and renovating your home, there is a lot to know the, We've got you covered. This

[00:00:54] Eric Goranson: is

[00:00:55] Eric Goranson: around the house. Welcome to Around the House Show. This is where we. Everything [00:01:00] about your home every single week. Thanks for joining us. We are here to help you through those DIY projects or even find the right person so you can hire it.

[00:01:08] Eric Goranson: Done well, if you wanna find out more about the show, doesn't matter if you're listening on the podcast here or the radio. You can catch us over to around the House online.com, or you can message me with any questions, or you can find us on Facebook, which is around the House Show and our close group over there and around the House Nation.

[00:01:26] Eric Goranson: And of course, you will find us everywhere else on Instagram, Twitter, those kind of places. Well, today I wanted to dive into something a little bit different than what we've been doing with the. And I thought this would be kind of fun and dive into some basic DIY projects to make sure that you're doing 'em correctly.

[00:01:45] Eric Goranson: And if it's the first time for you, this could be really helpful to make sure that you get the right project started correctly. So in this segment here, I wanted to talk about faucets. Maybe it's a bathroom faucet, [00:02:00] maybe it's a kitchen faucet. What are you gonna do to change? You have to get a new one. You gotta repair it.

[00:02:06] Eric Goranson: What? So here's the thing, If you're out shopping for faucets, you're gonna put a new one in. You can get parts, and if it's a, if it's a name brand, one like Delta, Brizo, all the different ones out there, mowing, Price, fist, or fist. Now a lot of those companies have life. Warranties on those faucets. So it usually means you can get parts for 'em.

[00:02:30] Eric Goranson: So before you dive in, if you wanna save some money, you can look and see if you can get a new cartridge or, or seals for those things. And so always do your research if you're just trying to save a buck. Sometimes the faucet's great, you just need some parts for it. So always a good time to repair those if you can.

[00:02:47] Eric Goranson: But if it's something that you don't like, maybe you know it's Chrome and you want to go to Matt Black, or it's, or it's gold and you want to go to Brushed brass, that's when you gotta go in and change out that faucet. [00:03:00] So the first rules I have for faucets is make sure you get it from a reputable source.

[00:03:05] Eric Goranson: I do not like online companies because I tell you. , As I've said before, it's like a coach purse. If you buy that thing online, who knows? They probably didn't even spell coach correctly on it, and you're gonna get something. That's not what it is. There has been for the last decade, a huge problem of online companies selling knockoff stuff and you think, Oh, who cares?

[00:03:27] Eric Goranson: Well, first off, you dunno what went. Pieces of it, cuz if they're knocking that off, they're probably not meeting the safety requirements. So you could have plastics or metals and stuff in there that, that have things that you don't want in your drinking water. That's the first one. Second of all, it could be something that fails prematurely, which could be a flood and that could be its own problem.

[00:03:47] Eric Goranson: And then if it is, maybe you get a good one. The other problem you could have is getting replacement parts down the road. Can't tell you how many people I know in the plumbing retail industry out there, people bring in a moan or a [00:04:00] delta or whatever part in, and it was never something they made. It's a similarity.

[00:04:05] Eric Goranson: You know, it's similar, but it's not the same. So those are things to be very careful with. So to me, personally, I like to go into my local plumbing warehouse store, not into the home center because, uh, many times, not always, but many times the home centers carry a slightly different product that's built a little bit cheaper than you would get from your local store that your plumbers go buy adding.

[00:04:29] Eric Goranson: Even if you're paying retail, you're probably gonna get a higher quality piece there than you do your local home. That's something to consider. You'll probably see more metal, more brass, higher quality parts within that. I've also seen it where they ship out to the home centers, like a B grade thing, where maybe a little finish flaw or something like that, knowing that the people in there aren't gonna matter, but that plumber might have a problem with it.

[00:04:54] Eric Goranson: So something to think about with that. Now, here's the first thing I want you to do. Before you start changing out of faucet, [00:05:00] make sure you know where to turn the water off to the. Maybe it's out at the street where your water meter is. Maybe it's in your basement. Understand where that is in your home, because here's the thing, if you've got like Cpvc or anything else, that's a plastic pipe in there, not the.

