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  • Removing sand paint and installing hardwood floors

    Now that we've taken possession of our house in Pa, I have a couple of projects. The house was built in '68 and has plaster walls, not sheetrock. The PO had sand paint on all the walls and ceilings...not exactly our tastes. I'd like to remove the sand paint. I'm thinking 80 grit on the sanding poles the spacklers use. Next up are the floors. Right now looks like 40+ YO wall to wall with plywood underneath. I'd like to install oak hardwood. I've never done it but I'm sure I could do it, any advice for a noob???
    Tom
    Overdrive is overrated



  • #2
    Re: Removing sand paint and installing hardwood floors

    No clue on the sand paint thing. Might be a real PITA.

    On the floors - I did Pergo at the house in Ann Arbor and would use it again. It's surprisingly tough. We had a gravel driveway and the Pergo seemed to hold up to the traffic pretty well. Not too hard to lay if you have a decent chop saw - I used my $99 Harbor Freight special - and I laid it on the diagonal to hide the crooked walls (100 YO house).

    We have wall-to-wall here and ME wants some kind of hard flooring in most of the house (I actually LIKE carpet) so I've been kicking it around. We're on a slab and I know you have to take care to assure that no mold builds up behind it. On your floors it should go pretty easily.

    Dan

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    • #3
      Re: Removing sand paint and installing hardwood floors

      Preppin plaster walls.YUCK!!!!!!Previous owner of our house used a neutral colored wall paper through everywhere but the kitchen,dining room.Those walls didnt have sand paint but were still a Biotch to get to look good with paint.Next time I'll get rid of the plaster lath and use sheetrock."If there is a next time" ;D Maybe someone has some tricks of the trade.

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      • #4
        Re: Removing sand paint and installing hardwood floors

        If Keith doesn't chime in you might want to send him a PM. He does LOTS of this kind of stuff, being a slumlord in Enterprise. J/K, of course. He has some really nice homes that they rent out. Still, he does the rehab himself and may have come across these issues. Also, Steve (rightpedal) does a ton of this type of thing for a living and may have insite.

        Dan

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        • #5
          Re: Removing sand paint and installing hardwood floors

          Originally posted by DanStokes
          If Keith doesn't chime in you might want to send him a PM. He does LOTS of this kind of stuff, being a slumlord in Enterprise. J/K, of course. He has some really nice homes that they rent out. Still, he does the rehab himself and may have come across these issues. Also, Steve (rightpedal) does a ton of this type of thing for a living and may have insite.

          Dan
          Thanks Dan, I'll do that if he doesn't.
          Tom
          Overdrive is overrated


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          • #6
            Re: Removing sand paint and installing hardwood floors

            Yeah it's one of the few times I'd rent the pole orbital sander and use automotive disc's on it.... seriously Sanded paint sucks out loud....

            Other then that....take the 15minute paint class at Lowes and have the hell at it... it's all just work...

            K

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            • #7
              Re: Removing sand paint and installing hardwood floors

              lumber liquidators

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              • #8
                Re: Removing sand paint and installing hardwood floors

                as for the paint..
                if you have a friend that does bodywork, and has a 24" air board... get it.. and rent a compressor if you have to..
                it'll make the walls flatter and less waves..
                and with 80 grit it'll knock it down fast

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                • #9
                  Re: Removing sand paint and installing hardwood floors

                  You are going to spend a lot of time sanding that crap off, it sucks bad. I did this once and if I come across it again, i will dry wall over it. Much faster and the walls will be fresh when you are done.
                  Hardwood is a piece of cake. Rent the proper nailer though. Buying the pre-finished stuff is a lot more expensive but you will be done in a fraction of the time with very limited mess.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Removing sand paint and installing hardwood floors

                    Man you pick some fun stuff to do on your day off!

                    On sanded paint we use 5" orbital sanders with 40/60 grit hooked up the big shop vac. The ridged one at HD is the current preferred unit (vac hook ups are nice). It doesn't take that long to knock the tops off. I don't get too crazy with the sanding because I'm pretty good with dry wall blades and I have a really nice screen sander. Depending on sq foot you might want to farm it out but finding some one good is the trick.

                    Doubling up on the drywall with plaster below is not a good idea. Use masks and protection lead is not your freind.

                    Hard woods are fairly easy till you try to stand up the next day. I take up the trim and use a back cut saw on the door jams. I never liked the finish a jam saw gives. One of the guys on here used the jam saw to rout out all the trim (I thought it was a pretty god idea) and tucked the floor underneath with some shoe to hide the gap. Screw down the sub floor, it will still creak but you will feel better about it. Rent a air nailer your forearms will thank you. Use junk pieces of floor as sacrificial pounder blocks. Make sure your first row is dead straight or you will know about 4 rows out. Precut and lay out 4 to 8 rows with random placement (keep end joints from lining up and avoid stairs) nail them home and start over. Pros lay out as much floor as possible before they start nailing but I can't do the repetitive movement.

                    I am assuming you are going with prefinished because sand and stain is a whole other story.

