Ignoring the foundation leakage and cracks is never a good idea. As time goes these leaks and cracks widen increasing the repairing cost. Urethane injection and drainage tile repair are effective solutions of such problems. The first process is simple and cost efficient while the later one is expensive and lengthy.

Before choosing any foundation repair services it’s better to have a proper estimate of cost for any process preferred. Generally the estimate will depend on a number of aspects. The degree of damage and the duration of time taken by the contractor to fix the square footage area will have prominent effect on the estimate. The experience and skill of the service provider must affect the estimate as well. It’s obvious that more damage will cost more money off course.

Repairing damaged stones always costs higher. The damage of stones causes the variation in repairing cost. Repairing smaller stones will be more expensive due to its repairing difficulties. Repairing leakage and cracks that are caused by water are more costly. Removal or redirection of water leakage source is quite a time-consuming process that requires more time. These factors increase the expense of such repairs.

A number of companies provide the foundation repairing services. Choosing the contractor for a certain job is also essential. One must confirm the contractor’s references before choosing any specific company. It is always better to arrange at least three configurations of cost and make a revised decision on choosing the best and affordable service. One must remember that the companies may offer affordable prices but it’s better to go with the one having experience on critical repairing as such. Better quality of work always demands higher wages.

As you look for a service provider, verify if they have the necessary licenses and certifications that are required for providing such foundation repairing services.

Many times natural calamities (earthquakes, vigorous cyclones, etc) may also cause foundation damage of such categories. Avoiding such kinds of damages is rather costly as because it requires installation of things like the seismic anchor bolts. One may go for prevention of their place depending on the chances of calamities in the area he resides.

Ten years have passed and your roof seems to be working just fine. Should you just sit back happy and relaxed? After all, the manufacturer did say that the life of your roof tiles would last for fifteen years or more. Wrong!

Roof tiles get damaged from the wind, water and snow. Roof tiles may get cracked or broken after a few years. This will cause leaking and damage that may cost thousands without you even knowing.

So, what do you need to do?

1. Do make a habit of regularly checking the condition of your tiled roof? But how do you do it?

From the roof space inside if the roof is unlined, check for cracks. Use a flashlight on the timbers and check for water staining. Tiles deteriorate through time so check for hairline cracks by looking for staining on tiles.

From ground level. Inspect the whole roof at ground level. It is easy to spot a disjointed or slipped tile against the regular lines of tiles.

At the roof level. Remember that you should only access the surface of the roof using a roof ladder.

2. After doing the check up, and you found some problems in your roof tiles, decide if you can do it yourself or if you need to hire a roofing specialist.

Before you decide on anything, we’ll give you some tips on how to repair your roof tiles.

3. Temporary repair of your roof tiles. If the weather condition is not good, you may need to have an emergency repair of your roof tiles until the weather improves.

Use a piece of flashing strip to coat the cracked area.
Apply a clear roof sealant underneath the crack.

4. Repairing roof tiles. Have your materials ready. You will need a flat pry bar, a tile clip and of course the replacement tiles.

Here are the steps for a beautiful new roof:

Slide your flat pry bar under the top tile above the damaged tile.

Smash the damaged tile with a hammer. Collect the broken pieces making sure that you do not leave any debris behind.

Attach a tile clip to the roof support on one end and to the underside of the replacement tile at the other end.

Insert a new tile and pull out the pry bar so the top tile slides back into place above the new tile.

Think you can do it?

If not, you can always hire a roofing specialist to help you out with your problem.

If you are looking for high quality worktops, then granite is your best bet. However, this quality comes at a price because failure to maintain your granite worktops could easily result in having to replace them due to scratches which will cost you a lot. This is because unlike most other worktops surfaces, when granite becomes damaged you cannot simply sand down the chips and scratches or have the surface replaced with a different material.

The good news however is that it is possible to simply repair your granite worktop and have it looking good, instead of replacing it. Opt to repair instead of replace your granite worktops if you have a small budget and do not want any major disruptions to your day to day household routines.

Having to replace your entire granite worktop simply because of a small chip can prove very costly, which is why most homeowners opt to repair the damage instead. Because granite is an expensive material, you really don’t want to have to pay for a totally new worktop when only a small section has been damaged. Repairing your worktop is a better option as it takes a shorter time and will cost less in terms of the material and labor costs involved.

Having to replace your entire worktop will also cause a major disruption to the routine activities in your household. Remember that taking out the entire damaged granite worktop is a delicate process as these tend to be attached to the tops of kitchen cabinets as well as the kitchen tiles.