[00:05:19] Eric Goranson: Stuff, but I'm talking about the, the cpvc stuff, the yellow PVC pipe. That stuff can be brittle. I have changed out faucets before. Turn the water off, go get another tool, come back, and that whole thing is blown out of the wall. So that stuff can be very brittle. I am not a fan of c cpvc pipe cuz it can fail prematurely in crack and just shatter light glass.

[00:05:43] Eric Goranson: So you wanna be able to know where you can turn that off, because many times you'll go down there and turn the little valves off those angle stop valves down below, and then you'll turn the faucet on and drain the water and they don't always turn off correctly. So this is the time that you'd wanna change those valves out.

[00:05:59] Eric Goranson: So if they're [00:06:00] leaking and you want to swap 'em out, that's a good way to do it. So that's, that's the time you wanna do that. So take a look at it. If they're old, it might just be smart to, to go ahead and do it if you have a hard time turning them. Turn the house water off, take the extra 15 minutes and swap those things out, and that can be a smart way to go.

[00:06:19] Eric Goranson: So get those turned off. Make sure you're good. But take a look at it. If you're doing a kitchen faucet, this can be kind of a pain because kitchen faucets, if you have a deep kitchen sink, that can suck. You might have a 10 inch steep sink, so that means you have this little tiny area you gotta get on your back and work up there and deal with.

[00:06:38] Eric Goranson: And if you're not spry enough to get underneath there and to be able to do stuff, that's where maybe you wanna bring that plumber in to get up in there, cuz it can be tough. My kitchen sink, not so easy. 10 inch apron front sink. Pretty tough to get up in there, especially when they have a false bottom in there in the cabinet.

[00:06:55] Eric Goranson: So something to think about when you're dealing with sinks. Same thing for bathroom [00:07:00] vanities. Make sure that you can get in there. Sometimes it's very hard with a pedestal sink where you almost have to remove that pedestal sink off the wall. To put the faucet in there, to be able to get in there and do that.

[00:07:10] Eric Goranson: And then of course, I always wanna replace those supply lines that are going up to there because those do have a lifespan. And after time, the rubber plastic starts to fail. And you wanna make sure you've got that look and good. So you're good to go on that faucet and then just make sure you follow the directions on the install.

[00:07:28] Eric Goranson: You know, getting it off the sink can be tough. I've seen plenty of plumbers in there with a multi-tool or saws all having to cut something off to get in there just to remove that ugly unmaintained, corroded faucet. So those are all things to think about with that. And then hold onto that receipt when you buy that faucet.

[00:07:49] Eric Goranson: Make sure you got it. Put it. Put it in your folder. So if you do have an issue down the road, it's something to consider. Now, if you've got a lot of hard water buildup, [00:08:00] that is going to be something that's gonna destroy that faucet down the road. So it will reduce the lifespan on it. And many times those warranties, they'll take care of you, but they're not gonna take care of you forever because you've got bad water quality.

[00:08:12] Eric Goranson: So if you see the signs of. It can be something that really can be an issue, and I would work towards getting some kind of filtration system and get a water test done to see what you have in your water so that hard water can get taken care of, because that will start hurting. Faucets, toilets, you know, all that stuff.

[00:08:29] Eric Goranson: Dishwashers, washing machines, hot water heaters. Those are all things that can be very trouble. When you're working with hard water, but just take the time, make sure you use silicone or use whatever gasket they have to seal off to the sink. And, uh, make sure you get that all dialed in there. Make sure I always change out that, uh, popup as well when you're doing a bathroom sink.

[00:08:53] Eric Goranson: It can be a pain sometimes, but it's a good idea to switch that out so it works out well. And then make sure you also realize if you're pulling [00:09:00] permits, that you get the right faucet for the water usage in your area. That can be a battle as well. Sometimes you have cities that have different codes, and so make sure that if you're pulling permits, I've had people.

[00:09:14] Eric Goranson: Get nailed by the final inspection by having the wrong faucet in there, in the gallons per hour of, or gallons per minute of that faucet. So another thing to take care of. And then just be careful. Don't wanna bust that sink up, especially if it's made out of. Ceramic China. Those can break really easy. So don't but tighten it.

