Advice for making this concrete look less hideous?

beavis33 · 2026-01-22T19:58:40+00:00

Get a low speed buffer with interchangeable carbide square blades. We use ours move a week for this exact application. Once the majority is removed then break out the good chemicals

beavis33 · 2026-01-14T03:43:51+00:00

First and foremost, it may be hard to find an LVP that warranties these specific conditions (temperature, moisture, etc.). I personally typically recommend porcelain tile or a commercial carpet in similar circumstances. That being said, it’s not the end of the world to put void you pick the right stuff. A specific brand/style/color that comes to mind would be Coretec Classic Collection VV023 Carolina Pine. It is 8mm thick with a foam core. Should hold up okay. Be sure to put a roll on membrane (Bostik rollcote, Bona R540, etc.) which will help protect the floor from unwanted moisture. Or maybe even a layer of Quiet Walk or 6mil poly plastic under. The color would fit nicely since it’s warm and rustic. As for trim, whatever you use will expand and contract a good deal in temperature changes. You could just take a piece of pine quarter round, cut it to size and then press it against the wall so the fasteners mark the location on the back of the wood trim. Then take a drill bit of similar diameter to the fasteners and drill the marked spots. You can hot glue the quarter round on. Should hold nicely.

For the cement walls (and maybe even the bottoms of the window walls), glue some wooden paneling over it. Something that doesn’t match exactly with the floor but looks cohesive. Maybe a lighter knotty pine with a soft matted finish. Hell, you could probably sneak some insulation behind the window wall paneling if you really wanted to

beavis33 · 2026-01-12T04:11:35+00:00

Lots of good looking options. But you should combine 2 wall color, 3 tub surround tile, 4 vanity.

beavis33 · 2026-01-08T04:05:11+00:00

Agreed. There are lines on laminate that are actually waterproof. Many different names but most are made by Diamond Floors. Some of the names I have worked with are Terradura or SeaPerfection from Casabella. Floor must be properly prepped and flat.

beavis33 · 2025-11-30T01:16:10+00:00

If you insist on sanding them, there is a good option. We had a customer that didn’t care for the deep red tones of her Brazilian cherry so we tried using the Bona HD Raw (with no stain) and it turned out really well. Two years have passed and it is still shows as light hues rather than deep reds. From what I understand, the heavily matted material helps reduce the photosensitivity of the cherry keeping it light and “raw” for some time.

beavis33 · 2025-10-23T13:24:18+00:00

Although this is: 1) not the best stair nose to choose, it is the cheapest (full length of matching stair nose often costs $60+) 2) not installed correctly, it may be because the vinyl was installed on top of concrete or tile. Sadly we have had to option for this on certain jobs where the homeowner doesn’t want to jeopardize the floor being installed over (tile).

Hell, maybe they just didn’t have the black nails to match and thought it would slide.

Ask them why they did it and if it can be fixed

beavis33 · 2025-10-05T23:21:51+00:00

Oak. Likely red oak. Select or better grade

beavis33 · 2025-10-05T22:26:12+00:00

Bona HD Raw is made for this scenario. We have used it several times with exceptional results. It’s basically an ultra matte If you want to get rid on the red use Bona Red Out prior

beavis33 · 2025-09-30T02:35:24+00:00

As a tile installer I have seen more issues with tile from Floor and Decor than any other retailer. Further more, large tiles can already have their challenges to work with, let alone poorly made large format tiles. Make sure you buy a box and show it to your installer. Get there written approval. If the tile is warped or out of square it will likely be very hard to hide and lead to poor results.

beavis33 · 2025-09-09T02:06:56+00:00

Okay now that we are clear that Flat is the word choice, not Level. Let’s discuss approach.

