Fine, I'll do it myself

[mousme]

Having been told that it would cost me a minimum of $700 to replace the little section of floor in my dining room (that the cats ruined: thank you, Feline Forces of Entropy), I am seriously considering doing it myself, given that the cost of materials would be about 1/3 that price.

Has anyone on my flist replaced hardwood flooring before? It's the stuff made out of little squares... *rummages online to find a picture*

Okay, this:




I figure it can't possibly be that hard to do, given time, application, and the right tools. So I appeal to you, dear flist: what the hell kind of tools would I need for this? I'd need to pull up the existing floor, and then put down the new one. I know I need the wood itself (it comes in convenient packages) as well as the glue-stuff to stick it in place, but what else? Is there a specific tool to pull up the floor, or can I use the back end of a hammer?

Eventually I will know how to do all this myself, but right now I'm still at the bottom of the learning curve.

Comments

[quietlyurban.livejournal.com]

From my limited experience with this (seeing my parents-in-law replace/renew theirs) you can replace small sections but colour matching might be difficult.

As I recall, the parquet tiles are stuck to the floor with a thick sort of black glue substance. My parents-in-law laid the parquet tiles themselves and then got a specialist in to sand and seal the floor afterwards. I imagine that both of the latter could have been done with the right tools and time.

I think the problem with getting someone in to do the work from scratch will add up in terms of labour costs, i.e. ripping up the old floor will take time. If this is the case, then see if you can hire someone cheaper to do or assist with the grunt work, i.e. a handyman might cost less per hour to rip up the floor than a flooring specialist.