[00:09:34] Eric Goranson: All right, we come back. We got so much more on the DIY front. Just as soon as around the house

[00:09:38] Intro: returns. Why in a

[00:09:49] Intro: be loud be so hot?[00:10:00]

[00:10:07] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to the Around The House Show. This is your stop for home improvement every single week. Thanks for joining us. If you're hearing us on the radio for the first time, you can always find us over and around the house online.com. And of course we do have the podcast. If you're listening to there, of course you know cuz you're listening to it.

[00:10:22] Eric Goranson: But that podcast airs, uh, multiple times during the week and you can catch it at your own leisure. Just look for Around the House Show on any major podcast player. Well, today we're talking about some DIY basics and some of my tips and tricks for tackle and projects around the house that you as a homeowner should be able to tackle even with some basic DIY skills.

[00:10:42] Eric Goranson: So, last segment. We talked about faucets. Now I wanted to talk about toilets because this is something, I tell you what, that keeps plumbers really busy. And it's something that many times you can do yourself. Now, there's some rules with toilets that I want you to think about though, and [00:11:00] that way you get the right one and you decide whether you're going to remove it, replace it, or repair it.

[00:11:06] Eric Goranson: So here's the thing. With toilets, if that is over 10 years old, Or even 15 to 20 years old, I usually say don't actually go through the process of repairing it unless you're trying to save money. I mean, things are tight for everybody out there, so don't get me wrong, if you're just trying to save some money, it's always better to throw a repair kit in it than it is to, uh, throw it away if you're trying to keep food on the table, kids in school, that kind of stuff.

[00:11:35] Eric Goranson: Totally. But really long term wise, if you wanna save some money, what I would do is if I've got that older toilet, it's time to put a new one in. Because here's why the new ones, if you go get something decent, and I'm not saying go spend that 120 or $150. Off brand one at the home center. I will try to talk you outta that every single time cuz you do get what you pay for.

[00:11:59] Eric Goranson: But the [00:12:00] problem that you see out there is that old toilets, especially something over 20 years old, when they came out with the 1.6 gallon flush in the nineties, they turned around and said, Hey, instead of having three and a half gallons, we're gonna force the companies to go 1.6 gallons. The problem was the companies didn't have the technology to do that correctly, so toilets were horrible.

[00:12:21] Eric Goranson: There was a black market. For used toilets out there when somebody needed one that they wanted it to flush, right? So it took a number of years, over a decade, to be honest, before we started to see ones that did really well in flushing. And as time goes on, over the last five to 10 years, they've gotten so much better.

[00:12:41] Eric Goranson: It used to be that Toto was the company that made the really good flushing toilet and everybody else, while you might as well buy the plunger that goes. And where this costs you money is if you're paying for water. You can have hundreds to thousands of gallons of extra water use by having to double flush [00:13:00] you flush it once.

[00:13:00] Eric Goranson: Doesn't clear the bowl, and you have to flush it again, so that's why it can save you money. Getting a new toilet now. A new toilet. I want you to go out and get something good. Be honest. I would like you to go in. If you're gonna go to the home center, fine, It might be the only place you have, but if you do, I want you to spend two or 300 bucks and get a good name.

[00:13:21] Eric Goranson: Brand one, an American Standard, a Kohler. My favorite is I've used a lot over the years. That works well, Toto. And you're like, Who's Toto number one manufacturer of toilets in the world? They usually build more of those in American Standard and Kohler combined. Now Kohler and American Standard are making a good toilet.

[00:13:41] Eric Goranson: They have done so much over the last number of years to catch up, so you can do that. Now, the reason why I don't like a lot of the home center models that are the, the ones that are the off brand or their house brand is that they usually use kind of goofy parts. Many times they're not standard. So by the time, [00:14:00] five or six years down the road, it could be hard to get those replacement parts.

[00:14:04] Eric Goranson: So that's something that I want you to be very careful with, cuz if you can't get parts and it's automatically obsolete and it won't take a standard repair part, then that's an issue. So the other thing you can have go wrong with toilets is you have the phantom flush. You know, you're sitting in there and, uh, maybe you're in the bathroom or you're downstairs, or you can just hear it go, whoosh, and it's flushing itself, or it sounds like it's refilling itself.

