Latest / Repcolite Home Improvement Show / Summer Projects and Home Improvement Q&A: From Deck Cleaning to Flooring Choices

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Summer Projects and Home Improvement Q&A: From Deck Cleaning to Flooring Choices · Repcolite Home Improvement Show

0:00
Well, good morning everybody, and happy weekend. Hopefully, hopefully you're doing
0:04
well and enjoying summer. Man, we are moving fast through summer. I
0:09
hate that, but hopefully you're enjoying it. I know we are. You
0:13
know, we're trying to get to the beach a little more than normal,
0:16
and it's pretty funny. My daughter Hannah dragged us there by sheer force of
0:21
will a couple of weeks ago and it was an epic, epic experience.
0:26
You're listening to the Rep Goolite home improvement show was sponsored by Benjamin Moore,
0:30
and yes, the beach was absolutely epic. You know, Hannah pushed and
0:35
pushed and pushed. You know how kids can do that. It's like their
0:39
superpower, it's their spiritual gift. It's all of that rolled into one.
0:43
Anyway, she pushed and pushed and pushed. She wanted to go to the
0:45
beach so badly. Yeah, the lawn needed mowing, Yeah this needed doing.
0:49
That needed doing. That was on the agenda. But the beach,
0:52
you know, the beach, the beach was calling Hannah, and so she
0:56
went to work and eventually wore us down and we took her and it was
1:00
fun. It was fun. But then at one point, you know,
1:04
right near the end, Hannah is sitting on her little blanket and she leans
1:08
back and announces really loudly, you know, for everybody on the entire beach
1:12
to hear. It seemed like she says, there, aren't you all glad
1:17
I made you come? And then she goes on to say something about this
1:19
has been the best day of the summer so far, and it's all because
1:23
of me. So she gets all of that out of her mouth, and
1:26
then the minute, the very second the last word leaves her lips, a
1:30
seagull flies over and goes to the bathroom all over Hannah. It was absolutely
1:36
hilarious, and I loved every single second of it, and I'm trying to
1:41
replay it as often as I can in my mind because I never want to
1:45
forget that image. It was great. Anyway, Hopefully you're all enjoying your
1:49
summer as well. Now coming up on the show today, we're gonna be
1:52
talking with experts from Village Custom Interiors and we're going to be getting a bunch
1:56
of different flooring questions answered. You know, what's the best floor when you're
2:00
looking for durability and good prices, does carpet help or hurt when it comes
2:04
to allergies. Can you install luxury vinyl plank florine even if you're old.
2:07
Yes, that is one of the real questions. And I'm going to be
2:10
asking these questions because I got them from listeners, and I'm going to get
2:15
the answers, and we're going to do all of that in a little bit.
2:17
But right now, I want to go back to last week for a
2:23
little bit here. You know, now, last week on the show,
2:25
we talked about George Washington and how his letters home during the Revolutionary War,
2:31
you know, letters talking about projects that he had going on back at home.
2:36
How those letters kind of helped him stay focused on the war and the
2:39
efforts and the things that he had to do in the war. You know.
2:43
Basically, the idea was that making these small decisions helped move them forward
2:47
and made it easier for him to make bigger decisions. You know, it
2:51
kind of paved the way. The little decisions move you out of the passenger's
2:54
mindset, you know, where you're just being dragged along through events, and
2:58
they move you. Making those decisions moves you into the driver's seat where you're
3:01
kind of controlling what's going on. Psychologists tell us that we get to that
3:06
point, we make that transition often by just making these simple, small decisions,
3:10
even if they seem insignificant. So I talked about that last week because
3:15
it was something, you know, historically that I thought was great. It
3:19
was connected to the fourth of July, which I thought was great, and
3:22
also I talked about it because it really speaks to some situations or things,
3:27
you know, that I'm dealing with personally at home, you know, with
3:30
the projects that I've got going on, the projects waiting for me, looming
3:34
in the background, like monsters under the bed. I think unfinished projects or
3:38
projects that you need to tackle for adults, they are the monsters under our
3:43
bed. And I've got a ton of those. And with those projects,
3:46
it really doesn't take them long to pile up, you know, and for
3:50
me to feel completely completely overwhelmed. Now, that may be just me.
3:54
I completely get that. I don't think it's just me, but I know
3:59
that it could be. You know, I do understand that there are a
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lot of people out there on social media, for example, who don't look
4:05
like they're overwhelmed at all. You know, they're moving through projects like their
4:10
gods, you know, home improvement gods. And I don't know if that's
4:14
all for the camera or if they're just that good. But I'm not that
4:17
person because I've got so many other things that need my attention. And maybe
4:23
they do too. Maybe I'm just bad at it. I don't know.