Repairing is therefore an obvious advantage to building contractors who may only spot damage to the granite worktops at the very last minute and need to work fast in order to complete the project.

While it is possible to use a DIY granite chip repair kit purchased from a DIY store and do the repairs yourself, you may not get the results that you are looking for. It is therefore recommended that you contract the services of a good home remodeling professional who will produce nearly invisible results that show no signs of the original damage.

A good home remodeling professional will have the right equipment and materials required to repair majority of the damages that affect granite kitchen worktops. These include scratches, chips, cracks, dents, broken edges, dullness and light colored edges.

While it is possible to buff out minor scratches through a special process, chips on your granite surface will require epoxy filler which dries to an extremely hard finish in order to fix your worktop. When selecting the right epoxy to use, be sure to match it as closely as possible to the color of the granite. You should also try to match the shape of the worktop so that the epoxy is able to blend in well. Once the epoxy has dried, chip away any excess with a blunt edge. In order to protect your granite worktop, be sure to seal it with masonry sealer every year.

Replacement of a broken or damaged piece of tile is not as hard of a task as you may believe.

Frequently, the most difficult part is attempting to locate an suitable match. Once you have located a match to replace the broken section of tile then all you’ll require is some tools and materials to get going. You’ll need a small bag of grout, grout sealer, tile adhesive, a putty knife, a chisel, a nailset and a hammer. When you have acquired these items you’re ready to begin.

Get rid of all the grout which surrounds the broken section of tile using a chisel or putty knife and a hammer. Next, wearing your eye protection, use a nailset and a hammer to place a hole in the center of the broken tile. Be cautious not to chip any of the bordering tiles, and avoid pushing the nailset into the material underneath.

Using a glass cutter mark an X across the face of the tile from corner to corner. Next, using a hammer and chisel, start to gently strike the tile beginning at the center of the damaged tile.

Take out all the remaining pieces of the busted tile. Using your putty knife to scrape the region clear of all left over debris. There will commonly be quite a bit of debris left over so be sure to scrape the area well.

Next, you should prime the area using a latex primer and allow it to completely dry out before continuing.

Once the primer has fully dried out, test fit the new tile in the opening. It should bear an equal opening on all sides and must as well be flush to the bordering surfaces. Apply the adhesive material to the back of the tile and directly position it into the area that’s being repaired. Be sure to apply even pressure using both hands, lightly twisting on the new tile until it’s level with the bordering tiles.

Using masking tape or painters tape, tape the new piece of tile to the bordering area and leave it to set up for eight to twelve hours before continuing to the next step.

After the tile has set up, remove the tape and clean around the repaired tile once again be certain that no debris or dust have gathered in the cracks.

Blend the grout following the manufacturers instructions. Using the float, load it with the grout that you’ve just blended. Spread out the grout across the repaired area making certain to force it into the cracks. Scrape away all extra grout by positioning your float at an angle and making certain the grout is even and smooth. Permit the grout to set up for approximately two hours before continuing to the next step.

Get rid of all of the extra grout using a moist sponge. Rinse out the sponge often and keep it clean. Allow the grout to fully dry for at least twenty four hours before exposing it to water.

After three to four days the new grout will be fully cured. You can now apply a grout sealer on the new grout. Grout seal is available at most local paint or hardware stores.

Replacement of a damaged tile is a fairly easy chore and the majority of homeowners should not have any trouble completing this job.

If your kitchen or bathroom is looking a little worse for wear, often just fixing up loose tiles can make all the difference; making it look like a brand new room.

Of course one of the first things you need to do is work out why the tiles have come loose in the first place; some causes are:

When initially laid the surface wasn’t in the correct condition; it must be: dry, clean, flat and firm.

A leak in the plumbing surrounding the tiles may cause a loss of adhesion. You’ll know if this is the case as it will be damp underneath.

The wrong or insufficient adhesive was used initially.

The grout used in the joints could be deteriorating allowing moisture in behind the tiles.

Once you’ve diagnosed the cause for the loose tiles, it then becomes a matter of fixing the problem and replacing the loose tiles.

Before repairing the tiles, speak to your local hardware store etc. to make sure you have the correct adhesive and grout etc.

When you’re ready to start, remove any plumbing fixtures that may be close to where you need to work (to avoid damage) and then remove the loose tile(s) making sure you don’t drop, chip or break them in anyway (getting a matching tile maybe next to impossible depending on their age etc)

Carefully scrape or sand the back of the tile(s) to remove any adhesive or dirt etc and do the same to the surface you removed the tile(s) from. Clean both surfaces with a strong detergent and rinse off well. If the surface is painted, remove any paint flakes etc. if it’s uneven, plaster it smooth with a suitable filler.