[00:14:32] Eric Goranson: That's typically a flapper problem. So what it is is that that toilet flapper that's at the bottom there, that lets the water down into the bowl, cuz this is all gravity fed. So when you hit the handle, it lifts up the flapper. The flapper floats for a minute for that to go out. And then when it shuts, when the water's low and then the fill valve lets you fill it back up again.

[00:14:55] Eric Goranson: So you can buy all those new parts at the home center. Now it can be a [00:15:00] battle sometimes. Sometimes if you have to replace. That flapper valve. Sometimes you can put a new flapper in, but sometimes the piece around that plastic is broken too. That's when you gotta start taking the bowl off the tank, and that's where taking those two apart can be tough.

[00:15:17] Eric Goranson: If those brass bolts are corroded, that can be a battle. So at that point, you're buying new bolts, new washers, new fill valve, new whole valve assembly for the flush valve, and you're good to. But at that point I'm starting to think about putting a new toilet in. So something to think about in saving money and uh, with way water is out there, make sure that you're doing it correctly cuz water can cost you a bunch of money right now.

[00:15:45] Eric Goranson: I know it does in my area and we get months of rain, but they still hit us hard on the water problem. So, something to think about. Now as far as rep placing it, you know, pretty easy if you get down there as parts. Turn off the valve to the water, always turn off that water supply. [00:16:00] And like I said earlier, with knowing where your water shutoff is for the sink, always know where that is before you go shut that valve off.

[00:16:09] Eric Goranson: Cuz you could break something. If something breaks, you refund it too much and that valve breaks or it fails. You need to be able to repair that. So it's good to have that water off or at least know where it's gonna be to turn it off. So at the same point, if you're putting a new fill valve or toilet in, make sure you're putting a new hose on there too.

[00:16:26] Eric Goranson: Those hoses only have a lifespan of so many years. They get hard, they get brittle. And I do like the braided ones versus just the white plastic ones, cuz they tend to hold up just a little bit better. Those can be a common failure point and a part that you might need to replace before that causes a new bathroom floor to be needed because the water leaked all.

[00:16:48] Eric Goranson: And then the other thing is you have that wax ring down below that seals the bottom of the toilet to the, um, basically to your plumbing system there. So that. Wax ring gets [00:17:00] replaced when you put a new toilet or take it off and put it back on. Now if you take that toilet off and you go, Oh my gosh, that toilet flinn is all busted up, it's rotten.

[00:17:10] Eric Goranson: What do I do? Well, if it's rotten wood, you need to, of course, replace that, repair it. But they do make kits that you can go over with a new ring. It goes over the top of that old one. So you can actually use that repair ring to go over the top. So you don't have to get the plumber out to do that whole new drain system.

[00:17:28] Eric Goranson: But that is something to think about. If you can't get that in there, get the right wax ring, you might need an extension depending on how it's located in there. And of course, every time put new bolts on that way you've got that good. So really it's pretty easy to go through and do this stuff. It's just, you know, it's a.

[00:17:47] Eric Goranson: It's dirty. No matter how clean you keep it, there's corrosion and it's just things that you should take a look at. But again, if you can do that and put a really nice one in, heck, while you're at a throw a B day in, you just need to make sure you have [00:18:00] power for that bad day's toilet seat in there. But, uh, tell you what, that's a way to never run out a toilet paper ever again if you've got that Bday seat on there.

[00:18:09] Eric Goranson: And again, just like anything else, you get what you pay. There are great Bday toilet seats out there, and there are ones that are a hundred dollars or $200 that are not so good and nobody wants cold water in the wintertime when you just want to be comfortable. All right, we come back. We got so much more.

[00:18:26] Eric Goranson: Just as soon as a round the house returns.[00:19:00]

[00:19:07] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to the Around The House Show. This is our home improvement source for you. Thanks for joining us. Well, I've been talking about DIY tips for you guys today, and I wanted to kind of just dive into the basics into more of a basic 1 0 1, taken on projects kind of thing. So first off here we were talking about faucets and then toilets, and then this segment we're gonna talk about some interior painting.

[00:19:32] Eric Goranson: And this is something that I really want you to take a peek at because so many of us, including me for a long time, had some pretty bad painting habit. And these are things that I really want you to pay attention to, to make sure that you get this done right, cuz this is that difference between getting a job that eh, kind of looks good to something that looks spectacular.