4:26
But I've got five kids who need stuff, you know, they need to
4:29
go to the beach, they need all that stuff. I've got a yard
4:31
that needs needs my attention every other day. Yeah, I have to mow
4:35
every other day. It's my own fault. I shouldn't fertilize it like I
4:39
do, I shouldn't water it like I do. But I do all of
4:42
those things. And I have to mow every other day. But there's that,
4:46
and then there's dinner to make, you know, groceries to get dogs
4:47
to walk. You've got a house to clean, kids to clothes, laundry,
4:51
to tackle, snacks, to prepare cars to wash. You've got all
4:55
these different things. And if you take a break just for a minute,
4:59
you know, because you also have to work on top of it at your
5:01
normal job. You take a break for just a minute, and at least
5:04
at my house, all of a sudden, all of these things start piling
5:08
up. You know, the weeds come back in a day. The laundry
5:11
pile grows exponentially. You know, science needs to look at the laundry pile.
5:16
How does it do it? How does three pair of underpants and one
5:20
sock become a department store full of dirty clothes in what feels like twenty four
5:26
minutes. Anyway, all of that happens in our normal lives. All of
5:30
that happens in my abnormal life. And then I look at the spaces in
5:33
the house that need paint. You know, the kitchen cabinets need to be
5:36
redone. The living room needs to be repainted. The bathroom should not have
5:42
Robin's egg blue all over the walls, but it does. I've got paneling
5:45
in the basement that should be painted. It's going to change how I feel
5:48
about the space if I do it. I know that, I know that
5:53
it's going to be a big difference, and I'm going to be so much
5:55
happier. But I'm also you know, I'm just being realistic. I don't
5:59
know when I'm I'm going to get to it. I sometimes feel lazy,
6:01
you know, especially when you look at people on social media. I feel
6:04
lazy. Sometimes I feel just completely exhausted and tired, and pretty much all
6:10
the time I feel overwhelmed. And so when I hear that George Washington,
6:14
you know, struggling through the Revolutionary War, struggling through the ups and downs,
6:18
the terror of failing, you know, the fear of failing, not
6:23
just because failure stinks, but because failure means death in his situation. When
6:28
I hear of him dealing with all of that, and then finding that he
6:30
spent you know, a good chunk of time or at least sometime focusing on
6:34
his drapery colors what's really interesting, and it makes me wonder why, you
6:40
know, why was he doing that? And again, as we talked about
6:43
last week, a lot of that, psychologists tend to say that this is
6:46
Washington, you know, subconsciously transitioning from passenger where he felt like he's just
6:50
being driven along through these crazy events, to moving him into the driver's seat.
6:56
You know, he could be in the driver's seat when it came to
6:58
doing what he wants to do with his chimneys, he's in control of that
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and what he wants to do with his draperies, and moving into the driver's
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seat. Then you know, goes on to make him feel better about the
7:09
other bigger decisions that he's got to make, or feel better about him or
7:12
at least more equipped to take on those bigger decisions. And so with all
7:16
of that, I've started thinking about myself in my situation, and how do
7:20
I break out of what feels kind of like sloth or whatever it is,
7:26
you know, not being able to get through some of these projects, seeing
7:29
them continue to pile up, feeling the stress of it. Well, for
7:31
me, it just freezes me. It paralyzes me, you know, because
7:35
there's just so many things to do. I don't even know what to start
7:39
with. Now. That's why that brief segment on George Washington's letters last week
7:44
was really cool to me. It's maybe a key to helping me and some
7:47
of us break out of the stress and the struggle, you know, and
7:50
the stagnation that we may feel. It's a way to slide out of the
7:55
passenger seat and into the driver's seat. And so how do we do that.
8:00
Well, let's spend the rest of summer taking one segment a week to
8:03
focus on some little projects, you know that might help you break out and
8:07
get moving. I'm gonna call them George Jobs in honor of George Washington,
8:11
but also because I kind of think it's funny and it sounds good together.
8:15
These George jobs are gonna, ideally, you know, be relatively small,
8:18
and they won't take us much time. I don't know if they're gonna help
8:22
me or not. I don't know if they'll help you or whether you even
8:26
need the help. But if we all do them, the worst thing that's
8:28
going to happen is that we'll be getting things done around the house, and
8:31
that always feels better than the opposite. And I guess the very first thing
8:35
that I want to say before I jump into this week's George Job is that
8:39
a beautiful home isn't the main priority in life, you know, so I
8:43
want to start with a great big caveat a beautiful home. Having that isn't
8:48
the main priority in life, even though that's what we talk about here,
8:50
you know, we talk about making your home exactly what you want it to
8:52
be. And I think that's really important because it shapes how you feel about
8:56
your home, it shapes the time. It can enhance the time that we
9:01
spend with our family and when we're not distracted by things that need to be
9:05
done or projects that need to be tackled. That's a win for family time.
