The colored flakes come with some kits or they are available
separately online. The flakes break up the solid color of the floor
and add traction to the finish. You just sprinkle them into the wet
epoxy as you go along. I stopped using the VCT tile because it
seems all my tenants fry everything they eat in grease and it would
splatter onto the VCT floor in front of the stove and release the
adhesive holding the tiles down. I would have to put down new
underlayment and VCT in the kitchen after almost every tenant. Not
anymore.
Aside from bombing a house before you enter…is there anything I can spray on myself to keep from bringing them out with me? Will any mosquito repellant with deet do the job? I am not comfortable with deet but also not thrilled with bringing home fleas.
I used to be an exterminator. I went into two of my rental homes and got bitten around my waist line. We stopped counting at 100. Here’s what I do now. Do cover yourself as completely as possible as the little critters are starving because their food source, cats, dogs etc. have left. Spray yourself with a good quality repellent containing DEET but make sure to not spray on plastic type clothing ie. polyester. DEET can melt them. Spray around ankles, waist etc. Get some DE, diatemecous earth from a garden store or pool store. This is a powder made up of ground sea shells. Sprinkle very lightly all over the house but mostly on carpet and near walls. You do this because after you have killed the fleas with bug bombs the eggs survive and hatch. When the baby fleas jump and land the DE is like daggers that bust their exoskeleton. Set off bug bombs in every room. Make sure to follow bug bomb instructions to the letter and start in farthest room first working your way out. Vacuum the DE up from the carpet in a few days as you need time for the eggs to hatch. Mop it off of the hard floors a day after bombing if you want. I’d sweep some under baseboards too.
I carry a pair of white socks in a ziploc bag. I spray legs w/Off! & walk through the house in white-stockinged feet (the better to see the fleas). When ready to leave I put the socks back in the bag, spraying w/insecticide before sealing. I try not to wear long pants during these visits, but if I happen to be wearing jeans I roll up the legs as high as possible before entering.
BTW, if you decide to buy a flea-infested home, know that bug bombs won’t get rid of them. It is cheaper by far to have a pro come in & treat. However, even then you’ll probably continue to have fleas until the carpet is removed. I NEVER install carpet in my rental homes & have very few rooms in my own home carpeted.
Not sure what class of rentals you have,I have all low end Sect. 8 rentals. We glue and screw down a layer of luan over the subfloor then caulk all the seams and edges and coat with garage floor epoxy. It looks good and after each tenant we only have to wash with a commercial de-greaser and apply another coat of epoxy. Once the luan is down it is less than $250 to re-coat an entire 700 sq. ft. house.
I mostly use laminate, though vinyl in most kitchens & baths. I’ve never had to replace laminate. Have used it in my own house since 1996. I use a Swifter for small cleanups (make my own washable pads out of old towels, t-shirts & velcro). I don’t like to spend $$$ on the expsensive solutions, so I water down alcohol. For heavier cleaning I use a steam mop (cheap from Amazon, not the Shark junk advertised on TV). I also make my own replacement pads for the steam mop, as mine are thicker & almost FREE to make.
If you aren’t too far over the state line from NC & have several homes to laminate, I might be able to send down my floor layers.
Re: going into a flea house - Posted by Kristine-CA
Posted by Kristine-CA on July 10, 2011 at 13:51:15:
Clinton: I’m interested in your inexpensive flooring solution. Luan is
pretty thin and…do you ever get any imperfections showing through
and or any major dents/scratches from appliance dragging? Are you
using it all rooms, including kitchen and bath? And I’m curious what
color you are using, as I’m guessing a smooth painted floor will look
like… a garage. I do like the cleanable factor though.
Kristine. We make sure the subfloor is fairly flat before we begin
then trowel down a bed of adhesive with a V notch trowel, and
screw down with drywall screws. The luan lays flat and the epoxy
fills in the screw indentations. Here are some photos of one I did a
few months ago http://s840.photobucket.com/albums/zz327/clintonallanbeck/2732%2
0Surrey/
When we slid the range in it did leave black streaks from the plastic
feet on the range but they wiped right up with windex, no dents or
scratches though. As for colors you can have the epoxy tinted just
about any color, I usually just use the standard grey right off the
shelf.
Holy cats…someone came up with something cheaper
than I do it…LOL
I’m gonna give this a try in a few places of mine.
Geesh…kitchens are really tough
on vynal…and sometimes laminate (not so much).
I almost always do laminate, but epox would be much
faster and even cheaper still.
Re: going into a flea house - Posted by Kristine-CA
Posted by Kristine-CA on July 10, 2011 at 18:06:30:
Thanks so much for the pictures. Are you adding the colored flakes, or
does the epoxy come mixed to have speckles? It looks like old school
linoleum or commercial vinyl tile, which I like compared to most sheet
goods and peel and stick available out there. And the cost of install
and ease of repair is right. I don’t know if I would do an entire house
but I like the idea of it in the kitchen, bath and utility areas. Thanks for
sharing.