[00:19:53] Eric Goranson: So let's talk about this a little bit now with paint, which is where everybody seems to start, right? You're like, [00:20:00] Okay, I picked out my color, I bow my paint. Let's get after it. Let's talk about that paint. Since it's the, the first thing that gets, it's the pretty part. The people get all hung. Now paint.

[00:20:10] Eric Goranson: Many times when you're painting, if you go buy that $30 $25 gallon of paint, that's the low end paint for that company. I have never seen people save money on that because if you turn around and buy the $50 gallon of paint, that has twice the coverage and it's a better quality paint. So paying a little bit more.

[00:20:38] Eric Goranson: For quality paint makes it last so much better. I just painted a wall in my, uh, living room right behind my wet bar there, and I wanted it to go dark and I had fairly white walls, a little bit of cream to it, but pretty white with a egg shell texture on that wall. Uh, just kind of a spray [00:21:00] text that's on there that came from the, you know, it's been seventies when the house was built so you can get an idea.

[00:21:06] Eric Goranson: One coat I could've probably walked away with just doing one coat on that wall. Now I did two just cuz I wanted to make sure, but 95% of the people looking at that, I could've walked away. From that dark color, and it would've been pretty good. It would've looked like that. I probably needed one more coat, but you wouldn't have really noticed that I could have probably walked away.

[00:21:29] Eric Goranson: So it was almost a one coat paint, and if I'd have really taken the time and really focused on it, I could have made that a one coat paint project. Well, I always like to do two coats anyway, but that is something that really makes a difference. Now if you're in an older house. You know, prior to 1990, you need to be careful with what you have on that wall and what you're working with.

[00:21:58] Eric Goranson: You know, lead [00:22:00] paint has been an issue, but that's basically homes before 78. And that's when you see lead paint out there. So of course, if you're doing any sanding and and prep work on something, maybe you've got some old wood window frames. Yeah. Test it to make sure you know what you're dealing with.

[00:22:16] Eric Goranson: And you could buy those 3M test kits right at the store, your paint store. Almost everyone has it. You could wipe it on there and uh, see if it turns red, you go, Uh oh, I got lead paint and I want you to follow the directions on dealing with lead paint. That way nobody's getting sick. It's pretty simple to.

[00:22:32] Eric Goranson: Simple to do, but I wanted to mention that. Now, here's the thing. Paint in primer, paint in primer in one is not paint and primer. It is a really good paint with some adhesion qualities to it and a little bit better covering. But if you're going over really old paint, I still strongly recommend. Getting a primer on that wall [00:23:00] first.

[00:23:00] Eric Goranson: Now, if you're doing something dark, you can go through and tint the primer. A lot of the, you know, primers can be tinted, so you can go on there and get that on there. That is gonna make such a big difference, especially if you had, you know, something that was maybe glossy or a, or even just something that was an eggshell.

[00:23:19] Eric Goranson: It just makes an adhesion difference to that. Now here's the part that gets missed. So, This is something I want you to really think about. Clean the walls down first, especially if you're in a bathroom. Where you've had smokers, anything like that, I want to get you in there, get those walls scrubbed down, get all the little dust bunnies off.

[00:23:40] Eric Goranson: Sometimes if it's just to, you know, latex paint and there you can just take a, a sanding pad and just go over it and scuff the top finish. If you've got some little bumps and, and dirt and junk from other previous coats of paint, you know, that's the time that you can go through. I go through and look if I've got any runs or anything like that, or a piece of.

[00:23:58] Eric Goranson: Texture. That's weird. I go [00:24:00] through, uh, with a razor blade and clean and touch that up as well. And that makes a huge difference on getting things ready to go. And of course, nice D rag at the end. Wipe it all down. And you're gonna be good to go on getting that done. And then of course, when you're rolling this on, make sure that you've got a really decent roller.

[00:24:21] Eric Goranson: Makes a big differe. All these painting tools will change how you end up doing that job and makes it so much better. I would much rather you go out and buy a brush that will last you a decade than something you're just gonna keep throwing away. Now the rollers, you can buy good rollers and I do buy good rollers, but there is a time where those get worn out and they're good to go as well.