Roughen the surface with a sandpaper to allow for a better bond.

Once this is done, allow it all to dry properly.

Using the correct adhesive, spread it evenly over the area to be tiled.

Press the tile(s) into position, working from the bottom up. Make sure the replacement tiles match up with the existing tiles. Use spacers (you can use matches etc) to maintain an even joint. (eg space between the bottom of the tile and the sink etc.)

When the adhesive has dried, mix up the grout into a paste and then press it firmly into the joints with a putty knife. Make sure you sponge off any excess grout straight away; never allow the grout to dry on the face of the tiles otherwise it will set there permanently.

Once it is all dry, polish the area with a dry cloth.

By simply re-attaching those loose tiles, your once worn looking kitchen/bathroom etc will be a given a whole new look.

As durable and low maintenance as floor tiles are, they do need some looking after to keep them looking their best. You will want to clean your floor tiles regularly to keep them sparkling. This is especially true of glass and marble tiles which naturally have a shiny finish, these tiles can pick up smudges very easily so it’s useful to give them a buff every now and again.

There are a variety of tile cleaning solutions out there to help you keep your floor tiles looking in top shape. When buying a specialised tile cleaner, you want to make sure that you get the one that is best suited for the type of tiles you have. There are different products for porcelain/ceramic tiles and natural stone tiles.

Aside from general tile cleaning solutions, there are products out there for removing stubborn stains and intensifying the colours of the tiles. All of these solutions are very easy to use to good effect. Detailed instructions are provided on the packaging, but as a general rule, you dilute the solution in a bucket of water and mop the dirt away.

It is not just the tiles that get dirty. Sometimes the worst culprit is the grout. Again, there are products specifically for cleaning the grout in between tiles.

Occasionally you can drop something heavy onto the floor tiles and as tiles can be quite hard and brittle, they can break under a significant impact. Thankfully, you can replace single tiles (hopefully you kept the leftovers from when you laid the tiles in the first place). This can be quite tricky, especially if you did a good job of sticking the tiles down in the first place, but is not out of the realms of anyone who is prepared to put the effort in.

You will need to dig the grout out from around the broken tile. You can get a “grout saw” to make this a bit easier. Now the fun part. Smash the broken tile completely with a hammer, pry out the pieces and scrape out the grout and adhesive with a chisel, get the area as smooth as possible.

The roof comprises the most important part of a building. There are different types of roofs according to the climate and geographical conditions of a place. Whatever the type or size or structure of the roof, roofs form an integral part of a building. It not only protects the building against the weather and other conditions but also adds to the style and beauty of the house. Tile roofing is favoured by most people, as tiles are available in different colours and textures and is also easy to replace or repair.

Tile roof repair or tile roof replacement can be easily done whether you have a flat roof or a sloping roof. Its material can be ceramic or concrete cement. They are actually clay which is fired at a very high temperature. Sometimes cement concrete is added or cellulose is added to produce light or heavy type of tile roofing.

Tile roofing is available in different type of colours and you could initiate a change in your house or your office by going for a tile roof replacement. This is a very convenient and easy to do job. It not only gives your home or office a new outlook altogether but also protects your building from the snow, the rain, the heat etc. Another advantage is that it allows more air circulation and keeps you cool during the hot summer season. They are also non combustible and provide you protection against fire. Tile roof replacement can be easily done and it is cost effective too. Tile roof repair involved hardly an hour and can be easily done by any worker.

You just need a flat pry bar which should be used to lift the tiles on either side of the damaged tile. Now you can easily take out the damaged tile. In case the tile is nailed down, then remove the nail with the help of a hammer before you slide out the tile. After removing the damaged tile, place the new tile in its place and now remove the flat pry bars which are holding the tiles and let it fall in its place.

This can also be done as an added protection from severe heat and cold. In some countries, either the heat is unbearable or the cold. This roofing would not only give the building a new look, but also protect you from the unbearable heat or cold. Tile roof repair can be easily done instead of tile replacement if it is just a small crack thereby saving you money and time. You can mix some mortar and fill in your crack and just coat it with the tile colour paint.

If you have a damaged roof or if you wish to give a new look to your home or office, and then it is the best option. The best provision for protecting your home from those leaks and cracks on your roof is to provide such roofing which would not only protect your building but also provide a long lasting solution for your home. Both heat and cold can be regulated with the help of tile roofing thereby reducing your heating and cooling bills.

