To install laminate wood floors, mark a reference point for the flooring, do a dry layout, apply the glue with a trowel, and install the flooring with a tongue-and-groove system. Use a rubber mallet and spacers to get laminate wood flooring in place with instructions from a home repair specialist in this free video on laminate wood floors.
Lower-Cost Kitchen Remodeling
Lately the kitchens have taken a dramatic downturn in what people are willing to invest, but they still want them done. This forces us to be creative.
We recently remodeled a kitchen that already had solid-surface countertops and maple flooring. We cut the existing top into pieces to remove it then glued it back together after the new cabinets were installed. Solid-surface tops can be glued and polished to look seamless, and no one could tell when we were done that it wasn’t a new countertop package. For the floor, which was installed up to the cabinet edge, we simply ordered a cabinet package that exactly matched the old footprint.
Instead of gutting your kitchen, installing all-new wiring, insulation and wallboard, think of a remodel in phases. Not all of this stuff is bad so let’s save what we can. Many times an electrical or plumbing upgrade can be done by routing cable and pipes through an unfinished basement or by cutting and patching wallboard where necessary. Give the walls a facelift with new paint, and you’re ready for cabinets. If the cabinets are in good shape and still look good, consider replacing the countertops and adding undercabinet lighting to spruce it up. Undercabinet lighting and most accent lighting is cheap and easy. Lighting in general adds value to the remodel.
Many older homes have a separate dining room and kitchen. Opening a wall creates a more inviting space. A contractor or architect will be able to determine how much of a given wall can be removed and if the wall bears another portion of the house that must be supported.
Stick with the standard-size cabinets, which are available in 3-inch width increments and you’ll save money. Pantry cabinets are beautiful and have lots of great organizing features but they’re also expensive. You can probably add a full size closet with shelving for what a pantry cabinet costs. Using 42-in. upper cabinets that extend to an 8-foot ceiling gives you a lot more storage for just a few dollars.
Flooring costs can eat up a budget. Look for remnants and close-outs, and find out what the installation costs are for different products. I recently visited Florida and found out my flooring installer is getting four times what people in Florida pay an installer for a tile floor! Wood and tile laminates go together quickly, and manufacturers change product colors and styles often so finding a bargain here might be easy.
If you like to “pay as you go” or can’t finance a major construction project all at once, find a contractor who will work with you and complete the project in a couple phases. First do any electrical and plumbing upgrades, then cabinets, countertops, flooring and maybe leave appliances ‘til last. Just be sure to plan like you were going to do the whole project at once. You don’t want to plan your cabinet layout for a 70-inch-tall refrigerator only to buy a 72-inch fridge a year down the road!
And finally, the kitchen sink. Every kitchen needs one, and if the sink holds water and the faucet works, that should be good enough. Sure that 300-pound porcelain farm sink looks cool but it costs a fortune, and the cabinet under it is extra bucks too. After all, it’ll probably be full of dishes most of the time, so the standard stainless-steel sink should be just fine.
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About Doug Martin
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Doug Martin has always had a love for building things with wood. In high school Doug received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Stanley Tool Corporation and then apprenticed for three years in southeast Pennsylvania, working with a custom homebuilder. Doug owns and operates a general contracting company in southeast Montana. His company, which has been in business for 15 years, contracts residential and light commercial new and remodel construction projects.
Doug has served as interim building trades instructor at Miles Community College. He enjoyed teaching students about his passion. Whether building a new dental office, remodeling a kitchen or creating a client’s home theater room dream, Doug loves working with clients to bring their visions to life.
Building in the Mountain West can be a challenge. The temperatures vary 140 degrees F, hurricane force winds occur every year, major hail damage occurs one out of ten years and rain, while infrequent, can come at an almost sideways slant. Through this experience he has learned tried-and-true practices above what a code book requires.
