Rosie on the House: Carpet tiles or laminate?

QUESTION: I’m trying to decide whether to install carpet tiles or laminate on the floor in my children’s bedroom. Which would be better? And will changing the flooring get rid of the current smell in the old carpeting? It’s been like that ever since we moved into the house a year and a half ago.

ANSWER: I like the idea of having hard-surfaced flooring like laminate because it’s easier to keep clean. You can also put in an area rug over it that can be rolled up and taken to the carpet cleaners when it gets too dirty. On the other hand, the carpet tiles are the easiest to install, and if one or two of them get worn or damaged, you can remove them and replace them yourself. I have a feeling that the odor problem might have been caused by someone else’s pet. So if you really want to get rid of that problem, you can pull up all the flooring, get down to the slab, and then paint the floor with a sealant before putting down carpet or tile. If you don’t seal that floor, the odor could come back again.

Q: I have completely turned my garage into a workshop area. On one side, I have my tools, workbench and all my projects going on; on the other side, my wife has her projects. I have built a temporary, freestanding wall down the middle that is not attached to the other walls in any way. I use it for shelves to store my tools. I didn’t run new electricity into the work areas; I power my tools using extension cords connected to existing outlets. Have I done anything illegal? Would I need a building permit for this area? Now I’m planning to rent out the house. Do I have to make any changes first?

A: Certainly, it goes against code to use extension cords to power up those tools on a semi-permanent basis. You need to have new permanent outlets installed with wiring that runs to your electric panel and that is protected by approved circuit breakers. Installing new electrical circuits requires a permit from the city. If you’re planning to rent the house, you might need to make more changes, like turning the garage back into a garage again.

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Q: I have a 30-year-old concrete tile roof that needs replacing. After taking off the tile, the roofers want to put new peel-and-stick roofing on top of the old underlayment. Then they’d put the old tiles back on. Is it OK to put the new peel-and-stick on the old underlayment?

A: Your best option is to take the old underlayment off and get down to the deck to find out if you have any other problems with your roof. Maybe some wood in the deck needs replacing. Then you can put on the new underlayment and put the old tiles back. You might also go up in your attic right now to look at the deck from the underside so that you can see if there are other problems going on — like leaks or mold or rotting wood.

Q: I have a 2-foot-tall mesquite that sprouted in my yard that I’d like to move to a new location. Is it OK to do that and will it survive?

A: You can certainly do that, but it’s just a tough job to do just to save that young tree that you’re better off to go to a nursery and buy a 5-gallon mesquite and plant it. It’s just too much work to transplant the other tree. Even though it’s only 2 feet tall, it’s going to have a tap root that goes really, really deep and would be difficult to remove from your garden.