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How To Lay Hardwood On Top of Tile

When you purchase a new home there may be a number of things you want to renovate. Among the top of the list these days, is adding a beautiful hardwood floor. This look offers beauty, value, and extra life. But there are several things to consider when installing hardwood.  Depending on the amount of time you have, you may want to try to get rid of the tile... but this isn't always plausbile or possible, so here is the best way to lay hard wood over tile.

  • Remove Any Obstacles

Remove any obstacles such as baseboards so you can slide the hardwood underneath, and replace the base boards at the appropriate hidth. Much of the hardwood floorboards, such as clickwood or engineered are approximately 3/8″ high, and with an extra 1/8″ for the pad underneath, you’ll want to allow for about a 1/”2 gap between the bottom of the base boards and the top floor, prior to laying your hardwood surface.

  • Level the Surface (Remove The Tile if Possible)

Get ready for some back breaking grueling work. Before you begin this project, make sure you’ve got plenty of patience in store, otherwise you’ll end up walking out half way through or doing the project wrong.
One tile next to the other is substantially higher, this will cause problems when laying hardwoodTo lay hardwood down, you will want your surface to be as smooth as possible. If you have any drops that are close to a 1/8″ drop in the surface of your floor, it may cuase damage to your hardwood, or at the least it will creak and crack as you walk over the finished hardwood surface. Consider this – if the plan is 3 inches wide and there is an uneven surface underneath, it will teeter-totter depending on which side of the board you step on. That teeter-totter motion cause motion which will create sounds and wear your hardwood down quickly.

The effect of hitting tile with a sledge hammer on concrete

Divots left by the sledge hammer in tile which lies on concrete.

To level the surface the best idea is to get rid of the tile, depending on how easy that is. If the tile is installed on concrete, this may be more difficult. If it was laid in an area such as the upstairs over floorboards, this may prove easier. The reason being, you’re going to have to break the tile with a sledge hammer, and the surface underneath will need to be able to bend with the force of the sledge hammer so the tile can crack. Otherwise, you may just end up putting small divots into the tile and not actually break anything, as show with the picture on the right. The desired effect is to have long breaks up and down the tile which can be pried up. Place a spare towel over the tile as you hit it with the sledge hammer to avoid any flying tile shards

Leveling Tile in Preparation for Hardwood

If you are unable to remove the tile, let some leveling around the uneven portions of the tile, once you have leveled the surface (as pictured on the left) lay an 1/8″ foam pad which you will act as an additional leveling agent for your floor. Even though the tile absorbs water which may come from beneath your surface, this foam pad acts as an extra water barrier from moisture below.

  • Lay The Hardwood

At this point it’s your job to put the hardwood down. Cut to size, shape where necessary, and you should be done in a matter of just a few hours! Good luck!

My name is Kirk Salisbury and I am a do-it-yourself home repairman. The tips above worked for me, and I hope they work for you. I also design websites which focus on real estate around the country so I can help people find Washington DC Homes, Charleston Real Estate, or Irvine CA Foreclosures

 

Shopping For Homeowners Insurance

When shopping for homeowners insurance, take it in three steps. These three steps will streamline your shopping experience and find you the best possible deal quickly (it's not necessarily Geico). Let me first say, once you get a quote, share it with the other guys. That may seem mean to the person who worked up the first quote, but it saves the other guys time in asking "what kind of coverage do you want...?" Just tell them to match what is worked up in "Quote A", and if they can beat it, then they can, if they can't, then too bad for them. This is insurance, and they're aware they can't always win.

Step 1) Decide on what kind of coverage you will need

. If you are in a homeowners association, you will need to know what kind of insurance is already offered. In a condo it isn't uncommon for you to cover the interior only, or the association may just cover everything for you. When you get quotes, check to see how much it will be if you combine your auto policy. Typically you will get a discount for your auto for having your home on the policy, and you will get a discount for home if you have your auto on the policy. So when you shop for rates (in step 3), get quotes for combining all three. In my experience, it ended up costing less to add the condo then what we were paying for the vehicles without a condo on the policy. Add a condo, save money, who knew!

Step 2) Get this information together

  • VIN (Vehicle Identification Numbers) for every vehicle on the policy
  • DL# (Drivers Licence Numbers) for every person who will be on the policy
    This will help them determine previous claims or tickets that may affect your premium
  • Address of your new home
  • SS# (Social Security Numbers) for every person who will be on the policy
      • I don’t know why this is necessary, maybe I’m a little to trusting, but they asked for it

    The rest of what you read below will take you through what we learned in Logan about Homeowners insurance when shopping for a policy that would cover $25,000 personal property, and $10,000 internally. When we started this, we were paying about $800 annually for insurance on two vehicles.

    Step 3) Shop For Rates

    This is my experience with the following agencies: Farm Bureau, Cache Valley Insurance, Logan Insurance, Geico, and American Family Insurance.