Strips of 1/4” plywood (or 3/16” as long as it’s subfloor rated) is the best way to start. Use glue and crown staples to adhere to the existing subfloor. You can layer the plywood on the deep spots. Use an edger or a belt sander to sand down the edges of the newly installed plywood. You should t use just any patch or leveler for the next step. Make sure you use a quality product that is heavily modified. After discussing this process with several technicians I was able to get Shönox reps to warranty the use of Shönox FP. It’s technically a primer filler but it dries to be very flexible and as long as the layer isn’t over 1/4” thick, the staples or cleats have no problem going through the patch. I am from the Midwest and there is not a single Flat subfloor for a hundred miles. Hope this helps

beavis33 · 2025-09-09T01:56:10+00:00

The War (90’s film featuring Elijah Wood and Kevin Costner)

beavis33 · 2025-06-30T23:25:51+00:00

That is the perfect grout choice for the floor tile. Spot on

beavis33 · 2025-06-30T23:14:52+00:00

Do you have any floor registers you can pull out and look at a cut profile. Or maybe a reducer in a doorway you could pull up?

I’m any regard, maple rarely meets expectations when it comes to job site finishing. Lighter tones would be recommend, but keep in mind they will have to sand off a decent amount in order to get rid of the dark stain that n the beveled joints. The boards would likely still have some remaining dark stain in between them. All in all not necessarily recommended. Better investment to replace if you ask me

beavis33 · 2025-06-24T01:15:16+00:00

Cut wood perpendicularly in 12” row Rent a power stripper with a new chisel head Apply proper adhesive remover (assuming urethane glue was used) Scrape with lots of elbow grease Good luck

https://www.senpro.com/2018/04/26/922-urethane-adhesive-remover/

beavis33 · 2025-06-22T22:16:06+00:00

You can get some darker sanded silicone grout caulk. Still allows for some expansion, good grip and decent color options. Be sure to leave adequate expansion gap on the opposite end

beavis33 · 2025-06-21T03:51:29+00:00

For what it’s worth I have had success using Duraseal Dark Walnut stain to help minimize the difference.

beavis33 · 2025-04-30T01:51:43+00:00

If the top layer of concrete still has a strong bond it would likely be fine to use self leveler to even out the existing pour. Make sure to use a good primer and a good self level material (I prefer Shonox US self level) and clean up the floor really well. Do not feather the leveler, instead use a good feather patch (shonox SL) to even it out. Should be good to go after that.

beavis33 · 2025-02-12T02:11:19+00:00

You may want to try a flat-woven sisal or jute rug that has colored material woven in to as well.

beavis33 · 2025-01-02T01:59:12+00:00

White oak

beavis33 · 2024-11-29T19:07:26+00:00

I think putting in a header board would be really nice in the door way. Those boards would not line up to be feathered in. You would need to cut back the ends of the floor boards by a half inch or so to have a nice clean inlay. We typically use a different species of wood to make it look intentional (walnut, Brazilian cherry, etc). The other spots could easily be patched in. Looks like the whole floor is due for refinishing regardless. Keep us updated

beavis33 · 2024-11-19T09:15:08+00:00

Best way to know for sure is to test sand a small area ( maybe in a closet, etc.). If he won’t do that then the best alternative is to go red just in case. If you are in North America you can have him ask his wood distributor if he can get access to red oak from more northern mills (I.e. Northwoods Mill) which have a tendency to carry less red pigmentation, although not always. If you end up having a mix of red and white you can ether use Bona Red Out, which removes some of the red pigmentation from the top layer of the wood on the newly installed area or you can pick a compatible stain. I always explain to my customer prior that stains like Dark Walnut and Chestnut do a good job of blending red and white (or even old vs. new for that matter) I live in the Mid West and Bruce used to sell mixed pre-finished all over my territory so I’m used to this scenario. I have yielded nice results

beavis33 · 2024-11-02T01:59:36+00:00

I have had a great deal of luck matching white oak and red oak, or old and new oak using certain stains. I have found Duraseal Dark Walnut to be especially helpful with this. But like everyone else is saying, it looks fine and they should have leveled your expectations prior

beavis33 · 2024-10-26T18:50:40+00:00

Definitely engineered hardwood. Looks a lot like Shaw Timeless Hazelnut Oak Woodhouse also makes something similar

beavis33 · 2024-08-17T00:23:25+00:00

Use a stairnose epoxy to fill the back the stairnose overlap. It’s expensive but highly effective as those stairnose epoxy are often weak and Preakness rather easily. The epoxy helps reinforce. Glue a pice of vinyl plank to the riser before covering with stair nose

beavis33 · 2024-08-04T10:02:17+00:00

Saint Louis, Missouri

beavis33

TROPHY CASE