Home Improvement

Deathwing

<Bronze Donator>
16,409
7,407
How long do typical concrete tiles last? I have no idea how old they are, I suspect ~20 years when the previous owners converted the garage to extra space. Some of them are starting to come up. Is this just the glue starting to wear out or something more nefarious?

Note that I get ground water under my slab from time to time during heavy rain or snow melt. This leads to efflorescence pushing up through the cracks in the slab.
 

ver_21

Molten Core Raider
975
-361
How long do typical concrete tiles last? I have no idea how old they are, I suspect ~20 years when the previous owners converted the garage to extra space. Some of them are starting to come up. Is this just the glue starting to wear out or something more nefarious?

How old is the house? That concrete tile might be asbestos.
 

Deathwing

<Bronze Donator>
16,409
7,407
How old is the house? That concrete tile might be asbestos.
Built in 1972, but I don't think the tile is original. The garage was originally a garage and it was converted to a workspace I think back in 2000 and tiled then. But I can't confirm this. I just don't see a reason for a garage to be tiled.
 

Captain Suave

Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
4,785
8,097
with 3 small children, they would have fun being able to run a full loop in our house.

My current rental house has a floor plan that enables this. It's a fucking terrible idea. The kids are doing indoor laps on scooters through your bedroom at 7 AM on weekends, and whenever there are friends/family over they inevitably use that access as a cut-through to wherever they want to go. You DO NOT WANT.
 

ver_21

Molten Core Raider
975
-361
Built in 1972, but I don't think the tile is original. The garage was originally a garage and it was converted to a workspace I think back in 2000 and tiled then. But I can't confirm this. I just don't see a reason for a garage to be tiled.

Yeah I think asbestos tile was more like pre 1960s? Not sure on longevity. Probably depends on how much moisture is trying to come up through the concrete.
 

Crone

Bronze Baronet of the Realm
9,709
3,211
That company can get a tad pricey for the color blue so just use the tool to figure it out and buy some other brand. You do get what you pay for though.
Tad pricey, but Benjamin Moore paints are some of the best in the business.
 

Crone

Bronze Baronet of the Realm
9,709
3,211
My current rental house has a floor plan that enables this. It's a fucking terrible idea. The kids are doing indoor laps on scooters through your bedroom at 7 AM on weekends, and whenever there are friends/family over they inevitably use that access as a cut-through to wherever they want to go. You DO NOT WANT.
Well luckily, the room it would open up to is a storage room right now, and will be converting to an office space. You're probably right though, and should just skip it, and put some hooks on the wall for jackets if I'm really that concerned with it.
 

Deathwing

<Bronze Donator>
16,409
7,407
Does asbestos have to do with the glue wearing out? I have no idea how long these sort of things are supposed to last.
 

ver_21

Molten Core Raider
975
-361
Does asbestos have to do with the glue wearing out? I have no idea how long these sort of things are supposed to last.

Never had to work with it, but I have read that some of the grout/glue that was used with asbestos tile also has asbestos in it. If asbestos is in good shape, it's a really awesome material.
 

Captain Suave

Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
4,785
8,097
Does asbestos have to do with the glue wearing out? I have no idea how long these sort of things are supposed to last.

Asbestos fibers would be inside the tile itself as a flame retardant. If the tiles break, wear, or get abraded (especially cut by rotary tools), the asbestos filaments are sprayed into the atmosphere. Without proper PPE you breathe it in. The fibers sit in your lungs, and are so sharp that they literally cause genetic damage by puncturing cells and severing individual DNA strands. In 25-30 years you maybe get mesothelioma.
 

Deathwing

<Bronze Donator>
16,409
7,407
Ok, I get how asbestos itself is dangerous. I just want to know if my tiles should be detaching near the seams in some places. At what age does that normally start happening?
 

