[a/s] Re: Wood flooring

[kribbs4ASNET@xxxxxxxxx]

Steve, I have never noticed a plastic liner under my carpet.  It could
be the upper
facing on a pad under the carpet which 
was not on a pad we replaced.  I would
cut it out, with the carpet, then remove
the carpet carefully to keep the sand and
dirt that has sifted through on the plastic,
whether on a pad or a liner by itself.  The
idea of having something to catch the dirt
seems good; on the other hand the plastic
sheet if placed over the floor could be a
source of condensation which could lead
to rotting of the floor.

In my opinion, I would (after vac'ng up the
dirt) put down a pad under carpet; but in
the case of hardwood, you want the under
flooring on which to spread the mastic to
be smooth.  Ask about this at the place you buy your flooring.  If your
uinderfloor
is rough and/or uneven, you will want to
sand it smooth.  I understand there is a
product which can be floated-on which is
then self-leveling, but I do not know if this
is considered an undercoating or a floated
flooring  (there is such a thing!).  Be clear
on this if you want to use it rather than 
sand out  irregularities.  Be certain it is
designed to hold your hardwood (parquet or random length planking).  And
BTW,
random length flooring (in my experience)
comes in a standard length (like 5' or 6').
You cut and lay it so that it has the desired appearance of random
length. It
does make a beautiful floor, and the top
quality product has a very hard surface
(polyurethane? acrylic?).  Easy to clean
with a dustmop (get one of the new kind
which captures the dirt instead of shoving
it around).

Donald @ Port O'Call, Melbourne, FL
kribbs4ASNET@webtv.net        #2875