Pavers as Kitchen Flooring - Comments
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Where can I purchase brick pavers for use in a large dinning room? I would like them to look old.
thank you in advance for your help.
Erma
Erma Caballero at October 27, 2008 11:08 AM
Posted by: Erma Caballero at October 27, 2008 11:08 AMHi Erma,
For truly old pavers, you could always try to find reclaimed pavers - these are removed from other houses, usually old ones, and you'll be guaranteed of getting something that already has seen a lot of action.
New pavers can be bought at your big box stores (Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.) and through smaller companies. If you go to google.com and type in "brick pavers" (with the quotes) you're bound to find some. Speaking with some local contractors should furnish you with some leads as well - for both old and new pavers. Best of luck!
The Flooring Lady at October 30, 2008 07:24 AM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at October 30, 2008 07:24 AMI just had my old brick pavers cleaned by a professional cleaning service. It was expensive and it looks terrible. It left so many spots supposedly because it was an older floor (it's in the kitchen). They said you should only clean it with vinegar & water. Is there anything that would be safe to use on it without ruining the sealer that would bring it back to life. It now looks so dull. Help!
Beverly at November 8, 2008 11:56 AM
Posted by: Beverly at November 8, 2008 11:56 AMHi Beverly, Just because it's an old floor doesn't mean it's going to look dull because it was refinished. It would be helpful it you'd describe in more detail how large these spots are, the color, etc. I'm guessing they're rather large spots and look whitish or milky? This would make me believe that the sealer wasn't applied evenly.
If you use the search function (or even at your favorite search engine) you should be able to find various things to try to thin out the sealer on these problem areas. It will also probably be a big help if you can find out what kind of sealer this 'professional' used. IMHO, this person isn't too 'professional' if he'll leave you with a spotty floor from a most unprofessional sealer application. He should be fixing it for you! Fixing it might include using a chemical or buffing it out.
He's correct about the vinegar/water - use 1 part of vinegar to 15 or 20 parts water. Using a good quality microfiber mop really works wonders too. Have a spare (mop or mop head) to dry mop the floor afterwards to kinda buff or polish it. It really helps to have two buckets - one with the solution, one with clean water to clean the mop off before dunking back in the solution bucket. Keeps from depositing dirt back onto your floor that you just removed from the floor! ;~)
The Flooring Lady at November 9, 2008 10:08 AM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at November 9, 2008 10:08 AMThank you for your reply. The floor is brown and it cleaned well it's just darker spots in areas and they tend to look like stains. He said it was probably from using Mop & Glow at some time, even if it was just once! They did reimburse me for the sealer. To me the sealer did not look like it did anything! The reimbursement helped but I definitely remain unhappy about spending so much money for something that I am not happy with.
Beverly at November 9, 2008 01:30 PM
Posted by: Beverly at November 9, 2008 01:30 PMYeah, very well could be and that stuff is a nightmare to remove - as well as products such as Orange Glo. Ugh.
I don't know what kind of a finish you were wanting vs. what you used, but keep in mind that there are sealers made for no-sheen (flat) all the way to high-sheen (glossy). So, say you want a shiny floor and the sealer didn't do that, you just need to use a sealer (same type) that's high-sheen. Sometimes you have to buff for a really super high-sheen. There's also actual floor finishes or waxes. The best thing to do is to call the manufacturer and tell them which product you used, what kind of outcome you expected, what kind of result you got and what to do to get 'what you expected'. Geez, I hope that makes sense to you. The point is that not all products can be used together and if you need to use a different product you need to find out what is compatible with what you've already used. This is of course, assuming that you're not wanting to go through with stripping everything and starting over and decide to just live with the darker spots.
The Flooring Lady at November 10, 2008 01:51 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at November 10, 2008 01:51 PMwe just moved into a new house from florida and haven't been around a whole lot of bricking inside a house so my husband thought it would be a good idea to mop it down with bleach (ugh the smell was horrible) now there are white spots on the bricking here and there. it is in our living room and is a pretty big space. i was wondering what i can put on it to make it look shiny and clean and maybe get rid of the white spots for thanksgiving? thanks in advance for any help! :) and happy holidays!
leah at November 20, 2008 08:44 AM
Posted by: leah at November 20, 2008 08:44 AMsorry i forgot to add that it does look like there use to be a finish or something on it in a few spots because it is yellow but for the most part it is all gone and pretty much natural bricking. im not trying to make it look perfect just a little shiny and maybe help with sweeping?
leah at November 20, 2008 08:49 AM
Posted by: leah at November 20, 2008 08:49 AMHi Leah, What do you think the white spots are? Something that got bleached or does it seem powdery. If it's powdery or crystalline then it might be efflourescence, natural minerals that travel up through the stone when it gets wet. If so, you'll need something to get rid of the efflourescense. You should probably strip the few remaining spots that still have a sealer or finish on them. This will prep the floor for sealing. You can get sealers that are no or low sheen, medium (satin) sheen, glossy, etc. Aqua Mix has a good line of products. Even if you don't buy this product, you should still look over the info on the different products to get an idea of what you want to use.
Wander over to the page Brick Flooring to read up there.
You'll find that a good sealer helps loads to keep your floors clean. Usually all you'll need is to damp mop them with water or vinegar and water using a microfiber mop, then go back over it with a dry microfiber mop or rag to kinda polish it. Don't be stingy with the sealer either - remember, this is what protects your floor!
The Flooring Lady at November 20, 2008 02:42 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at November 20, 2008 02:42 PM
Hi,
I have brick pavers (concrete pavers), what type of sealer would you recommend for a natural look. We also some new pavers an area that does not have any seal at all and have a white dusty color on them. How can I add the sealer to the entire area and include the new area as well so it all matches? I would like the pavers to look like true pavers. I heard about a wax that you could put over them, then add a sealer. Thank you for your help!
Angie Galatas at January 11, 2009 07:33 AM
Posted by: Angie Galatas at January 11, 2009 07:33 AMComment Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
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