Repairing broken tiles is really a troublesome job, however it can be carried out by the typical house owner. Yes, it is a untidy, filthy job. However, experts are capable of doing your fixes in a fast and timely way, and also save you the discomfort of doing it yourself. Unless you currently have a substitution tile and need simply to substitute 1 or 2 pieces, the time and effort it will require to fix your broken slates isn’t really worth the bucks you may save.

Frequent Kinds of Tile Damage

Cracked or chipped slabs are frequently a result of impact and ought to be swapped out. Scratched tiles should normally be replaced as well. The majority of tiles are glazed using glass, which provides them their water resistant characteristics. Harm to the glaze sets the tile construction in danger.

Usually a tile’s coloration will be on the surface. Deeper scratches will expose the white ceramic underneath. Tile discoloration is extremely uncommon. Often a tile’s coloring is set during the heating process. If for whatever reason discoloration occurs, substitution is the only option.

The easiest and best method to fix loose floor slates is to take out and replace them with new tiles. On the other hand, if replacement tiles are not obtainable, you are able to bond loose tiles by inserting a liquid bonding substance into smartly drilled holes in the grout lines between the tiles. The activated bonding substance is allowed to cure and the particular holes re-grouted. Worn tiles should be replaced too. The erosion caused by regular wear and tear sets the tile at structural risk.

Swapping Damaged Tiles

Generally, broken slabs ought to be replaced. Ideally you put by a few tiles from your initial set up to make repairs. Should you have a standard tile, it might be possible to purchase new pieces some years after installation, although there could be some minor color variations. Professional tile and grout repair companies are experts in fixing slates and can easily make new grout complement the existing. Should you not have spare tiles, it could be possible to construct a pattern mingling a few new tiles with the existing tiles to appear properly integrated.

Just about all tiles are subject to harm, particularly damages caused by impact. On the other hand, porcelain tiles have grown to be more and more popular since they are extremely hard. These kinds of man-made slabs are even harder than granite; a razor blade will not even scratch them. Porcelain tiles likewise have steady color all the way through. Scratches are remarkably uncommon. If they do appear, they have minor aesthetic or structural influence.

Carpet Repair: An Introduction

Let’s start with the basics: It is possible to do your own repair. If you would rather repair than spend hundreds or maybe thousands of dollars replacing then a carpet repair may be for you.

Although the average homeowner may be able to repair their carpet themselves, it’s not necessarily the best choice.

A professional can help you in a small fraction of the time it would take an untrained person, all while making a hard job look easy.

If you are a homeowner and want to try to fix it yourself, I caution you that if quality really matters, then hire a pro.

For now I’ll just skim the surface and describe the most common types of repairs. Later, I’ll go in depth and explain in more detail about each type.

Here are some different types of carpet repair:

• Stretching

• Patching

• Transitions

• Berber

• Seam Repair

• Pet Damaged (Including Removing Pet Urine)

• Repairing Flood Damage

• Reinstalling After Remodeling

• Removing

• Repair Stairs

• Stain Removal

When an original installation is done properly, you should never need to re-stretch loose carpet. Proper installation requires a tool called a stretcher or a power stretcher. (Not a kicker, kickers aren’t nearly enough.) When you see ripples, wrinkles, or bunched-up carpet, that’s when you know you need to have it stretched.

Most of the time, a loose carpet can be re-stretched without needing to take apart seams. If seams do need to be taken apart, it opens up a whole other can of worms.

If there’s some furniture in the room, we can often use our carpet stretcher without having to clear the room entirely. Often we can move the furniture from one side of the room to the other and stretch one side of the room at a time.

If you have a stain that you can’t get out or you have damaged carpet due to a burn (not the good kind), or your bad dog or cat thinks that carpet is a food group, then a patch may be the only solution.

Patching isn’t as easy as it looks. The patch needs to be exactly perfect. If there’s any overlap or gap at the seam (at all), you’ll be sorry.

You can use a leftover piece of carpet from the original installation or steal a piece of carpet from a closet to do your carpet patching. One thing you probably can’t do is go to the carpet store and buy a piece to match.

A carpet to floor transition is anyplace where the carpet ends and the floor begins. If it’s at a tile floor we call it a carpet to tile transition.

Many people install their own tile but don’t know how to finish the job with the carpet to tile transition. Often professional tile installers don’t know how to finish their job with a proper carpet to tile transition. There are several good ways to do a carpet to floor transition that I will explain in the carpet to tile transition article.

When people refer to a Berber carpet, they’re referring to a looped carpet with rows. It’s not really a Berber carpet but for our purposes here it’s okay to call it Berber. For an interesting read on the history of Berber carpet click here.