  • What Our Mortgage Broker Suggested – Logan Insurance Company

    • Because the process of finding just one more thing for our condo appeared that it was going to be a pain, I just asked the mortgage broker who we should go for our home owners insurance, and she suggested Dave Morrill with the Logan Insurance Agency. Because she deals with this all the time, I figured her advice would be excellent, and it was. Dave found us a great rate which would actually cost us less than what we were paying before with our car insurance, and at the same time we were adding a condo to the policy! Dave was very professional and excellent to work with. His quote came in at about

  • Geico

    • Our auto policy was with Geico, and believe it or not, they have actually been incredible for us to work with! When I got in an auto accident a few years back, I earned $1,200 from it (even though my vehicle isn’t totally fixed). When I added Jessica to the policy the total cost actually went down on our insurance.

    But when it came time for us to add a condo to the policy, they were going to add an extra $300 a month. No dice.

  • Cache Valley Insurance

    • I like these guys, I’ve worked with them before. They were going to work up a policy, and may have called my phone (which died), but I asked for an e-mail. In the end, I never heard from them, and that’s their loss. I hope if you try to call them, you will hear from them.

  • Josh Barnett Insurance Agency – America Family Insurance

    • I also called Josh and had them work up a quote. Josh was really fun to talk to, but in the end he was less than Geico, but still higher than Dave Morrill at the Logan Insurance Company. I was actually enticed by him at first, but then we realized that the quote was for semi-annual auto insurance.

  • Farm Bureau Insurance – The Winner

    • One thing that is a little bit annoying about Farm Bureau is that they have this $65 annual membership fee. This will get you better deals on hotels and such, but I don’t want discounts on things that I won’t use, I just want insurance. They were also the slowest to get back to me, I was about to just go with Logan Insurance, but gave them a reminder e-mail saying “Hey, I want this now!” They then immediately got on the ball, and gave by far the best quote.

    But in the end, their quote came in at $700 and we bumped up some of the auto coverage with them. So even with the added annual membership they were by far the best deal when combining an auto policy with a homeowners insurance policy! In fact, I’m still saving about a $100 a year compared to what a paid for before through Geico with car insurance only.

    So, congratulations Farm Bureau, you are saving me money and adding more coverage! I am a very satisfied customer! I hope you enjoyed this review of Farm Bureau Insurance, American Family Insurance, Logan Insurance, Cache Valley Insurance, and Geico for homeowner insurance rates in Logan!

    via kirksalisbury.com

    Website Security in WordPress

    In recent months there have been more website security attacks than I’ve ever seen before.  These attacks have mainly come in two different classes.

    Malicious Virus Attacks

    The first is just plain old malicious and mean – the type of attack that makes you wonder “do these people have a life?”  These attacks infect other websites which install software onto your computer and destroy it, unless you sale your soul to them.  Typically they will say “this virus can only be removed for X-amount of dollars.”  But these people are more clever so they disguise it. These cause physical damage which you can immediately see.  They may mask your website by giant words and an evil face that says “YOU’VE BEEN HACKED!”

    Phishing Scams Attacks

    These are very clever people who will inject code into your website which will copy any forms that you fill out, and acquire credit card information, address, telephone number, name, whatever they can gather. What they do with that information is then up to them. The most reason time I saw this was code was injected to the akismet plugin on a website, and created a fake “PayPal” page on the website. eBay then e-mailed use and let us know “a phishing scam is reported at such and such location.” Thank you eBay! We don’t want to be hosting anything bad.

    How To Remove a Virus

    Unfortunately, because we’ve had our share of experience in doing this, we have some tips to share. The first thing to do is install some antivirus software, that way your computer will not become a host for any viruses. You don’t have to install an expensive one. There is only one free one that I suggest, and it is provided by Microsoft – it’s called Microsoft Security Essentials. Download it here.

    One of the main ways that hackers will inject a virus is to a theme where they’ve exposed vulnarabilities. The themes which are attacked most often are the themes which most popular have installed, such as the default WordPress themes. So update your current theme, and remove any other theme.

    Much like themes, plugins are also attacked, and the most frequently used plugins are attacked the most. For example, as mentioned above the akismet plugin had fake eBay installed onto it, collecting PayPal information. Keep your plugins updated, and removed excess plugins. By removing the excess, you eliminate possibly entry points of a virus.

    Next, there are several different plugins which you can install. I have tried some that others have recommended, and the most basic and effective one seems to the be the antivirus plugin. This will scan your theme and let you know where a line of code that may be a potential threat. Most of the threats that it points our are nothing that will actually cause a problem, but it does find things from time to time.

    If you are suspecting anything now, then you can always reinstall WordPress. This does not mean start over, this simply means that update the WordPress files.  This means go to your core-updates and reinstall WordPress right there.