[00:24:43] Eric Goranson: So that's a good time to, uh, make sure you've got those things working well. Good quality paint equipment. Goes a really long way. Now, if you've got people that smoked in there or they used a lot of those, um, air freshener oils, those kind of things, you might have to [00:25:00] wash these walls down with something like TSP or one of the antis smoke to greaser things that they have out there.

[00:25:07] Eric Goranson: Kitchens are bad for this as well. Because these water based paints, you don't want anything that's gonna repel that water. And the tars and the oils are never good for painting. And so you have adhesion problems. So I recommend going through before you paint, especially if it was a smoker, go through and get that cleaned up, and then a good coat of primer or two, and then hit with the paint.

[00:25:34] Eric Goranson: Now, if you're in a bathroom, for instance, And you've got mold there, you need to deal with that. That mold is gonna be a big problem. Do not just paint over the mold. There are some primers and stuff out there that are mold killing primers, but that's not really the way I like to go. It does work. But it's just not my favorite way to go because I think it's just one of those things that, uh, [00:26:00] that you're covering up and the chance of it growing and coming back is good.

[00:26:04] Eric Goranson: Now, I've been told by the experts out there that if you want to paint over mold, you want to use this product called Kalel, C A L I W E L. It's an industrial remedi. Coating basically. So what it is, it is kind of like a lime wash in a way that it goes on there and it really is what kills the mold, but it's an anti antimicrobial, anti mold protection, and so it really is good.

[00:26:35] Eric Goranson: On the inside of drywall like that, wood stud walls, crawl bases, basements, this stuff. Uh, it's a semi-transparent finish, but has no pigments, no VOCs, pretty much odorless, but you can get this stuff. It is really good for odor closing. Odor causing bacteria, mold, mildew, algae, fungi. And so those are things that are really good.

[00:26:56] Eric Goranson: That's my secret. Using the kol, it works really [00:27:00] well cuz it uses that calcium hydroxide, which is naturally occurring. So it works really good and, uh, NOx that stuff really well. Do not ever go and use bleach. It's not a great product to use. It's not healthy for you. But really with any painting job that prep.

[00:27:18] Eric Goranson: Should be 90% of the time, the painting part's easy, the edging, all that stuff. Yeah, that's good. Take your time. But that prep work that you do, especially with bathrooms, I wanna see those bathroom walls get wiped down, let 'em dry up. Take your time. And that's gonna make for a really nice paint job. And then of course, like I said, the better paints, the pigments look better, they'll last longer, they'll do better with sunlight.

[00:27:43] Eric Goranson: And, uh, take a look at bathroom paints. There are paints now that you can use in the bathrooms that have, uh, mold blocking properties to them, so things won't grow on it. But if you've got mold someplace back of a closet, you know, any place like that, you have an issue that you need to deal with. So it is [00:28:00] telling you a warning sign in your home that you've got humidity.

[00:28:03] Eric Goranson: That's way too high. So test your humidity in your home. If you're getting over in the wintertime, if you're getting over 60%, including the summertime, you're gonna have mold problems someplace. It's just gonna be where it is, and that's when you maybe need a dehumidifier or something else to treat that space.

[00:28:20] Eric Goranson: That way you've got a healthier home. And who doesn't want to breathe healthy in their own place? All right. We come back so much more around the house just as soon as we

[00:28:28] Intro: return.

[00:28:47] Intro: You threw my clothes out.[00:29:00]

[00:29:02] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to the Around The House Show. This is where we talk home improvement every week. Thank you for tuning in today. Now we've been talking about DIY projects. Tough, that uh, even the most basic diy you know, everybody starts off being basic diy. It doesn't matter. Some people are way ahead of the game, very advanced.

[00:29:21] Eric Goranson: Some people are just like every one of us that started out, you gotta learn from someplace. So these are some tips here to get you going on projects that maybe you just can't afford to hire out and have somebody do that. You're more than capable of. This segment here, I wanted to talk about flooring because this is one of those things that can be done, but you just have to remember on what you're doing.

[00:29:44] Eric Goranson: Great example, Click lock flooring. So you've got, maybe it's a vinyl luxury tile plank, whatever. It's that, uh, snap together vinyl flooring. And so let's talk about that a little bit. It can be a really great [00:30:00] option. I have it upstairs in my home because I knew that we were gonna be doing an addition one day, so I didn't wanna spend a bunch of money on something that I was gonna have to tear out one day, and it's done really well.

