| |
| |
|
Home Improvement Information |
|
|
|
Old House Remodeling: Removing Old Tile and Glue
When you live in old house like I do, remodeling is always a challenge and a surprise. I am currently involved in a major kitchen remodel. Our kitchen like many kitchens, has seen better days. It was installed in the house was built back in 1945 and I'm sure it's has served its previous owners well. However, modern kitchens are large and open. This kitchen, like most kitchens of its era, a small enclosed off. We decided to open the kitchen out by removing part of the wall, removing old tile from the walls, and updating the entire kitchen with new cabinets and appliances. Our first surprise came when we moved the refrigerator from its current location. The refrigerator sat up on a platform about 1 inch off the kitchen floor. We never gave it much thought and assumed that it had always been like that. When I move the refrigerator and lifted up the old flooring, I discovered why. Plumbing from the sink did not go through the floor to join a drain pipe in the basement. It did, however, run across the floor and under the refrigerator. This required some major engineering to move the drain line for the new sink and dishwasher. Surprise number two was the ceramic tile on the walls. The ceramic tile wound up not being ceramic tile at all! It was tin tile that was glued to a masonite backing board. The backing board was itself glued to the plaster walls and nailed every eight to 10 inches. So while the tiles came down very easily using just a screwdriver, getting they masonite backing board off the plaster was a nightmare. Not only were the plaster walls full of holes from the nails, big globs of glue was smeared all over the walls. At first I tried sanding. All that did was create a cloud of dust. After two hours of creating dust clouds I had only managed in clearing off a 2' x 2' square area. I talked to a number of contractors who only shook their heads and offered me luck in removing the glue from the walls. Someone suggested I use glue remover but I didn't want the fumes in the house. Someone else suggested a strong scraper but I wasn't strong enough to remove this glue. Finally, someone suggested a heat gun. I was skeptical. How would a little heat gun remove 60 years of hard and glue? Much to my surprise, it worked! Now it didn't work easily. It was still a lot of hard work, but by working slowly, and steadily, I was able to remove all remnants of glue in about four days. I hope this tip and technique helps you if you ever encounter a similar situation. I know what I first started removing the glue from the wall, I would get discouraged thinking it would never end. However, by working slowly and steadily, I managed to get a little bit done each and every hour. I took frequent breaks, and went outside for a breather every couple of hours. It didn't help that I was doing this in the middle of summer when the temperature was in the 90s. However with perseverance, this task can be finished easily. And if you do it yourself, you'll save all the money that you would pay contractor to do the exact same thing. Dean Novosat is an avid do-it-yourselfer and remodeler. He writes for http://build-decks-patios.com, http://for-gadget-guys.com, and http://www.the-kitchen-designer.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Home-Improvement - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Planning Permision Tips UK - 6 Common Design Mistakes When Extending a Residential Property Don't you just love the design of some of these alpine chalets??!!**??One year we were given a loft bedroom that you couldn't stand up in with no wardrobe space and another chalet only had 2 bathrooms for 18 occupants. Still, skiers are the kind of people that can ruff it for most times so its no major hassle. Kitchen Design - No Need to Do It Alone You can't opt out of the process altogether, though, because you need to decide what equipment you want in the kitchen, the type of units, fitted or freestanding, the flooring, lighting ? the list goes on.The size and shape of your kitchen will, to some extent, dictate the equipment you have and where you put it. Painting and Decorating Tile Ceramic tile can be beautiful and elegant. But it can also be bland and uninspired. Planning Permission Tips Uk - How To Select A Property to Extend or Develop Many people purchasing a property for their main home actually look for a property with a view to extending it. This is a very common theme that I have come across time and time again. Improving Your Bathrooms Appearance can be as Simple as Changing Your Bathroom Cabinets Your choice of bathroom cabinet can affect the look and feel of your entire room. If your bathroom could benefit from a fresh new look, then consider replacing your old storage cabinets with stylish new ones. Persian Carpets - Popular Styles There are numerous styles of Persian carpets. In fact there are over 300 different variations. Planning For a New Deck Part of the fun of a new deck is the planning! When you plan your deck, you can let your imagination run wild and add all kinds of fun features. As your planning process moves forward, you can whittle down your design to a more practical (and buildable) plan. The Right Bathroom Light Fixture Will Brighten Up Your Bathroom A bathroom light fixture may be just what the doctor ordered to brighten up a dark and gloomy bathroom. House lighting is important in every room in your home, but especially in the bathroom. The Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Shopping for a Mattress Buying a new mattress is a daunting task that few relish. The range of prices, features, and stores can make your head spin. Fire Hazard Alert - Is Your Dryer Ready to Ignite In recent years there has been many stories about dryers catching on fire. Should we be concerned? Yes of course. A Few Simple Facts About Gas And Electric Heating Systems To make your home more energy efficient, you need to understand the energy efficiency of different types of heating and cooling systems. Many times people are confused by inaccurate information they receive from manufacturers and sellers of heating and cooling equipment. Why Cant We Kill Too? Why does big business have all the fun? We fix our own postage stamps - THEY use a franking machine. We use scissors - THEY use a guillotine. Warm & Toasty Outdoors with Patio Heaters The Heat is On with Patio Heaters Any outdoor lover will tell you that the right patio heater will allow you to extend your love of the open-air life all year round. A 15-20 foot circle of heat can easily increase the outside temperature by 10-25 degrees Fahrenheit and that makes all the difference between having to stay inside and eating out. Get Your Home Ready To Sell Have you been considering selling your home in the near future? If you have, then it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a good long look at your home, using an unbiased eye.After all, a clean, appealing, well maintained home has much better odds of selling, selling for more, and selling faster. How To Identify A Quality Interior Shutter 1. Shutters have proper louver tensionThe shutters louvers should be smooth and stay in the desired position throughout the lifetime of the shutter. Wall Oven - A Necessity For The Disabled Wall ovens, available in electric and gas forms, are best ovens for the people with disabilities. The ovens can be placed considering the required height of the user, and the controls can also be placed within the reach of the standing or sitting user. 5 Steps for Creating a Garage You Can Love - and Use A major US corporation recently launched a new line of products it hopes will create a $650 million retail business - appliances and storage devices designed to appeal to the 65 million garage owners in the U.S! According to a 1994 study by the U. Homeowners - Here is a Step by Step Guide to Help You Hire a Quality Home Improvement Contractor Before talking to any contractors the first thing to do is create a budget for the project. Without a budget you will be flying blind and may end up over spending. Create a Luxurious Laundry Room Give your home a luxurious feel with a beautiful laundry room. Even if you hate doing the laundry, you cannot deny that there IS a certain amount of satisfaction from transforming a bunch of dirty things into fresh and fragrant clothes! Put these items in your laundry room and feel the difference!-a few plants-adequate shelving-a rug or piece of carpet to stand on-an ironing area-large folding table-music-framed art or prints-a pretty dish to catch clutter and extraneous pocketed items-a trash can (continually clean the lint from the dryer)-GOOD LIGHTING, lamps, etc. Styles And Varieties Of Locking Mailboxes For Sale Locking mailboxes made from durable, weatherproof materials are highly desirable due to the built in safety features and the long-lasting exterior. Your mail will arrive safely and be waiting for you upon your return when you purchase and install a locking mailbox on your property.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