                    PM me or email me with your # I will be happy to trade build advise for electrical advise.
                    [email protected]

                    Steve
                    Well I have stopped buying stuff for cars I don't own. Is that a step in the right or wrong direction?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Removing sand paint and installing hardwood floors

                      Originally posted by rightpedal
                      Man you pick some fun stuff to do on your day off!

                      On sanded paint we use 5" orbital sanders with 40/60 grit hooked up the big shop vac. The ridged one at HD is the current preferred unit (vac hook ups are nice). It doesn't take that long to knock the tops off. I don't get too crazy with the sanding because I'm pretty good with dry wall blades and I have a really nice screen sander. Depending on sq foot you might want to farm it out but finding some one good is the trick.

                      Doubling up on the drywall with plaster below is not a good idea. Use masks and protection lead is not your freind.

                      Hard woods are fairly easy till you try to stand up the next day. I take up the trim and use a back cut saw on the door jams. I never liked the finish a jam saw gives. One of the guys on here used the jam saw to rout out all the trim (I thought it was a pretty god idea) and tucked the floor underneath with some shoe to hide the gap. Screw down the sub floor, it will still creak but you will feel better about it. Rent a air nailer your forearms will thank you. Use junk pieces of floor as sacrificial pounder blocks. Make sure your first row is dead straight or you will know about 4 rows out. Precut and lay out 4 to 8 rows with random placement (keep end joints from lining up and avoid stairs) nail them home and start over. Pros lay out as much floor as possible before they start nailing but I can't do the repetitive movement.

                      I am assuming you are going with prefinished because sand and stain is a whole other story.

                      PM me or email me with your # I will be happy to trade build advise for electrical advise.
                      [email protected]

                      Steve
                      Thanks Steve!

                      Most of the sand paint is subtle, don't know how crazy I'll go in removing it. I was thinking along your line too of just knocking off the high points and calling it a day. I wasn't planning on doubling up on the rock either. This house has radiant electric heat in the plaster ceiling....something I've never heard nor seen before. No base board heaters. The PO who had the house built said there are heating elements in the plaster....I'll have to check this out more. Coal was his primary source of heat in the winter.

                      As for the flooring....I guess about 1200 sqft. Thanks for the tips and I'm sure I'll be chatting with you. I'll help you with electrical questions any time ;D Maryland, heh....wanna visit beautiful Tunkhannock PA?
                      Tom
                      Overdrive is overrated


                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Removing sand paint and installing hardwood floors

                        electric coils in the horsehair plaster.. fire waiting to happen..
                        never seen it.. and rad heat is most times in floor as heat rises , if the ceiling is high enough, fans might be a good idea to get the head down to the living area, and use less power to do it..
                        I'd take a long look at that system or pay someone that knows..

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                        • #13
                          Re: Removing sand paint and installing hardwood floors

                          The radiant company I used to do sub work for in Montana would lay tube in the ceiling as a retro fix when they couldn't put it any where else. As far as your situation I agree with Ironhead disconnect that crap. 70-80s construction what do you want to bet they ran power with aluminum. Yuck!

                          Sounds like you need a good old fashion wood stove.... or the lottery ticket and some geo thermal.

                          As for the flooring....I guess about 1200 sqft. Thanks for the tips and I'm sure I'll be chatting with you. I'll help you with electrical questions any time Grin Maryland, heh....wanna visit beautiful Tunkhannock PA?

                          I would love to... weren't there whisperings of a BS east?

                          Steve

                          Well I have stopped buying stuff for cars I don't own. Is that a step in the right or wrong direction?

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                          • #14
                            Re: Removing sand paint and installing hardwood floors

                            alum wire, fun fun... great for the electric bill also..
                            last year when copper went sky high I thought they'd start that crap again.. maybe it's not code now..
                            in 2000 a 100foot roll of 12-3 was 25 bucks..
                            last roll was 92.00 this year..

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                            • #15
                              Re: Removing sand paint and installing hardwood floors

                              Sand paint - the home owners answer to cracked plaster they just can't fix!

                              The house I grew up in (my sister lives there now) was built in 1926, concrete block, stucco on the outside, wet plaster on the inside.

                              I would seriously consider putting 1/4" drywall over the top if we're talking about a room or two - the mess created by sanding will wreak havoc on the whole house.

                              Needles to say - WEAR A MASK!

                              You might also consult with a professional real old time genuine plasterer - a talented person with the proper consistency mud, the right paddle and a great deal of skill - could "float out" the entire area filling in the voids of the sand paint with "mud" and make it all smooth again. They can probably do it amazingly quickly too. This is a truly viable option if the paint is in good condition - and would mean much less dust and turmoil!

                              Are the walls well insulated? Now's the time to find out - if not - easy choice - tear all the walls down to the studs - insulate - run any new wiring you may want (cat five, coax, and regular 110 power) - drywall, and enjoy the modern upgrades of wiring (additional circuits are always a good thing to add to an older home) and enjoy lower heating and cooling bills!
                              There's always something new to learn.

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