[00:30:11] Eric Goranson: It's been super durable, so I can't complain about it. But here are things that I want you to look for. One, I'll be honest, I have not seen great buys at the home centers or some of these big warehouse stores. They're out there, but I don't like the stuff in there because a lot of the things that you see in those aren't that great of a.

[00:30:35] Eric Goranson: So for me, I'd much rather look at more reliable brands that you can get from your local flooring store. Now there are flooring only stores out there that you can get stuff from that are pretty decent quality. But here are some things I would look for. Now you can get some of this stuff that is, uh, a floating floor that, uh, you know, isn't glued down, but it can basically be.

[00:30:57] Eric Goranson: Something that glues together or snaps together. [00:31:00] The one material I don't like out there is bamboo. I am not a bamboo flooring fan, and when it first came out in the early two thousands, I did a test on it in my house. It just didn't hold up. After a year, I tore it out and put in something different cuz it just wasn't durable enough.

[00:31:18] Eric Goranson: So I was not a fan of that. That's okay. There's a lot of great things out there. The, when you're looking at the luxury vinyl plank, that is a great way to go. There's, uh, stuff out there that is waterproof. There's stuff out there that, uh, has a stone core or a, uh, you know, a, basically it's a fiber core that is not particle board.

[00:31:42] Eric Goranson: It's not presswood, but it's something that's really durable with moisture. So those can be very important. Now, here are some things that I want you to think. When you're taking on these projects, a course get a lot more than what you need. Those pieces, the way you use 'em, you have to have a, the ends have to click [00:32:00] together, so you're gonna need more material than you thought.

[00:32:01] Eric Goranson: So I like to figure out my square footage and get about 20% more. Plus, when it's all said and done, you kind of want to have a box put away anyway for extras. That way, if you have damage, then there's a way to get in there and replace that. If you have. So that's kind of a key right there. And then you gotta think about what's on that floor.

[00:32:20] Eric Goranson: Now, if it's carpet, you gotta tear it up with the pad, get all the staples outta there, get all the tax strips, and then you have to think about your transitions. I don't like a transition going from room to room more than a half an inch. It's, there's just no excuse for it. If it's anything over a half inch, you need to build something up to get.

[00:32:41] Eric Goranson: That's just the key cuz that's gonna be a trip hazard. I don't want people falling and getting hurt. Now when you're looking at these floors, compare the floor, the wear layers and the warranty, the wear layers are key because that's that top surface that keeps it from wearing down. And areas that are [00:33:00] high traffic, like hallways, staircases, those kind of things are important as well as what trims do they have.

[00:33:08] Eric Goranson: Cuz many times, if you've gotta. Flooring in one room and it's transitioning. You need to have a transition strip there. If you're going up against staircase or a step, you need to have a bull nose there. And many times you need to have some other scribe moldings and things like that. So think about those things and how you're gonna do it, cuz that's another key to it.

[00:33:28] Eric Goranson: And then whatever you're putting it down has to be solid and flat. If you've got any kind of a wave to that floor, if there's a, a step down where maybe you didn't notice it with the carpet pad, I wanna see that floor just dead flat in there. If not, go in there and do some repairs. Get it. So it's gonna be something flat.

[00:33:48] Eric Goranson: So if it was carpet, get all the glue and the pad staples, all that stuff up. Get it super clean. Now just take your time and stay your joints. This is where you wanna follow the directions of [00:34:00] the. That way you're good to go. And then plan in where those transition strips are and where those stair bull noses are.

[00:34:09] Eric Goranson: Sometimes with those bull noses, you wanna put that in and work your way back depending on which system you have. So something to very pay attention to because you don't wanna get halfway through and go, Oh, I'm going at the wrong direction. I can't do this. And it gets more difficult when you're doing multiple rooms.

[00:34:28] Eric Goranson: This is where sometimes those transition strips can be good. Now, I don't like doing a lot of transition strips, but sometimes it makes sense because this floor still does move. So read the instructions. Sometimes it'll say it needs quarter three eighths of an inch gap all around the room. And when you come up to doorways, make sure that that goes under that because you're gonna have a really hard time cutting that around the, uh, jam of the door.