Berber carpet repair is often needed due to a snag in a Berber carpet or a pull in a Berber carpet. A pull in a Berber carpet happens when one or more threads get caught, either in a vacuum or some other way. Often times it’s the family pet or a child that pulls Berber carpet and creates the snag or run.

If there is just one Berber carpet row that has been pulled, it can be re-burled (glued back into place). If the Berber carpet run is more serious, say for example a dog was trapped in a room and tried to dig her way out, then a patch is in order.
If your Berber carpet is loose then it will need to be stretched. Stretching Berber carpet isn’t really any different than stretching carpet of any other type.

If a carpet comes apart at the seam it can be repaired in several different ways. One way is to glue it back together, another way would be to remove the old seam tape and do the entire seam over. If the seam that came apart is on a Berber carpet then it becomes a bit more challenging.

A seam needs to withstand a lot of use, and do so for many years. This is one place where it really makes sense to use the best products available. One thing you definitely should not use is the cheap two-sided carpet tape that some web sites sell. It won’t last.

Repairing carpet that’s been damaged by a dog or a cat may be as simple as using a solution to remove the stain and odor. Or it may require much more, such as removing carpet and replacing it with a patch, or even going deeper by removing and replacing the carpet padding and cleaning and deodorizing the floor below the carpet, the tack strip, and even the baseboard.

When a room becomes flooded, most often we will remove the padding, dry out the carpet and then replace the padding with new carpet pad. In most cases the tack strip does not need to be replaced. A flood damaged carpet can mildew quite quickly so it’s important to take quick action.

Removing, replacing, or installing new built-in furniture, walls, floor heaters, toilets, cabinets, and other fixtures are just a few reasons that a carpet installer will need install the carpet properly into the room. This will require some new tack strip and possibly some new carpet and pad to add to the area. Many times the customer will have some carpet left over from the installation. If not, we can often take carpet from the closet.

Removing carpet and carpet pad is simple but sometimes strenuous. If we are trying to save the carpet to use in a different room or to re-carpet the hallway or stairway, we will want to try to keep it in one piece. If the objective is just to remove old carpet and old carpet pad, we will make it easy on ourselves by cutting the carpet into strips approximately two feet wide.

Sometimes we charge to haul the carpet and pad away but most often we leave it in garbage bags for the customer to feed into their garbage can over a period of a few weeks (no charge).

The first stair always wears out first. One way to save a LOT of money is to use a scrap of leftover carpet from the installation or from a closet to replace just a stair or two.

If more stairs need to be re-carpeted, and if the stairway carpet matches the carpet in the hall and the rest of the house, you can save a LOT of money by replacing the stairway carpet with carpet removed from a different room. It’s far less expensive to replace just one room of carpet than to re-carpet your entire house, and the stairway carpet continues to match the carpet in the hall and the rest of the house.

There are literally hundreds if not thousands of products that you can use to remove stains from your carpet. If you want some great tips on how to remove carpet stains click here.

In conclusion

The preceding information only scratches the surface of what’s possible with carpet repair. In the future we do plan on writing additional articles describing in further detail every category that was listed.

When it comes to cutting ceramic tile in a straight line there are really a few ways to do it. If you do not have many tiles to cut then you can use the scoring method. This would be a lot more suitable for a small tile repair or an extremely small job. It can be time consuming and frustrating so you would not have to cut many tiles to warrant using one of the methods mentioned later.

If you only have a few tiles to cut, use a straight edge to determine the line you want cut on. Then use a scoring tool to repeatedly go over that line. You will first create a groove and then deepen it. You then need to snap the tile. Resist trying to do this with your hands alone; try to use a wire or something flat that will apply pressure across the entire length of the tile. That will reduce the chance of breaking the tile in a place that you do not want to.

For most jobs you will want to use a tile cutter or wet saw. The wet saw can be relatively expensive for cutting ceramic tile, so it is probably not something you want to buy unless you plan to do a number of tiling projects. You can usually rent them, but you should be warned that they do not usually come with instructions. The wet saw has the advantage that you can cut tiles in a curved line. This may not be advisable though if you have never used one before as it will bring your hands close to the saw blade.

The tile cutter is a good option for many people. It does not take too long to get the hang of using it and not breaking tiles. If you want to minimize the number of broken tiles over the course of an entire job, you might want to take one as a tester and cut it many times until you start to get the knack for it.

If you are using a tile cutter for your job and you have one or two small circular cuts to make, you can buy a tool called a rod saw. It has a carbide outer layer and it fits into a regular hacksaw frame. It is labor intensive, it will work for cutting ceramic tile, however, you would not want to make too many cuts this way but it is an economical choice.