    To summarize:

    • Install Security Software
    • Remove Unused Themes in WordPress
    • Remove Unused/ Unnecessary Themes
    • Update Every plugin, every theme, EVERYTHING as soon as an update is released.
    • Install the AntiVirus plugin
    • Reinstall WordPress
    via realestatemarketingnerd.com

    Reasons To Purchase Real Estate and Where To Purchase Real Estate

    Reasons To Purchase Real Estate and Where To Purchase Real Estate

    Wherever you purchase real estate is a completely personal choice, and there may be dozens of different reasons to purchase. This article emphasizes a few of the top choices to purchase real estate in an area according to your priority. So we’ll cover it all, from the best weather to the smartest investment areas.

    Buying Real Estate as an Investment

    The best places in the United States to purchase real estate as an investment are those who have drastically dropped in home prices, but have some good things going for them in the near future. For example, Atlanta Georgia home prices are far lower than what they were at just ten years ago, but the city is showing great signs of new growth which will reflect on new homes and more real estate purchases. So if you buy there now, that investment will increase in value in the very near short months.

    Investing in real estate right now is probably the best investment that an investor could make. Interest rates are low, home prices are low, demand for rentals is up. There’s no question that buying a rental property will benefit you a ton!  So check out investment properties in Atlanta here!

    Buying Real Estate for great Weather

    This one is almost entirely up to you. If you want a home in a hot, dry climate, then Phoenix is your best choice. Real estate in Phoenix is cheap right now, and this city is a great area for people to love. Residents report that they love the atmosphere, and there are a variety of things to do here at all times.

    If you are looking for a beautiful area that has four seasons, including an entertaining winter then Utah or Colorado are great choices. These areas provide entertaining activities year round – but getting into these activities can be expensive.  This site will be your perfect place to look for Homes in Colorado and around Denver.

    Looking for real estate for top jobs

    This category is more personal than perhaps any other, because it almost all depends on what type of profession you want. Of course, certain metro centers have their niche, but just about every profession is in every area. So if your job is in low demand, go where you are offered. If your job is in high demand, then go where the weather best suits you.

    Consider this though, many of the people who make it big have some of their work roots in places like New York City, the economic capitol of the world, or Washington DC, the political capitol of the world.  Check out homes in Washington DC here.

    Real Estate That Resembles You

    Each one of these areas are diverse… so if you’re looking for something that will match your lifestyle, you’ll find it in any of these areas. So if you’re an artsy person, laid back, high strung, whatever, you’ll be able to find it in any of the above mentioned areas.

    via mcgrawrealtygroup.com

    Looking For Real Estate to Match Your Lifestyle

    Are you a fast pace person? Then the city is for you! Now the question is, which city? The following cities break down your fast pace lifestyle with a second personality trait which most resembles you.

    Trendsetter

    California. If you want to find the capitol of cool, who's who, and what's what, then California is the place for you! Everything that is the latest and greatest seems to come from this area, and at the center of California's coolness is Orange County. People here have high style, great homes, and prioritize having the nicest of everything. If you fit in with this category, then California Orange County Real Estate is for you.

    Sports Fanatic

    Nothing says sports quite like the Arlington, Dallas, Fort-Worth area. This area seems to have more focus on sports than any other in the area. The Dallas Cowboys are a franchise which are a household name (as opposed to the Buffalo Bills... nobody knows where the Buffalo Bills are from). Then of course there are the Texas Rangers, who lost in the last game of the world series this year. And then there are the Dallas Mavericks, who did win their league championship. So if you want something to cheer about year round, then Arlington TX Homes are for you!

    Laid Back

    There are only a few areas in the United States which have a large population, but still give you that friendly laid back feel. Because Texas was already mentioned, those areas are in Washington, Georgia, and Colorado. Washington is the least of these, but Seattle still has its artistic side that makes you want to step back from the every day hustle, and just enjoy life. Colorado is impossible not to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and sit outside and just enjoy life. But nothing speaks laid back like the south. Georgian's know how to work, but they also know how to relax. The motto in Georgia seems to be no worries.  So if you are laid back, then Atlanta GA homes are for you!

    Adventure Seeker

    Nothing says adventure like the state of Utah. The motto of this state is "Life Elevated" and truer words have never been spoken. In Utah there are four dynamic seasons, and within the stretch of 200 miles there is nearly every type of terrain, from hot desert, to rugged mountain peaks. Adventure seekers flock to Utah. This area is also full of some of the friendliest hard working people in the fifty states. So if you're looking for an area where you can kayak one day, mountain climb or bike the next, then Utah Real Estate is for you!

    Wealthy

    Orange County was already named. But others make it big in areas like New York City and Washington DC. These are central areas for high paying jobs, and opportunity. Many people who make it big have some roots to either one of these areas. So if you are looking to become wealthy, then you need to spend some time in the capitol of the worlds commerce, or the capitol of the worlds most productive country.  If you're wanting a comfortable life, then check Washington DC Homes.