Do It Yourself Assistance

    There is no doubt about it, travertine makes for a remarkably beautiful flooring. It can be warm and earthy or elegant and classy. Because it’s a natural product there is no repetition in the pattern. It is generally easy to pair furniture and paint with and adds charm and value to any home.

    On the down side. The maintenance is higher. This is because it is a porous material and can stain and get dirty. So you will have to make sure that it is sealed and or polished. Also the installation is much more difficult than traditional ceramic or porcelain tiles. So if you are looking to have it professionally installed the labor is generally more. (make sure the installer has lots of experience installing travertine or marble tiles). If you are installing it yourself, first of all make sure the floor is flat and locate any high spots that may cause your tiles to stick up at the corners then grind these high spots down.

    Word of caution: One characteristic of travertine is that when it is cut from the quarries it has holes throughout it, these holes are filled materials that harden  and look similar to the stone. However some countries may not have regulations that control what kind of materials go in as fillers. So it is wise to buy from countries that have regulations on these fillers.

  Not all floors require a moisture test. Floors being installed over a wood sub-floor generally don’t need a moisture test unless there is visible evidence of moisture on the existing wood sub-floor which may indicate a possible leak. Floors such as carpet and most ceramic tiles do not unless your room is below grade. Other floors like wood, cork and vinyl flooring that are installed on concrete need to be tested for vapor emissions prior to installation otherwise your warranty may be void.  

  If you are thinking about purchesing  wood flooring it is vital you moisture test first, after all, wood can be a very costly investment not to mention all the work involved in removing moisture damaged wood and adhesive.

First visually inspect the floor look for visible signs of moisture. Signs which include discoloration within sheet vinyl flooring, white alkali deposits on concrete loose tiles ect.   

 One method that you can preform yourself is the mat test. All you need is plastic sheeting (a heavy duty 30 gal trash bag works pretty good). Take a three by three section duct tape it down flat-making sure you get all the air out-let it set for 24 hours. After 24 hours remove mat check for moisture on concrete as well as plastic also look for darkness on concrete which is an indication of moisture.  Though this method may tell you if moisture exists it wont tell you how much.

  Another method is the trimex concrete moisture encounter. This is fairly accurate and gives you an instant reading on the meter.

    But if your looking for the most accurate and reliable test I recommend a calcium chloride which should be preformed by a professional. If you want to save yourself some money and do the test yourself you can purchase the tests at a flooring supply distrubtor like “Desoto Sales”. This test takes 72 hours and instructions need to be followed carefully.

  If you are having your floors professionally installed your contractor is responsible for testing your concrete. If your are doing the installation yourself make sure you take the necessary steps to get your floor done in a professional manner.

  Yes and no. For carpet no. For vinyl tiles, linoleum, or sheet vinyl you will not necessarily need new base boards, but you will need either to remove and put back on the old baseboards or install new 1/4  round moulding. The reason for this is cover over the gap that may exist between the new flooring and baseboards. In the case of sheet vinyl, even though it may be cut tight to base it still will curl due to moisture and dryness of the air. 

  If you are installing ceramic tiles or stone or other tiles that you plan on grouting it is not necessary to replace the base boards as long as you cut the tiles straight and even leaving a nice grout joint next to the baseboard that you can fill in smoothly.

  If you are installing wood flooring or floating a laminate floor it is recommended to replace the existing (perhaps standard size) baseboards with new perhaps taller baseboards. This will make your new flooring stand out and look more like a work of art. The reason why I don’t recommend removing and then putting back your old baseboards is that for one they may break in the process and two the new flooring will have raised them up higher then the rest of the house if they should meet together somewhere. However if you are trying to keep costs down the other option is to keep the existing baseboards on the wall and after installation install new 3/4 round moulding. The reason for this is to cover the gap that you have to leave between the flooring and the wall for expansion purposes.