9:09
I get that when we're in a space that's really well suited. You
9:13
know, whether it's just the color, or whether it's the color and the
9:16
combination of the decor that's in the room, or the furnishines that are in
9:20
there, or you know, even the architectural layout of the space. When
9:24
the space is right and if it really works for your family, then you
9:28
know, the time that we spend there is better and more fulfilling and more
9:31
fun. But at the end of the day, struggling and struggling to make
9:35
your home exactly what it needs to be in your mind, you know,
9:37
that's not what I'm saying is the main priority in life. I don't want
9:41
to come across saying that. You know, the main priority is spending time
9:46
with your family and having the life that you enjoy and not being driven by
9:50
so many projects that you really, you know, can't get your head above
9:52
water or you feel like you're just completely overwhelmed. So don't drive yourself with
9:58
projects. That's not the point of this. But if you are feeling a
10:01
little bit of stress or a lot of stress, and if you'd like to
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start moving from the passenger seat to the driver's seat, here are some George
10:09
Jobs, some small projects that might help. And I think in order to
10:13
do this, we're gonna take a break because that took way longer than I
10:16
meant it too. And we're gonna get to the first of these George jobs
10:20
coming up on the other side of the break. So stick around for some
10:22
commercials. We'll be right back and we're gonna be talking about some deck stuff
10:26
that you can do easy, super simple, but it'll have a big impact.
10:31
That's all. Next stick around, we're back. You're listening to the
10:37
Rep Coolite Home improvement show sponsored by Benjamin Moore, and it's time to get
10:41
to the first George Job of the summer. Now, if you miss last
10:45
segment, or maybe you just tuned out, you know, maybe you were
10:48
just bored out of your mind or whatever, but I was droning on and
10:50
on and you couldn't take it anymore. You tuned out. If you have
10:54
no idea, a George job is just my name for a small home improvement
10:58
project. I'm calling them George Job in honor you know of George Washington and
11:01
the little home improvement jobs that he was tackling during the Revolutionary War, the
11:07
little projects that maybe helped give his brain the clarity that he needed to beat
11:11
England and get us that sweet day off in the middle of the week that
11:15
we just celebrated. So George jobs, let's talk about a George job that's
11:18
focused on decks. And I'm sure we can all agree to start with that.
11:24
A deck that doesn't look its best is kind of frustrating. It's kind
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of a downer. You know. I've got exactly this going on at home
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right now. And while there are a number of different things going on with
11:33
my deck, a wide variety of different issues I'm going to have to deal
11:37
with. One of those issues is that it's pretty dirty, you know,
11:39
dirty from leaves that stained it in the fall and in the spring. And
11:43
also we've got two huge maple trees and a shagbark hickory tree right around the
11:48
deck. So what that means is I get all the little maple seed spinners
11:52
that fall and settle in the grooves of the deck boards, and with that
11:54
hickory tree, the squirrels go crazy, they chew the nuts apart, and
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I get tons of the deck grooves. The whole thing looks bad and it
12:03
really brings down the mood. It kills the vibe at the Hanson House,
12:07
and I don't like that. If you've got a similar situation or you can
12:11
feel the pain, here's some good news. If your deck coding is in
12:16
good shape but it's just dirty, which I think is what I've got going
12:18
on. I think I've got a deck coding that's just fine, it's just
12:22
dirty. If that's you, you don't need to go through the whole big
12:24
strip the deck or sand the deck and then reseal it. You can simply
12:28
clean it and let it dry and walk away. We're going to get to
12:31
that in what it looks like in a minute, but first let's deal with
12:35
the gunk in the gaps. It's really important that you do this and that
12:39
you remove that stuff regularly. You know, it's not just unsightly, it's
12:41
not just ugly, but it's not good for the deck boards. So how
12:45
do you get that gunk out of there easily and quickly? While there are
12:48
a ton of different items that you can buy that are made expressly for this,
12:52
deck gap cleaners they're called and basically all they are is a dull metal
12:56
blade of some sort on a pole, and you just run it through the
13:01
gaps and you push the dirt and the leaves and all of that out.
13:05
But before you rush out and snag several of these deck gap cleaners, just
13:09
think about it for a second. This isn't rocket science. The previous owner
13:13
at my place just screwed a thin metal plate onto a stick. You know,
13:18
it's Caveman technology except for the screws. It's caveman technology. And that
13:24
plate on a stick worked really well. So you might and most likely can,
13:28
diy your own solution for this. So think about that before you rush
13:33
out and buy something now. Also, in my situation, like I mentioned,
13:37
I have all these nut pieces from the hickory tree, and when they
13:39
get wedged in, they get wedged in really deeply between those boards and they
13:45
become really tough to get out with the little metal plate on a stick thing.
13:48
In fact, sometimes it's like shoveling the driveway when the driveway has sunk
13:52
in places and you're going really well and then you hit one of those dips
13:56
and you nearly impale yourself on the shovel handle. That happens with the metal
14:01
plate on a stick too, so I can do it in the winter,
14:03
and I can do it in the summer when I'm working on my deck.
14:05
And when it happens, it's extremely unpleasant, to say the least. It
14:09
really does make you question life decisions that you've made. So I've got that
14:13
going on. And after impaling myself or nearly nearly impaling myself several times,
14:18
I decided I needed another solution, and that's when I decided I'm going to
14:24
use this Japanese pul saw that I've got in the house. Now, I've
14:28
got to take a quick segue a Japanese pulsaw. I've got to explain that
14:31
Japanese pulsaw is a tool that I've talked about on the show before, and
14:35
generally speaking, imagine it as this. It's about an eleven inch floppy steel
14:41
blade on a retan wrapped handle, So think Samurai sword and you're really not
14:46
that far off. Now, these saws are excellent for woodworking, and I
14:50
use them almost exclusively when I need a handsaw. Now, the work is
14:54
done by pulling the blade as the name suggests, rather than pushing as we
14:58
do with the Western push saw thin blade, which again, doesn't need to
15:01
be that thick because we're not pushing it through the wood, we're pulling it.
