All Forum Posts by: Robert Gunther

Oh my, I feel old now.  Here is a photo of what the install looked like back in the day.  Place glue along the edge of the board and use straps to secure it in place while it tried.  You did not have to leave it very long, the floor did float with space at the edges.  

The boards did have a tongue and groove, plus the glue holding it in place.  I thought it was an excellent system and the results came out well.   But since I sold the house right after it was done I have no idea how it held up over time.

The product I installed (nearly 16 years ago) you clued the boards together, it was not glued to the floor.   Rather than the products that click today, you would run glue along the edge and then use these straps to hold them in place to try for a while.   You then glued the next piece as you moved along.  

They did market it at the time as a way of making the floor more resistant to water damage.  Seems the times have changed and it is no longer done that way.

I tried searching online for photos, everything about these straps and install method date back to the 2000 timeframe, same as when I did it.  So it is obviously antique and not done that way anymore.

Some others have mentioned you now can just unclick some flooring and replace any damaged pieces.   That sounds good, but I would have to see it to believe it.

I spent 11 years in Japan and own a residence there.  Don't buy property in Japan.  There has not been appreciation in decades.  Property depreciates every year until you are left with land value (which does not appreciate either).

I just purchased a property from a distance (not in Japan).  I had someone on the ground check out the property who has real estate experience.   I had 100+ photos taken, mostly of little problems with the property that would need to be addressed if purchased before it could be rented.

It will be managed by a property management company.

I can't imagine doing it 100% blind, having someone I trust to look at it was what made it possible for me.  

I don't think I could buy a turnkey property.  I would not even like to purchase a flip someone else did.  They want to flip it, get in and get out.  You would REALLY have to check out a flip someone has done, odds are good they have not done the work as well as you would have.

Interesting, I had a similar thought.  I want to buy a Lamborghini Huracan, they are about $250k.  They are just a depreciating asset.  If purchased new, you loose about 35% the first year and they drop maybe 15 - 20% per year until they are about 10 years old (based on what the Gallardo has done) and then sorta level out.

I decided to buy a property, which I will collect rent on for the next 10 years.  Plus, probably some appreciation.

So my net worth will increase over the next 10 years from the property investment, as the car depreciates.

When my income producing asset meets my fully depreciated Huracan in 10 years, I'm sure they will get along nicely.

Back in about the years 2000 - 2001 I built a house - new construction to live in.  I really wanted Pergo flooring because it was cool back then.

The developer wanted no part of it and refused to install it.

Ok, fine I will do it after the house is done.  So I just went with the basic linoleum and when I moved in I bought some Pergo.  I went with the type that you used glue, the concept being it would hold up better to water getting on it.

I ended up having to sell the house and move for work, I only lived on the flooring (that I installed myself) for a few weeks before the house was no longer mine.

I have no idea how well that flooring held up, but it seems the concept of glue does not really exist anymore.

Would using a glue not provide a better seal against water damage?  Water is a big killer of laminate flooring, if all you had to do was use some glue or some product to seal areas like the kitchen to provide extra durability it seems like a winning combo to me.

Rental in a B to B- area.   I am inclined to do the filler and keep those doors going a few more years.  It would take almost 9 months of rental profits to pay for doing new cabinet doors from Home Depot.

For my $900 bid I get stripped, repaired and painted kitchen doors, two bathrooms (about 4 doors in each bathroom) and painting the boxes.

I will follow up on this thread  with the results of what I end up going with.

I have not seen these cabinets in person.  I don't even know if they are 'real wood' or some type of press board or what.  To me they don't look like real solid wood.

I wanted to have them refinished.  Strip the current paint, fill, sand, paint, new hardware and I'm good to go.

Not so fast it seems.  I showed the photos to three different cabinet re-finishers.

One said they are beyond help.

One quoted me $900 to redo the kitchen ones and two bathroom's worth.

The third quote I got is for $2,600 (kitchen only, I almost hit the floor).

Went to Home Depot to see about refacing service.  They quoted (only for the kitchen, no bathrooms) $3,700 for new doors and new counter tops.

Just suffering from a bit of sticker shock here, trying to determine my next move.  I have tenants wanting to move in, but I want to fix these and a few other items before they move in.

You can buy a 3 bed, 2 bath house in Baltimore for $1,000 (no joke).  Inner city stuff with lots of area issues (burned out, boarded up, crack houses).

I've seen people come in and buy every house on the block and turn the entire block in to section 8 housing.

I can't imagine houses in the 25k price range renting for $900 a month.

Seems like everyone is in agreement on the issue.  

Buy homes in the lower end of the market, do the minimum improvements to make it rent-able and move on to the next deal.

If you put 20k into a unit in upgrades and it rents for $100 more per month, it would take 16.6 years to get your cash back.  Odds are good during those 16.6 years payback, someone is going to trash your upgrades and you would be back to zero (actually below zero).

Unfortunately I do not have any comparison between the two units.  That is why I was hoping someone here might have some clues.

The one that has been redone certainly looks much better and would be easier to rent, but just trying to figure out how much more it might bring.