A finished kitchen remodel done by Brian.

The Handyguys Brian & Paul discuss a DIY kitchen remodel.

Some of the topics discussed in this podcast:

• Planning
• Skills
• Tools
• Timeline
• Budget
• When to bring in a professional

Listen to the podcast for details and enjoy the before and after pictures. The first three are before pictures. The rest are after. Click on any image for a full size view.

This unique, high quality, floor was installed by Handyguy Brian. Listen to the podcast for details.

The Handyguys tackle hard wood flooring.

The Handyguys would like to thank A to Z Exotic Hardwoods for sponsoring this episode. They specialize in procuring the worlds most beautiful woods. With a virtually unlimited palette of colors and figures in native American as well as imported species, they can use the warmth and radiance of real woods to customize your interior projects

Steve asked:

Hey Handyguys… awesome shows.  I am planning to replace my carpets on the first floor of my house with hard wood flooring.  However, when I began to research hard wood flooring I learned that there are many kinds of “hard wood” flooring.  There are laminate floors, pre-finished floors, pre-engineered hardwoods and traditional solid hardwood planks.  And then there are laminate floors that use “fake” wood.  Please let me know what kind of wood flooring I should use on the first floor of my house including the kitchen.

There are many choices in wood flooring especially since resellers are marketing wood from all over the world.

Your floors should be flat, clean and stable before installing hardwood. Listen to the podcast for an overview of the install process.

Let’s define your choices:

Laminate flooring.  Several companies make laminate flooring that is uses particle board (or similar) as a base and then a top layer that is not necessarily wood.  It is made to look like wood.  This flooring is generally put down in sections that are glued or snapped together.

Brian does not like this flooring for reasons that may surprise you. Listen to the podcast to find out why.

Engineered flooring.  This flooring typically uses a plywood base with a layer of real wood on the top.  This wood has some benefits for installation and stability and can have a tough finish.  It can be pricey though.

Traditional Hard wood flooring.  This is typically 3/4″ thick.  You have lots of choices from around the globe.  The installation will require a nailer and you have a choice between non-finished and pre-finished.

So what kind of floor should the handyguy purchase and install? And how do you install it?  Listen to the podcast for our recommendations.

The Handyguys would like to thank A to Z Exotic Hardwoods for sponsoring this episode. The images below are just a few of their customers floors. Click on the banner to visit their site and contact them if you want hardwood floors. Click each image to see a larger view.

The Handyguys address carpet padding removal and dangerous household tools.

Happy 2009!  The Handyguys are back from hiatus and ready to address another year of handyman Handyguy topics. We have new voice-over talent, new music and a new look to the website.   We also have a clean studio (thanks Brian!) and we are ready to go. So pour another single malt and let’s get started.

Listener Questions

question came from David:

I was wondering if you had any advice for removing carpet padding from Hardwood floors. I recently bought a home with carpet over nice oak floors. Pulled up carpet to find green carpet pad had solidified into a rock hard plastic and was fused to the hardwood floor. In some areas where it was more of a dry Styrofoam consistency and was easily scraped up. However, the majority is rock hard, and scraping is not an easy task. Any advice would be helpful. I have scoured the Internet, and most advice I have found has not worked. I think that most advice has been geared toward people who have carpet padding that has turned into a gooey mess. Mine is rock hard. I tried a power sander with 80 grit, and that worked, but at such slow pace that it would take weeks to remove it all.

Handyguys Answer

Why did our parents cover up those beautiful Oak floors anyway? I guess there are benefits to carpet but it sure is nice to see some wood.

Handyguy Brian suggests that David try some power sanders  meant for refinishing floors with various levels of grit. Perhaps a heavy orbital edging sander or a larger drum sander could remove the padding which became attached to the wood flooring. Listen to the Podcast for more details.

Most people have different sorts problems when removing carpet padding. Typically, the the most difficult problems are removing the tack strips and all the staples used to attach the pad to the floor. If you have harder floors such as oak, you can typically remove the protruding staples with pliers or vice grips. If your flooring is pine or some other softer variety, the staples often penetrate the flooring leaving nothing to grab with the pliers. People often try to dig out each staple with a screw driver, but this can take all day, especially if you have hundreds of staples to remove. Listen to the Podcast for a better suggestion by Handyguy Paul.

A Discussion of the Dangers of Everyday Handyguy Tools

Brian and Paul have spilled some blood when working around the house. You might think that they were injured on large and powerful tools like a chainsaw or tablesaw. While these tools are very dangerous, it is sometimes the more common tools around the house that will draw the most blood. Check out this discussion in the podcast and stay safe in your home!

If you have any suggestions of dangerous tools around the house not mentioned in the podcast, please leave a comment.

We will be back next week with another a follow-up to our basement finishing series.

The Handyguys record from the floor of the Philadelphia Home Show.

We check out new products for DIYers at the Philadelphia home show. This show is similar to many around the country. Listen to the podcast for our impressions and then decide if you should go yourself or not.

This particular home show is mostly oriented to people looking for contractors. We looked hard for vendors that supply to DIYers but were not able to set-up time while we were there to do on air interviews.

One vendor, Rapid Refill, really wanted to get on the air so we relented, despite them not being home improvement oriented, and chatted with Art Mayo from Rapid Refill. Rapid Refill sells re-manufactured printer cartridges at a considerable savings over OEM cartridges. Rapid Refill has over 200 retail outlets. Find your local store at their website if you want to save on your printer cartridge or toner.

One of the visitors to our recording area was named Rory. We got to chatting and got into so many different home improvement topics we decided to sit him in front of a microphone and record the rest of the show. We talked with Rory about several things.

• Motion sensing dusk to dawn lighting – Rory is having trouble with the lights coming on when they shouldn’t. The conversation regressed to just getting a big dog for security.
• Paul then brings up doing crown molding, coping joints versus miter joints. Paul then recommends the book/angle finder versus coping.
• Rory then asks for advice on his kitchen floor. The Handyguys talk about pros and cons of different flooring options for the kitchen and if Rory’s only vinyl needs to come out first.

That’s it – The general feeling is that if you are a hard core DIYer we recommend you check what vendors are going to be at the show before you go. These shows seem more oriented to people looking to hire contractors. Sure, you can get ideas for your next DIY project but don’t expect to come away with lots of sources and contacts for DIY supplies and products.