15:05
That thin blade glides through the wood like butter. It doesn't bind as
15:09
often once you get the hang of it. A little bit of trick to
15:11
the technique, but once you get it figured out, it doesn't bind as
15:15
much, and they cut beautifully. If you do any woodworking at all,
15:18
really look into Japanese pull saws. I'm betting you're going to thank me later.
15:22
You're probably not going to send me money, but you will thank me,
15:26
probably not personally, but you'll think kind thoughts in my direction. Anyway.
15:31
I have one of those, and about two years ago, like I
15:33
said, I realized it might be perfect for slicing through all that junk that
15:37
I couldn't get out from between the deck boards. And it did work flawlessly
15:41
for that. It's extremely effective and fast. The only downside is that I
15:46
have to be on the deck to do it, you know, crouch down
15:48
sitting there using it. I can't use it standing up. I'm short,
15:52
but I'm not that short anyway. Use some sort of simple tool. I
15:58
didn't need to go into that much detail. Some sort of simple tool to
16:00
get the gunk out from between your deck boards, and then it's time to
16:03
clean the surfaces of those boards. And for this, Benjamin Moore makes a
16:07
product called Clean. It's gonna remove dirt and grime from leaves, it's gonna
16:11
remove stains from mold and mildew, and it's safe for your wood deck.
16:15
It's not gonna take that finish off that you've already got down there. It
16:18
also does work on concrete, stucco, vinyl, you know, fiberglass,
16:22
and outdoor furniture. So even if you don't have a deck that needs cleaning,
16:26
maybe your quick George job is to get your siding cleaned or your outdoor
16:30
furniture, you know, whatever. Either way, Benjamin Moore's Clean will work
16:34
to get you there. Now, here's how you do it and what you'll
16:37
need, and we'll keep our focus on decks, just to make the conversation,
16:41
you know, more straightforward. So grab a gallon of Benjamin Moore's Clean.
16:45
The stuff is a concentrate and a single gallon will make up to about
16:48
eight gallons of cleaner mix about a half a gallon of Clean with three and
16:52
a half gallons of water. Put it in a little garden pump up sprayer
16:55
and then apply it to your deck, keep it wet, don't let it
16:57
dry out, and then while it's wet that hit that area with a stiff
17:00
bristle deck scrub brush. And I know it's really tempting to get a pushbroom
17:06
and figure that's going to be good enough. You know, try to save
17:07
some money, save some time, use something that you've got around the house.
17:11
I know it's tempting because I've done it, But there are specific deck
17:15
brushes that work much much better. And I found the difference in results between
17:18
a pushbroom and a deck scrub brush to be huge. So get a good
17:22
scrub brush and scrub the deck in the direction of the wood grain. Now,
17:26
after you've done that, rinse it well with a garden hose with a
17:29
good nozzle. You don't need a power washer for the deck. And honestly,
17:33
if you do use a power washer, you really do need to be
17:34
careful. Quite often people use them with too much pressure, or they put
17:40
them too close to the surface of the deck and they end up damaging the
17:42
boards. You see it happening all the time on YouTube videos of people using
17:47
power washers. They don't usually show the damage that they're doing, you know,
17:51
probably because they don't see it at the time. But those of us
17:52
who work with decks and who refinish decks regularly, we cringe almost every time
17:57
we see it. So if you use a powerwasher, be careful anyway,
18:03
rinse the deck, and then if necessary, you can reapply the cleaner and
18:06
do it all again to get it as clean as you can. Tackle the
18:08
project on an early morning, you know, do it right away before it
18:11
gets too hot. Put a speaker out there, you know, a little
18:14
bluetooth speaker with the Repcolite Home Improvement show blaring into the neighborhood, and most
18:18
likely you're gonna have that whole deck cleaned before ten am. And there you
18:22
go. First George job of the summer, Super simple, super straightforward,
18:27
and who knows, maybe it's just what you need to slide from the passenger
18:30
seat a little closer to the driver's seat, you know, maybe you can
18:33
edge your way across that big bench seat, get a little closer to the
18:37
steering wheel, and by all means, if you do have other deck questions,
18:41
or if you do need to remove an old finish and apply a new
18:42
one, we can help you with that as well. Just stop by any
18:45
Repcollite and we'll get you moving. All right, We're going to take a
18:48
break and when we come back, I'll be talking with Village Custom Interiors and
18:52
we'll be getting your flooring questions answered. That's all. Just ahead, stick
18:56
around and we're back. You're listening to the Repco Light Home Improvement Show sponsored
19:03
by Benjamin Moore, and right now I'm at Village Custom Interiors. Now.
