Dealing with 'Sculpted Carpet/tile' (wood floors, rent, movers)

[macyny]

There are many homes with open spaces with carpet curving around the room, followed by tile. Very odd, haven't seen that done before. When you walk into a house, there is no entry, one walks directly into the 'living-space' which has curvy carpet/tile.

If we buy such a house, we want to eliminate that division of carpet/tile. Does anyone have advice on the best way to do that? We would prefer either all tile (if we could match it) or wood floors. No carpet at all.

It appears the tile and carpet would have to be pulled up to level the floor. Carpet isn't the problem, but removing lots of tile is. That looks like an expensive job which would put such a house out of our price range.

I'd appreciate any advice on these Florida homes.

[mr&mrssunshine]

lifting tiles isnt too bad if you have the right tools. we often replace some on the homes we remodel. it depends what you call expensive. tile can be as low as $3-4 a square ft installed -there is such a wide range of tile choices .carpet can be down as low as $1.50 a sq ft

one good tip with Florida homes is have crack suppresant laid before you tile. the movement here can cause problems later

[macyny]

Its not the cost of replacing tile, I'm concerned about the cost of labor to remove large areas of tile. We are not able to remove tile ourselves. We'd have to hire. Part of the floor is carpet so the floor would be uneven when carpet is removed. Unless I could match exsisting tile, all would have to come up.

I guess I'm hoping for some 'magic' solution.

[bbronston]

You could try getting access to a list of court-ordered anger management folks and have them go at it to release their hostility!

Seriously though, I would talk to a few flooring contractors and ask them for their best advice and price for handling the problem. Remove? Go over?

[mr&mrssunshine]

what sort of area are you talking about , can give you an idea of cost

[Lady Crossbow]

Typically tile removal is between 1-2.00 per foot. Sometimes, the baseboard needs to be removed also @ 1.00 per foot. You can rent a dumpster and hire cheap labor from a work/labor service and pay them by the hour. It just takes a steel bar and some muscle. Not too technical and easy to do 400+ ft per day.

[krh6609]

L.C.'s right! . If you want an insiders opinion, here is a good way to get a professional, yet cost effective, solution: Call a local floorcovering supply store. They deal with most of the areas sub-contract floor installers/removers. Ask them for the names of some reputable tile/carpet installers and call them direct. A lot of guys are looking to earn a few extra bucks and are often willing to give you a over-the-phone estimate. Don't be reluctant if they want to see the job first because they may want to know what type of tile they are going to be removing. Some come up easier than others. All said.... don't fear a floor! Florida has some of the cheapest rates in the country.

[41mag]

you would be surprised to find that the tile pops up very easily especially in older homes the last 2 we bought here always seemed to have a loose tile you can tell by the hollow sound while walking or tapping with a brroom stick,if you lift that one up it seems the rest follow.

[macyny]

Thanks, I like bbronstons idea. Do you have a number I can call?

Not sure if I did this right but I'm trying to attach a pic to show the space. The room measures somewhere around 20x15 but the tile continues into the kitchen space and hall way. There's a lot of tile

[bbronston]

I am sorry but I don't have any contacts for that sort of thing. I know a handyman who can do it or connect you with someone who does it but I don't know any pros, so to speak. There was an earlier thread, though, where some suggestions were given for flooring contractors. You could contact those guys.