The Complete Guide to Flooring (Black & Decker) [Paperback]

Editors of Creative Publishing (Author), The Editors of Creative Publishing international (Author)

Book Description

Series: Black & Decker Complete Guide | Publication Date: July 1, 2003

The Complete Guide to Flooring is the only truly comprehensive flooring book available, combining information on using flooring as a design element with complete step-by-step instructions for installing virtually any type of flooring-classic standards to the newest materials. The book covers ceramic tile, terrazo, natural stone, terra cotta, hardwood, wood laminate, floating plank, carpet, vinyl sheet, resilient tiles, cork, carpet tiles, leather, and the new plastic laminates. In addition, readers will learn how to repair problems with all types of flooring, how to soundproof and insulate floors, how to refinish hardwood floors, and how to create decorative paint finishes on wood floors.

Flooring is one of the most visible finish surfaces in a home, and serves to unify the entire interior design. With this in mind, The Complete Guide to Flooring opens with an exciting idea section that shows the many ways in which flooring can enhance the appearance and function of a home. Following this is a chapter that introduces all types of flooring, discussing their merits and limitations. Next, a planning section shows all the preliminary steps-measuring, removing old flooring, evaluating and repairing the subfloor, estimating and ordering flooring. Then comes the heart of the book-complete instructions on how to install all types of flooring, with complete, easy-to-understand, step-by-step details.

With no aspect of home flooring left unexamined, The Complete Guide to Flooring is destined to become a home improvement classic.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The editors of Creative Publishing international have created dozens of best-selling titles in the fields of home repair, home improvement, home decor, and landscaping.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Creative Publishing international (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589230922
• ISBN-13: 978-1589230927
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #992,258 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Interior Design > Floors

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great flooring book, May 24, 2005

By 

J. Holland (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Flooring (Black & Decker) (Paperback)

I've only helped a neighbour lay a wooden floor before so I needed all the help i could get. This book is informative with good pictures and ideas. It details everything from the tools you need to the different types of flooring and how to lay them
I now feel confident to embark on purchasing and laying my own wooden floor. Highly recommended for a beginner

52 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something To Stand On, April 27, 2004

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Flooring (Black & Decker) (Paperback)

I suspect that one of the most insane decisions in my life is deciding to redo my kitchen - on my own. This makes all kinds of practical sense, given what labor costs. But I am incorrigibly un-handy. But in a fit of pseudo-parsimony (you never really save any money doing something yourself - you just buy tools instead of labor) and a determination to recover my macho I have sailed into the unknown of plumbing, cabinetry, plastering, tiling, and, worst of all, flooring.

No sooner did it become obvious that replacing the floor was inevitable than I realized that I was completely clueless about what to use and how to go about it. Of course there is no lack of people who will tell you what they would do, but this is one of those things that you live with forever and it needed to be wholly what I wanted. At this point I scanned the shelf of the local handyman's heaven and found this little cheery volume.

For the most part it's quite practical. Chapters on planning, design, and preparation nurse you through the start up and dreaded removing of the old floor stages. Then there are chapters on hardwood floors, ceramic and stone floors, resilient flooring, and carpeting. More follows on finishing and repair. More than enough to answer the basic questions of how to close the knowledge gap and make a sensible decision about how to proceed.

There are countless photos, and the writing style is clear, even if it is a bit dull. Of course, dull is a good thing when making a major household change. One gets excited when the day is over and the job done, not by unexpected drama in the kitchen. This seems as good a reference as any I've seen, and covers far more than I ever wanted to know. I expect that someday soon my cats will be walking on something entirely new. Complaining as they go, of course.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too simplistic, July 27, 2007

By 

Karaya (NH USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Flooring (Black & Decker) (Paperback)

I've bought this book for my laminate floor project. The book turned out to be a disappointment: it gives no more information than I found on a leaflet from a laminate crate. With great details and pictures it explains very basic things, like it targeted for a 6-years old doing his school science project. But it omits really important details and nuances: how to calculate a layout so you wouldn't end up with the 1-inch wide last row, where to use which molding and how to install it, and so on. And if some unexperienced and not technically-inclined person starts his project using only this book, he very quickly may find himself in the troubles, with lot of materials and time wasted.