19:07
Village Custom Interiors is a flooring tile in cabinet showroom. They provide remodeling new
19:14
construction materials to homeowners, to builders, to remodelers, to designers, pretty
19:19
much everybody. They're located in Byron Center on the west side of the state
19:23
and they serve the Greater Grand Rapids area in West Michigan. And right now
19:29
I'm on site in their showroom to get some questions answered. I'm basically going
19:33
to be asking them your flooring questions. And it's something new that we've been
19:36
doing for the last few months, and I just want to take a second
19:40
before we jump in and encourage everybody out there. If you have home improvement
19:42
questions pretty much of any kind, send them to Radio at repcol Light dot
19:48
com. I'll log them and then i'll bring them to the proper experts as
19:52
time allows, and then i'll air them on the show. And if I
19:55
air your question, I'll send you a twenty five dollars gift certificate to repko
19:59
Lites. Win twice, you get your question answered and you get some fun
20:03
money for paint. All right, let's get to the flooring questions and to
20:06
help me answer all of these things in a responsible and correct manner, I'm
20:11
joined by Jake Bennett and Laura and Glasshower again from Village Custom Interiors. Guys,
20:15
thanks for being here or thanks for letting me be here. Normally people
20:19
come to my place here, clix, thanks for letting me be here.
20:23
Now, Laura, and let's start with you a minute and briefly let the
20:26
listeners know who you are, what you do, how long you've been doing
20:30
it here? Yeah, yeah, so I have been here for about three
20:33
years or so. Now. I was in school for interior design. And
20:37
then while I was in schooled and I started here part time. And yeah,
20:41
I started at the front desk here and then I transitioned my way after
20:45
I had graduated college for interior design into the builder department here. So essentially
20:51
I work with a whole list of builders and we work for them from start
20:56
to finish with their project essentially. So they will send in their customers and
21:02
we will start the selection phase with them, so we will help them pick
21:06
out countertops, flooring tile, go through the layout of their space and everything,
21:11
as well as bidding out their project as well. So yeah, we'll
21:15
kind of work with our builders, communicate with them, communicate with the customers,
21:19
and yeah, just kind of guide them along through the process. Right,
21:22
You've been doing that like three years or no? Yeah? So yep,
21:26
Yeah, I really enjoy it. Yeah, it's so excited. Were
21:29
you to be on the radio? Very exciting, crazy Yeah, crazy excited.
21:33
Also crazy excited is Jake Jake Bennett Jake, how long have you been
21:37
here? I've been here just six months. I was an installer for thirty
21:41
years. So now my job here is coordinating all the installs for all the
21:45
customers and builders and tackling any issues that come up between our installers and the
21:52
job site. All right, so you did flooring installs floring installs for thirty
21:57
years. All right? Your least favorite floor install kind of what material do
22:02
you love to install the least still ceramic tile. It's a real battle to
22:07
get the ceramic and cut them, and you get pretty wet also while you're
22:12
doing it. All right, all right, Well, let's get to some
22:15
of the questions that we've got. I've gathered these from listeners from all over
22:18
the state, so some of these are going to be people outside of your
22:22
area. So we're just getting them some good generic answers to some really good
22:26
questions. And we're going to start with a question from Greg. And here's
22:30
what Greg's got going on. He's redoing the kitchen floor in a rental unit.
22:33
It's curious what material you guys would recommend that would give them the best
22:37
durability at the best value. Greg speaks my language, I want the best
22:42
for the least. What do you guys recommend for that kind of a situation.
22:48
Yeah, so we would recommend vinyl plank flooring for that. So with
22:52
vinyl plank flooring, then you are essentially getting a floor that looks similar to
22:56
a hardwood floor while being more cost effective than hardwood. We would recommend a
23:03
vinyl plank flooring that is close to or add about an eight millimeter in thickness
23:07
as well as a twenty mili ware layer. So for durability purposes, essentially,
23:12
the thicker the flooring is, the more durable it's going to be.
23:17
Thicker flooring is going to help to prevent gapping between your floor down the road,
23:21
as well as any slight giver bounce back you're going to have with your
23:23
flooring, which is going to help with that and really be a nice and
23:26
sturdy floor. So what kind of other thicknesses are there? You said you
23:30
want you recommend to what thickness floor? An eight millimeter? Typically, I
23:33
would say close to about if you can help it. Their thicknesses typically start
23:38
at around a three millimeter or so, and then middle of the road would
23:42
be more like a five millimeter. So essentially, yeah, the thicker the
23:45
floor you're getting, the less chance you're ever going to have of those locking
23:49
mechanisms in between your plank flooring coming apart or gaping things like that. So
23:55
that thickness that's not a ware layer thickness, that's the floor thickness. That's
23:59
the floor thickness, yep. So yeah, the war layer then that's essentially
24:03
the actual top coat that you're feeling there that vinyl feeling on the top,
24:07
that's what that is. And yeah, the thicker that is again the last
24:11
chance you're ever going to have of things wearing through to the actual core of
24:15
the floor. If that makes sense. Oh, yeah, that makes sense.