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
<Silver Donator>
14,445
2,226
I won't be the one buying it. I'm just trying to decide on a colour

I just did this with my house and I'll say that the online stuff will only get you so far. Lighting makes a big difference to how colors look and also it will vary a lot depending on the settings and quality of the screen you're looking at it on. I tried looking at the same webpage on my phone and on my laptop and the colors looked totally different. Use the apps to pick a general range and then get some samples and put them on the wall in the actual room you're going to paint and then look at them at different times of day and in different lighting. It's really the only way to be sure you're not going to be surprised when you open your paint can and start putting it on the wall. In my experience it's always darker on the wall than it looked in pictures or on the chip at the paint store.

paint.jpg


I also learned that if you're going to Sherwin Williams, only suckers pay full price there. They usually have a 30% or 40% off coupon on their webpage and if you are using a contractor or know one then they get the discounts automatically. When you walk into the store the paint seems crazy expensive but after the discounts it's pretty competitive.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

Captain Suave

Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
4,785
8,097
Ok, I get how asbestos itself is dangerous. I just want to know if my tiles should be detaching near the seams in some places. At what age does that normally start happening?

Sorry, misunderstood question. In theory that should never happen, if applied to a stable surface with good worksmanship. In historic buildings you can see tile that lasted 1000+ years. In practice, it can be as short as a few years if you had a shitty contractor.
 

Crone

Bronze Baronet of the Realm
9,709
3,211
Oblio Oblio So can go back this coming weekend to look at LVP flooring, and see different styles, and prices. The flooring place said they have styles from $2-$8 sq/ft. If we can keep the flooring under $3k, so $4 sq/ft I'd be happy with that, so we'll see what we can come up with. I was trying to Google search the differences between laminate and LVP, and I didn't see much. The peeling you talk about, isn't that why you have a 25 year warranty on it?
 

Oblio

Utah
<Gold Donor>
11,283
24,199
Oblio Oblio So can go back this coming weekend to look at LVP flooring, and see different styles, and prices. The flooring place said they have styles from $2-$8 sq/ft. If we can keep the flooring under $3k, so $4 sq/ft I'd be happy with that, so we'll see what we can come up with. I was trying to Google search the differences between laminate and LVP, and I didn't see much. The peeling you talk about, isn't that why you have a 25 year warranty on it?
Yeah, but look into those warranty details. What exactly does it mean? What will they actually do for you? Replace the product? Replace and re-install the product?

High traffic areas with moisture tend to look like shit in 5-10. I understand not all laminates are equal but it is laminates that I see the issue with. LVP is a superior product in my opinion.

I ended up buying mine from Lowe's because I spent over 3k they were able to further discount. I think I got a 20-30% discount taking my flooring in the $2-$3 sq/ft range.

We have boys and a dog and throw a few parties every year with 50-100 guests. My floors look still look great, though it has only been ~2 years since installed.

I always ask Contractors and Salespeople if they would put this product in their own home or their parents' home.
 

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
<Silver Donator>
14,445
2,226
Just the fact that it's waterproof put LVP over the top for me. Seen too many places where there was a leak with wood laminate and it all swells up and you throw it away. Even real hardwood is more vulnerable to water.

Check with Lumber Liquidators as well as Home Depot and Lowes. They have a lot of options and they are competitive on price.
 

Crone

Bronze Baronet of the Realm
9,709
3,211
Just the fact that it's waterproof put LVP over the top for me. Seen too many places where there was a leak with wood laminate and it all swells up and you throw it away. Even real hardwood is more vulnerable to water.

Check with Lumber Liquidators as well as Home Depot and Lowes. They have a lot of options and they are competitive on price.
Lumber Liquidators was mentioned to me, but was told what happens is they get you in the door on a good price for LVP, and then they say oh sorry, we only have 5 boxes. You need 40 boxes? Oh sorry, but we have this one over here for double the price. Or they will sell you on a floor, but it doesn't have a pad, and it's they are like oh, it's more than the LVP to get the pad that goes underneath. Just basic sales tricks, but since the place is out of the way, it turned me off to even going there.

I did look back at Home Depot, since at $3 a sq ft from this independent flooring place, that's right on for prices from Home Depot. Hmm..