Ask This Old House

Installing a new vinyl floor
Tom helps a pair of New York City roommates cover up their old kitchen floor with a new vinyl one. After removing the refrigerator, they get to work prying off the old threshold between the kitchen and living room and remove a short piece of baseboard molding. Tom then makes a paper template that he'll use to transfer the shape of the floor onto both the luan plywood underlayment and vinyl finished floor. Tom then fills a large void in the old floor with a floor-patching compound. After tracing around the paper template, Tom cuts the underlayment with a circular saw and installs it using ring-shank nails. He then uses the same template to trace around the vinyl flooring and cuts it using a knife with a hook-shaped blade. Tom then installs the vinyl floor using a notched trowel and adhesive around the floor's perimeter. A new baseboard and metal threshold complete the project.

Where to Find It
The vinyl sheet flooring and floor patching compound were manufactured by:
Armstrong Flooring
800-233-3823

Technical assistance provided by:
Apollo Distributing Company
973-228-5000 or 866-294-1800

The other tools and materials for this project, including scribing felt, luan plywood, and hook-blade knives, may be purchased at a flooring store, lumber yard, or home center.

What is it?
The guys try to guess the intended purpose of an unusual-looking product.

Where to Find It
Tom showed a pneumatic device that holds clapboard siding against a wall, allowing one person to install it easily.

Little Green Sucker manufacturered by: Keico, LLC
770-957-7235

Preventing frozen pipes
Up in the loft, Richard shows host Kevin several options for preventing and thawing frozen pipes. Richard recommends stopping the movement of cold air around a pipe by sealing outside penetrations using expanding foam or caulk. He then shows a type of electric heat tape that can be used to keep pipes warm, but recommends only using it as a last resort. Richard shows foam pipe insulation and explains the proper way to cut and install it. In the event a pipe freezes, Richard recommends leaving the faucet open while trying to thaw the pipe. To thaw a frozen kitchen pipe, Richard suggests opening the bottom cabinets to allow warm air to reach the pipe. He also says that careful use of a temporary space heater, hair dryer or heat gun may thaw the pipes. Richard says to never use a torch to unfreeze pipes because of the fire danger it presents. Finally, Richard shows an electric device used by plumbers to thaw a pipe that's inaccessible to a homeowner.

Where to Find It
Pipe insulation is manufactured by:
FrostKing
800-299-5700

and
Armacell
Electrical heating tape is manufactured by:
Easy Heat, Inc.
800-562-6587