24:17
Yeah, vinyl plank, Yes, all right, Yes, luxury vinyl
24:22
plank, that same thing, essentially the same thing, yep, just different
24:25
wording there. So yeah, and actually most of what we sell here is
24:27
a lot of eight milimeter We don't really sell much under a twenty miliware layer
24:32
floor. So all right, Well that gets Greg off and running. That's
24:37
what you think is the best value and going to give them the most durability.
24:40
Yes, all right, So people in a similar situation looking for something
24:44
like that, luxury vinyl plank is a good place to start. Let's go
24:48
to one another question. This one's from Angie. I love this question.
24:52
Angie gets a big thumbs up for this, not that nobody else does.
24:56
I'm saying I really like this. Angie says, I've read conflicting things about
25:00
carpets and allergies. Well, Angie, I'm in the same boat as you.
25:03
I've heard conflicting things. I've heard some people say this is Angie talking.
25:07
I've heard some people say carpets are bad if you have allergies, and
25:11
other people say carpets are actually better for people who have allergies. What are
25:15
your guys's thoughts on this. So, my wife and one of my sons
25:19
has really bad allergies. We have removed all the carpet from our house.
25:23
Okay, So no matter what allergies you have, the carpet, if it's
25:30
from pollen or any kind of outdoor material, it's going to get in your
25:34
house if you open your windows, open your doors, and the carpet is
25:37
going to trap it. Now, there are things you can do to help
25:42
with your carpet, getting it cleaned professionally once a year, maybe even six
25:48
months. But they all require for your warranties to keep that carpet cleaned once
25:52
a year. Okay, So you've got to go through and get it professionally
25:56
cleaned. Yep. And that will remove these allergens that are trapped in the
26:00
carpet, because I'm assuming the fibers will collect and kind of hold onto these
26:03
things. Yes, because that's what I've heard is the benefit of carpet.
26:07
It keeps it from floating in the air and traps it in your carpet.
26:11
So unless I'm laying on the floor rubbing my face on it, I might
26:15
be okay. But you're you guys removed it all. Yes, So even
26:18
the end results of that, even though that happens as you vacuum, the
26:22
vacuum does not get all the particles up. Oh, it throws them back
26:26
and throws them back into the air. Yep, So there's no I'm sure
26:32
there is some residential type vacuums I can buy if I really drop some coin
26:37
that will maybe collect this stuff. Yes, for the most part, even
26:41
when I've got these hepafilter, they do help. They do help a lot,
26:45
but it's still in there and it is trapped for a certain period of
26:49
time until you get it professionally cleaned again. All right, So what's been
26:52
your experience? You removed it, had your wife struggled while you had the
26:57
carpet, and yes, you noticed tremendous improvement, tremendous improvement after we removed
27:03
it and put in a vinyl plank. Yeah, it makes sense. I
27:06
guess. I had hoped that the answer was going to be the other direction,
27:10
because I didn't really want to pull up all of the carpet and get
27:14
all my floors refinished. But I guess I'll just keep playing it by ear.
27:18
But Angie, that should get you a really good answer. I mean,
27:21
that's pretty solid. I'm curious anybody out there, you know, that's
27:23
anecdotal evidence. Anybody out there who's had an opposite experience, you know,
27:27
by all means, let us know, or if what you've found out,
27:30
you know, in the course of your investigations into this, because I know
27:33
a lot of people deal with this, A lot of people pull the carpet
27:36
out and go to the hard surfaces. If you've had great relief from that,
27:40
yeah, shoot me an email radio at repco light dot com. I'll
27:42
carry the information to everybody else. You probably won't get twenty five bucks for
27:47
that, but you never know, so go ahead and try. All right,
27:49
let's move on. I've got a question from Jessica. Jessica says,
27:53
I've got a three season porch. There are windows in it, but it's
27:56
not a heated area. The floor is concrete. We've all we's had a
28:00
thin indoor outdoor carpet on it. We want something different and like a hard
28:03
surface of some sort, something with a wood. Look. It's a very
28:07
long question, but a lot of good detail in it. But I'm curious
28:11
if the luxury vinyl plank can be installed out there. It's very hot in
28:14
the summer and very cold in the winter. Usually, if that doesn't work,
28:18
what would you recommend. Yeah, so all vinyl planks are usually rated
28:22
from minus twenty five to up to one hundred and fifty five. But again
28:26
that's air temperature. So the direct sun is really the enemy of all those
28:32
vinyl planks that she'd like to put in there. Again, we recommend pulling
28:37
shades when it's super sunny, just to keep that temperature down because as the
28:41
sun hits it, the temperature of that plank will heat up and it could
28:45
cause it to buckle. So the temperature could cause it to buckle. I'm
28:49
curious when you just talked about the sun, I didn't think about that,
28:52
But fading, what's the possibility the likelihood of that. Yeah, so fading
28:59
can definitely be a f actor for sure. So yeah, just definitely watch
29:02
for that and direct some light things like that. Try to cover something up
29:06
with a rug. I know you don't want to come this nice floor down.
