"Naturcor installation tips wanted," in the Vinyl Flooring Q&A forum, begins: "Greetings All,
We are planning to install about 1100 sq/ft of the wood look Naturcor. Due to the huge size ..."
We are planning to install about 1100 sq/ft of the wood look Naturcor. Due to the huge size it will certainly be glued and extra care given to the seams. As avid DIYers we've done a complete master bath, everything from spa tub to ceramic tile among other thinsg so we feel comfortable taking this on.
We’ve hit our normal contractor consultants up for advice but most are not familiar with this material. So I am looking for those nuggets of insight that make the job go more smoothly and turn out well.
A few details I'm sure you all need.
The install will be a below grade basement. We do not currently have any water issues (fixed via a sump pump and drain tile years ago). The existing floor is partially cement slab and ceramic tile. I have nearly all the ceramic tile ripped out already (my version of a gym membership). What is left is some mortar. Some places it is really stuck and the only things that have gotten it to budge are a grinder (thanks to my dad) and a chisel. Neither is my first choice for getting the rest of the mortar up. Both have their time issues and while I have a respirator I don't want to have to empty my basement and tape the doors due to dust.
How smooth does the slab have to be for a successful install? Meaning how much of that left over mortar do I need to get up or smooth out?
Oh one other thing. Under the tile in some areas is a black substance that seems to be completely affixed to the floor. It is not raised at all, but clearly was something other than the cement.
Sounds like cutback (potential problem) or black thin spread (a pain, but not an environmental problem) adhesive. A more detailed description would help as well as the age of the tile. This would give us quite a bit more to go on. If all the tile isn't up, a photo showing the tiles and black residue would be great!
The ceramic is nearly all up and just has the remnants of the grayish/brownish mortar left on the cement slab. The other black area I imagine was left over from previous tile at some point in the house’s past.
We did find a few small tile pieces under the ceramic. They had just popped and come up when we took up the ceramic. We tried as best as possible to clean that area up and wipe it down with a damp rag to capture any dust from the small pieces of mystery tile. Asbestos is certainly a concern since the house is over 40yrs old. We did not find any other "hidden leftovers" under the regular ceramic.
I hated to pull that ceramic tile up but they used 6X6 white tiles with red grout. And well let's just say it’s more than a little bit crooked and white tile and 4 kids don't work well together. I will try to get a photo that's not too large to post up a little later. I want to make sure that the pressure sensitive glue for the Naturcor doesn't react with anything already on the floor. Back to the mine... I'm working my way with the small chisel now.
... I will try to get a photo that's not too large to post up a little later.
If you use our upload feature, you can upload some pretty big pictures. They will show as smaller thumbnail images in your post, but fill the screen when you click on them. Here's a tutorial, if you need it: http://www.thefloorpro.com/community...-in-posts.html
So if this is cutback, do I need to remove it or can I find a PSA that will be compatible and not bleed/yellow? Seems like not an easy job based on a little googling. And not something to play around with either. Hmm, should have known this flooring deal would not be so easy. No home renovation project is. I suppose I talk myself into thinking it will be so I'll attempt it
Susan
So if this is cutback, do I need to remove it or can I find a PSA that will be compatible and not bleed/yellow? Seems like not an easy job based on a little googling. And not something to play around with either. Hmm, should have known this flooring deal would not be so easy. No home renovation project is. I suppose I talk myself into thinking it will be so I'll attempt it
Susan
You just have to cover the cutback and make the whole floor smooth as can be. Busting that thin set off without disturbing the asbestos fibers........................ .not so sure that's possible.
Well if we can't work this out I am a bit screwed. We've already purchased the material and made a hell of a mess in the basement. Is the "over my DIY head" factor the difficulty of the project or the dealing with the cutback leftover. I don't have $$$ to spend fixing this with a contractor, but need to get in some shape to be useable/livable. Options and ideas beyond just contracting out would be useful. That is just NOT an option right now.
Well if we can't work this out I am a bit screwed. We've already purchased the material and made a hell of a mess in the basement. Is the "over my DIY head" factor the difficulty of the project or the dealing with the cutback leftover. I don't have $$$ to spend fixing this with a contractor, but need to get in some shape to be useable/livable. Options and ideas beyond just contracting out would be useful. That is just NOT an option right now.
***
You've already done enough demo to raise up some possible health/safety issues and I think that's the greater concern. The equipment and skill needed to prep that floor well are a secondary concern in my opinion. Even without any asbestos in the glue that floor would need more scraping, grinding, sanding, floating out with cement floor patch and then skim coated til smooth and flat. It's not so easy to determine from pictures if that's just a few hours work for any old DIY or if it's really something better left to the expert. It doesn't look pretty from what we can see.
From my experience floor prep is far more complicated and difficult for my apprentices to learn to do correctly than installation. Especially with these types of newer, high quality, cushioned, residential vinyls there's not ALL THAT much that can wrong with the installation IF the floor prep is done well.
i give. i'm calling my contractor. suppose we can get him to do just the floor prep and still do the install. there goes the vacation $$ for the summer...
thanks
This is for the original poster...have you completed your project w/ the Natucor? We are looking to do the same, but w/ a bit more footage and over a painted sub-floor. I'm curious as to how it all installed. We are DIY'ers as well, but for some reason am apprehensive about this project. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks!