[00:34:54] Eric Goranson: So make sure that you've got a multi-tool or a door jam cutter to get in there and cut that back. So [00:35:00] that will slide underneath it. That way that looks like a pro did it. But many times what? Here's what happens where it gets interesting. If you've got a first floor level and you start off in one area of the house and you're going, going through the living room, the kitchen, you go down the hallway and all of a sudden you've got bedrooms off to the side.

[00:35:20] Eric Goranson: You now have to figure out, okay, I need to go into this room and work backwards. And make sure that that matches up with the hallway piece that's going in there, or vice versa. Many times it's just easier and that's what the pros will do. They'll go in there and put a transition strip in those doorways.

[00:35:39] Eric Goranson: It's not as nice, but I tell you what, it's the easy button for putting this stuff in, and it does give it a little more expansion, contraction, relief in there so you don't have buckling. Because if you put this stuff in, You can really have an issue with it buckling up and you'll feel these humps in the floor because the floor is buckled up and it just doesn't work.

[00:35:59] Eric Goranson: [00:36:00] So make sure you have those proper gaps. That is a solid one. Now in basements, I get a little more worried about this stuff because you can have serious problems on a concrete floor and you will get some moisture up through. But what I don't want to happen is to get moisture trapped between that floor and the concrete.

[00:36:23] Eric Goranson: So this is where you might want to consult a professional and test it. How do I test that concrete to see how it is? I take a piece of, uh, like a plastic bag or shrink wrap, and I'll put it down on the floor and I'll duct tape it to the concrete and then walk away for hours to a couple days. Then you can see what kind of condensation raises up within that space.

[00:36:46] Eric Goranson: So there's multiple things that might need to happen down there. You might need to put down a, a vapor barrier. You might need to put down some subfloor material that that breathes. There might be some things that you need to do to make sure, because if you're putting down. [00:37:00] This click together flooring and it's got this, you know, vinyl or rubber based pad beneath it.

[00:37:06] Eric Goranson: That can be another issue where you're trapping water. I don't want you to create a moldy situation by putting this over that basement floor. And then as well, a lot of times, basement floors, they did not do the best job of pouring them. They were gonna put carpet down there, or it was just storage. So that concrete can be rough.

[00:37:25] Eric Goranson: You can have floor drains that are an issue. So all of these things you need to be careful with. And then when you're getting into bathrooms, it can be interesting as well, cuz you need to get up against the bathtub, for instance. But you're cutting it and so many times you have to leave a gap there and you have to caulk it.

[00:37:41] Eric Goranson: Just make sure that you're not binding that floor up in any different place. And then make sure that you're using the right stuff in a basement. I'd always use something that's gonna be rated for a water area. That way you know that you're not gonna have, uh, a wood fiber core that's gonna swell up with any moisture because sometimes [00:38:00] accidents happen.

[00:38:00] Eric Goranson: Make sure you get that right and. Make sure you've got the right spaces underneath those door gaps. Sometimes you have to cut doors down if you're doing stuff, if you're going over tile, I have put these over tile before I have installed this stuff over tile, but there comes a point where it's gonna be better to tear it all out and put the new stuff in.

[00:38:22] Eric Goranson: But you can put it over some tile floors and so you wanna make sure that. Material is thick enough that it'll deal with the little bits of, uh, you know, where the grout is. If you've got big grout lines, they're half inch. It could start to show through the floor so many times that roughness will show through that floor, then it looks horrible, and then you gotta go over and do it over again.

[00:38:45] Eric Goranson: So just be very careful and then take your time, snap this stuff together, make sure every piece is a hundred percent clicked. Because if you let some areas come apart, you're now gonna be tearing it back and re clicking it back in. And that's one of the hardest [00:39:00] things to do is if you get three quarters of the way through it and you go, Oh man, I got a piece over there that started to come apart.

[00:39:05] Eric Goranson: So be very careful and travel across it. Just carefully walk carefully so you don't kick those things loose and make sure they're a hundred percent snapped together. Then when you're done, put your trim in, call it a day. You got a good looking floor. All right, everybody. This has been the hour of the show.

[00:39:21] Eric Goranson: I went quick tune in for the next episode, and thanks again for listening

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