29:10
Yeah, put a rug over everything. We'll get one of those nice
29:11
indoor outdoor rugs. Just put it almost to the corners. Yeah it does.
29:17
It's just something to be conscious of, so it can't happen. But
29:19
yeah, it can't happen. So yeah, just a rug and stuff can
29:23
help with things like that. Okay, So to summarize where she's at,
29:27
if she wants to get this wood look, she could use the luxury vinyl
29:30
plank. She does want to be consider and keep in mind that she might
29:37
want to install some blinds something like that, lower that when the time comes
29:41
up, possibly a rug. Is there a better option for her to get
29:48
a kind of a wood look on a surface like that, or is that
29:52
the best way to get that look? And she's just gonna have to deal
29:55
with some of those complications. That's definitely the best for out there and that
30:00
cold and warmth, especially here in Michigan obviously with the drastic temperature changes.
30:07
But again it's just you know, a lot of maintenance whenever you do try
30:11
to do something outside the box of putting just a carpet down there that won't
30:15
shrink or expand. So let's just stretch the question. Then this is no
30:19
longer Jessica asking, I'm curious if that. I can definitely see what you're
30:26
talking about. That's got some limitations. But people have this three season type
30:29
rooms. What is the best flooring out there for that is what she had.
30:34
Maybe the best option in indoor outdoor carpet that's laid down or yeah,
30:38
that would you recommend that that's the best option for long term durability and you
30:42
know holding up, but even a carpet will fade. So again, it's
30:47
just being mindful of the sun and how much it comes in. You know,
30:49
there's a big difference if you have it on you know, your windows
30:53
are on the north side of your house versus the cell side because the direct
30:57
sun is just hitting a lot more. And then be mindful of the color
31:02
of your plank that you put in. If you put in a black,
31:04
it's going to get a lot hotter than if you put in you know,
31:07
a light gray, because that'll just absorb the heat with the black tile.
31:12
Yeah, definitely, I would, you know if I were Jessica. Jessica,
31:17
if you're listening, step out, talk to some experts, tell them
31:21
what you're working on, and they'll bring all of these things up I didn't
31:25
think about the color and the heat retention that that would bring about the fading
31:30
part of things. Just ask the questions. They'll steer you in the direction
31:33
you need to go. All right, I'm on site at Village Custom Interiors
31:37
Enviyron Center, and I'm getting your flooring questions answered. And right now,
31:41
I kind of think that we need to take a break. I'm looking at
31:44
the clock. We need to take a break, play some commercials, and
31:47
then we'll get a few more listener questions answered. So stick around, everybody,
31:49
We'll be right back. And we're back. You're listening to the Polite
32:00
Home Improvement Show sponsored by Benjamin Moore, and I'm on site at Village Custom
32:05
Interiors in Byron's Center, and I'm getting your flooring questions answered now if you
32:09
missed the first segment. Village Custom Interiors is a flooring, tile, and
32:15
cabinet showroom and they offer remodeling and new construction materials to homeowners, to builders,
32:20
remodelers, designers, pretty much everybody. Now. I'm joined right now
32:23
by Lauren Glasshauer and Jake Bennett from Village Custom Interiors, and guys, let's
32:29
just keep going with the questions. I've got a couple more I'd like to
32:30
get to, and this one's from Lynn. I love this question as well.
32:35
My husband and I are retired and we want to redo the floor in
32:37
our kitchen in our condo. I believe it's a laminate floor right now.
32:42
We want to put in a vinyl plank floor. Vinyl plank floor keeps coming
32:45
up and up and up. We've watched a lot of videos on how to
32:47
install it, and it looks like we could do it. What's your opinion.
32:51
Do you hear good results from other people who give this a try,
32:53
even old people like us. That's why I love that question. Even old
32:58
people like the like us, can old people like Lynn and her husband install
33:06
vinyl plank floors. And I guess before we get to that, maybe we
33:09
should just address you know, she mentioned that she thinks she has a laminate
33:13
floor now and she wants to switch to a luxury vinyl plank what's the difference
33:16
between those two in the first place. Let's just start with that. Yeah,
33:21
So essentially, a laminate floor is going to be a little bit better
33:25
for scratch resistance and things like that, whereas vinyl plank floor LVP is going
33:30
to be geared towards being a little bit more waterproof essentially because it has that
33:35
weirlier on top. So yeah, those are the main differences between the two.
33:39
It kind of depends on their lifestyle and things like that. You know,
33:43
if you have pets and lots of scratching and things like that is something
33:47
that you would be worried about, then lamin it for could be good for
33:52
you. Vinyl plank does do decent with scratching and things like that, but
33:55
it does have that nice waterproof weirrelayer on top, so it's to be better
34:00
for water resistance and things like that. Lamina or the vinyl plank flooring is
34:05
a little quieter to walk on too, isn't it? Or has laminate?
34:08
Laminate always used to be quite clicky. You know, it made a little
34:13
well I said it. It's clicking, yeah, walk on it. And
34:15
vinyl plank is a little softer. It doesn't quite give that feel to it.
