Mark's ideas

Reply to: With 2mm wear layer you should assume it CANNOT be refinished (Uptown mentions it is *possible but I'll just say it is not a likely scenario so assume the worst). A wood floor that cannot be refinished has a life expectancy of 15-20 years and then it will need replacement (remove and replace). That being said, like ALL WOOD FLOORS, that means the first 10 years it will look "good". And then it will start looking "tired". That phase will last for another 5-7 years. And then it will look "worn out" and ready for replacement. At the "worn out" phase, many homeowners start saving for the next floor - which can take 2-5 years to gather enough funds together. There you have it. The life cycle of a wooden floor that cannot be refinished. The wood wear layer has nothing to do with how it WEARS during this life cycle. The FINISH (polyurethane/urethane/oil/etc) is what takes ALL THE ABUSE. The daily tromping through the house. The midnight snack runs. The dog dancing at the door to go out...all of it is taken by the FINISH - not the 2mm wood itself. The 2mm wear layer is the actual "hardwood" that you "want". Everything else is filler (structural filler...but still filler). As soon as you find 3mm wear layers you can start looking at a SINGLE sand and refinish. That means your 15 - 20 year life-cycle floor just became a floor that can survive for 40 years. Once you get to 6mm thick you have a floor that can out live a human being (60 - 100 years). If your BUDGET tells you that you cannot have the 100 year floor, then don't do it. If you budget tells you that the 20 year floor is acceptable AND you feel that 20 years is "good enough" - then go for it. And remember, a HIGH END laminate ($4/sf) can give you EVERYTHING you want for the visual and still give you 20+ years of EXCELLENT service (they rarely look "worn out" like hardwood - especially the top of the line European laminates) without being a budget killer. Some people will tell you a high-end "low-grade" product is more valuable than a low-grade "premium product". You can purchase an entry level BMW for $$$$ and have nothing in it (no leather, no heated seats, no automatic transmission, no A/C) or for the same money you can buy a high-end Hyundai with EVERYTHING IN IT for the same amount of money. The argument becomes which car has more VALUE....the one with "BMW" on it and nothing else or the one with EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK in it but it is lacking a signature identity. Budgets can be manipulated to include everything you envision....it may not come with the packaging you where hoping for.

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Reply to: The one thing that no one has mentioned is that the best lighting is always in layers. I would never have just can lights in my bedroom. Can lights / down lights are usually used for general lighting, not task lighting. Bedside lamps or wall sconces are an additional layer that provide low levels of light for reading at night or when low level lighting is needed. The other thing to remember is most of the time when you are in your bedroom, your eyes are closed. No one ever wants to walk into a dimly lit bedroom, think ceiling fan/ light combo with "soft white" incandescent lamps. You also don't want to be blinded either. However, dimming the amount of light is usually much easier and cheaper than trying to add additional light fixtures. I wouldn't rule out using can lights in my bedroom, but I also wouldn't want it as my only source of light in the bedroom. I also don't agree with Renovator8's comment about the trim size for cans. A 6" can is the most commonly sized down light. Most builders use them because they are common and therefore cheap. They can designed for most common household lamps including both PAR, R style, and "A" style lamps. "A" style lamps are the pear shaped incandescent lamps that most people refer to as bulbs or lamps for their home. An "A" lamp does a great shop of spreading light, but not at delivering it. Most of the light is usually lost within the fixture. Many builders use PAR or R style lamps because due to the way the lamps are shaped, most of the light is delivered to the work space and has a decent spread. If a lamp or bulb is seen from below the ceiling plane, then two things are going on. One - the can light is cheap and not deep enough. Or two (more likely) - someone is using a lamp that is not designed for this fixture. This can be a compact fluorescent "Par" style lamp or a larger wattage R or PAR lamp. Either way, the fixture is not being used as intended. Most manufacturers of down lights have a wattage label inside the housing, but there should also be a sticker on the trim indicating the correct style of lamps to use. Whether or not someone pays attention to it is another matter. I'll get off my soapbox now. FYI - I'm a manufacturer's rep of over 100 different commercial and residential lighting lines. All I do every day is sell light fixtures and look at different lamps.

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Reply to: SJ McCarthy nailed it. Here is a link to help address some of the concerns that were mentioned. https://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/deflecto.pl Cement board on floors can be either 1/4" or 1/2" Many heat mats are also considered uncouplers allowing you to eliminate the cement board. This all depends on structural / deflection evaluation. I would also suggest considering other systems such as NU-Heat and Laticrete's Strataheat which both have the uncoupling advantage.

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Reply to: It depends. Sigh. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it is the truth. The stability of the subfloor is going to be based on your house...not the backer board. If you are on wood/joist subfloors, then you will need to find the joist spacing and match it with your subfloor thickness to find out the deflection rating for your subfloor. Then you have to look up your tiles' deflection rating requirements and see if the two are compatible. If they are, then go ahead and to some basic leveling (backer board isn't always needed) and work with the DitraHeat. If you subfloor is NOT good enough, then you are looking at a substantial floor height raise. Backer board does NOT add rigidity. Only subfloor grade plywood/OSB will do that. If you are into this level or rebuild, you might find the increased requirement for the subfloor might mean you cannot get the DitraHeat in there without having to rebuild your kitchen. No. I'm not kidding. Thinks like "dishwasher clearance" must be maintained. If you have 3/4" of clearance between your dishwasher and your counter top today, you might find that once everything has been installed, you will not have any room to put your dishwasher back into place. In fact it might stand almost 1" too tall. And then there's the fridge (if there are cabinets sitting overhead). Or the stove top sitting proud of the counter top. Or the counter top sitting too low for comfort while working in the kitchen (loss of ergonomics). And then there's the transition from one floor height to another. Oi vey. Let's start at the beginning. What is your current subfloor specifications? How many layers? Total thickness of the layers? And what type of joist spacing do you have (on-centre measurement)? What is your CURRENT floor covering?

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Reply to: High gloss finishes accented sparingly are very beautiful and effective. The benefits well outweigh a fingerprint or two. Best secret for keeping high gloss finishes (wood, paint, chrome, etc) in perfect shined condition: Wizards Mist-N-Shine Professional Detailer. We recommend it for all our clients. Use it with a microfiber cloth.

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Reply to: Thanks! It is so much more lovely in person. It is a split-faced marble 'mosaic'. The texture adds interest and just a bit of subtle sparkle.

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