I decided to tear out the crappy new laminate/plywood(s) to expose the original hardwood.
So this is how that went...
Before. I don't think I can fully express in words how much I can't stand cheap laminate flooring. And these were the cheapest of the cheap. Popped joints, chipped edges, scratches, dings, scuffs, and the awful installation didn't help it either.
![](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0jGMNCOaTtA/T_OEMYNY5OI/AAAAAAAABBQ/mVKce5_t0P8/s800/P6231023.jpg)
![](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hStPZRXP6Kw/T_OEOvZrm2I/AAAAAAAABCM/8u-_ZkOIM_E/s800/P6231024.jpg)
Don't you love the nice transition strip(s)? Painted wood with silicone on one side (which is grimy and impossible to clean properly), and a nice metal strip, held in place with dozens of THREE INCH screws.
![](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-I2vWNld4vKA/T_OEMokTESI/AAAAAAAABBY/VFd4KXPKAN4/s800/P6231025.jpg)
Not only did they not stagger the plywood, they also installed it over the same seams as the previous 1/4" layer. WHY?
![](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nMpbVd5L-3E/T_OENKkKYGI/AAAAAAAABBg/BLPBTEYS_nM/s800/P6231029.jpg)
The plywood came up easily because they nailed it down with DRYWALL NAILS. Yup. And you can tell by this one sheet how much of a crappy job they did by the location and quantity of nails used. Some sheets had a ridiculous amount (like 9 nails for a 12" square), and others had just a handful for a 4x8 sheet. They also randomly threw-in a few screws here and there.
![](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Gi4nZy9qnAw/T_OENEOC-uI/AAAAAAAABBo/xiKkrp0e_dg/s800/P6231035.jpg)
The first peek at the floor shows off a few issues...
![](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Q-jEgeRv3Aw/T_OENp7oBFI/AAAAAAAABBw/9yHs4cXSj1o/s800/P6231038.jpg)
Floor stripped and swept:
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OSRB5ZQWY8A/T_OEN5PIuTI/AAAAAAAABB4/qJo-8LBIpck/s800/P6231041.jpg)
And yes it looks exactly like this in person. It looks BAD. There's all kinds of carpet pad residue (who on Earth would want a carpet in the dining room??? Eww). Tons of large gaps (some that are nearly 1/4"), and a generally sickly looking colour. HOWEVER, under that, the wood looks to be fairly decent. I will refinish it providing that I can find a way to putty the cracks with something.
![](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-yplQhmgPl8w/T_OEOM6tWzI/AAAAAAAABCA/B9KPZnCWDwY/s800/P6231042.jpg)
![](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jnjprHsKRgA/T_OEOebks-I/AAAAAAAABCQ/C3bWRLao2ho/s800/P6231043.jpg)
I will also have to get creative with some patching in several (at least 8) places.
![](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lwiq3nh8Xto/T_OEOkS7JkI/AAAAAAAABCI/m3FGRrmZscM/s800/P6231045.jpg)
![](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-iwX31J5_DwA/T_OEPOmlX5I/AAAAAAAABCU/-ZaLSUBYfWM/s800/P6231046.jpg)
In this room they made no effort to rewire in a non-destructive way (unlike the office, where they passed the wires just far enough to hide it with the baseboards).
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b28A179jJl0/T_OEPYROK1I/AAAAAAAABCo/ivYtTv2Jd0w/s800/P6231047.jpg)
Hi, JC - You've mentioned it many times, but things that go wrong in remodeling invariably come down to one word — shortcut!
ReplyDeleteYou definitely have your work cut out for you on this one, but I already think it looks better than the cheap-o laminate. Keep up the great work! :-)
ReplyDelete