34:20
Yes, yep, just a bit more, I would say, especially
34:22
if you have a quirk backing or something like that on your vinyl plank floor.
34:29
Quirk backing can help us a little bit with sound absorption and things like
34:31
that. I want to say, it makes the world of difference, but
34:35
it can't just help a little bit more with sound absorption things. So installation,
34:38
then let's get to the main question. Here. Can old people like
34:42
Lynn and her husband install this safely? We do, honestly, strongly recommend
34:46
that if you're not experienced installer, that you do have an expert install your
34:51
floor. With flooring, there can be so many factors that it really is
34:54
just best if an experience installer VERA fies things such as if you would need
35:00
any build up or leveling, if there are any odd angles in your home
35:05
where the floor would be butting up to things like that. Uh, if
35:08
you are paying for new flooring especially, it's just really better to be safe
35:13
than sorry. We would hate for somebody to purchase a beautiful new flooring that
35:17
can be an investment just to have the install that go according to plan,
35:21
because there can be so many factors with that. So all right, so
35:24
that's good, that's good. I get that if you are comfortable doing stuff
35:28
like this. You've done a lot of projects around the house. I've installed
35:31
some vinyl plank, and I'm kind of a dope sometimes and I did just
35:37
fine. So I think it can be done. I would, but I've
35:39
done a lot of other projects, so I wasn't completely you know, out
35:44
of my element there. I know it can be done. Maybe if you're
35:46
I really like the point you're dropping the money for the floor. You know
35:51
you want to install with it? Yes, does it need to be leveled?
35:54
Does that There's a lot of things going on with lots of factors to
35:57
make sure it's ready. Yes, for the floor to to get the best
36:00
results. And I don't believe age has any kind of factor. No,
36:05
being over fifty I can vouch. Then. No, I know I'm at
36:07
the same boat over fifty. And all of a sudden, you know,
36:10
when my dad turned forty. I was thinking about this the other day.
36:15
I remember thinking, I guess we've got to pick out a coffin. He's
36:19
almost done. It was so sad because Dad had such a good run,
36:22
and I knew it was almost over because he was forty, And oh my
36:25
goodness. When I was young, we used to say, don't trust anybody
36:29
over thirty. So yeah, that's all. That's just ridiculous. I don't
36:34
trust anybody under fifty, right, all right? Well except you Lauren?
36:37
Oh okay, thank you all right, All right, last question I've got.
36:40
This one's just a fun one. It's from Daniel. What's the newest
36:44
coolest thing in carpet right now? And it's not me, Daniel, it's
36:46
another Daniel out there. Still a good question, the newest coolest thing?
36:51
Yeah, So I would say that we're seeing a huge comeback for pattern berber
36:54
carpet, or what we're more commonly referring to now as Louke carpet, as
37:00
well as cut and loop carpet, which is essentially a mixture of a looped
37:04
in a plush carpet. We're seeing some very fun, very bold, modern
37:07
patterns that people wouldn't really expect from a looped carpet. Innerson Tough Texts is
37:13
a line that has a great selection of affordable options right now too, so
37:17
you're essentially getting a very high end looking carpet for a very good price point,
37:22
especially with Innerson Tough Texts. Places that we've been seeing this for the
37:27
most part are places like a steererunner in homes. People have really been using
37:32
the steer runner to their advantage as doing it as a fun statement in a
37:36
pop of something in their home. All right, that's all the questions I've
37:38
got with flooring. I think we're going to wrap this one up. Lauren
37:43
and Jake, thanks for letting me be in your building and ask you all
37:46
these questions. If our listeners want to get in touch, maybe they want
37:50
to follow up on some of these, Maybe they've got their own questions.
37:52
How's the best way for them to get in touch with Village Custom Interiors?
37:55
Yeah, I would say you could either fill out a form on our website.
38:00
We have a link on a website that you can fill out an inquiry
38:02
to us, or you can just go ahead and call in our showroom two
38:07
and you can set up an appointment with one of our shoom designers here and
38:10
start from there. All right, perfect, Jake and Lauren, thanks for
38:14
letting me be here. Yeah, thanks for slapping by. All right,
38:16
and there you go. Another episode in the books. If you want to
38:20
catch it again, you can find it online at repco Light dot com.
38:23
And do me a huge favor if you would find the Repco Lite Home Improvement
38:27
Show on Facebook and like and follow. That'd be great if you did.
38:30
All right, remember that there's a huge sale on Regal Select going on right
38:35
now for the remainder of the month at all repco Light stores. You can
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get Regal Select matt and Eggshell for thirty percent off the standard price, which
38:43
puts it right around the same price that you pay for box store products that
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as Ben, you can now get Regal Select at Repcolite for the rest of
38:52
July for about three bucks more a gallon. Make the switch, even if
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it's just for one project, and we don't think you're don't want to use
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anything else. It's a great product, all right. Whatever you do today,
39:02
make sure paints a part of it. Have a great weekend, everybody,
39:06
and I'll see you next week. I'm Dan Hansen. Thanks for listening.