Hi! My husband and I have bought an apartment from 1943 that was renovated in the 70s. The only thing that has happened since then is a pipe replacement in the bathroom in 2012. The apartment is fresh but needs renovation. The wallpaper has come loose here and there, there are brown plastic floors, a pea green kitchen, a fabric-stretched ceiling that is damaged, and traces of previous settling (which has now been fixed). The plan is to lay click parquet, new drywall on the walls to then spackle and paint, as well as a new interior ceiling. My husband (who is an electrician) and I have never renovated before (but we are both handy) and plan to do as much as we can ourselves.
My question is: Do you think we should lay the new floor directly on the plastic floors, drywall directly over the wallpaper, and new drywall on the ceilings directly over the fabric-stretched ceiling, or would you rip out first and then lay? General tips are also welcome
Ps. We want to do as much as possible in a month before we move in (the bathroom and kitchen can wait)
Thanks for the input!
Ida
My question is: Do you think we should lay the new floor directly on the plastic floors, drywall directly over the wallpaper, and new drywall on the ceilings directly over the fabric-stretched ceiling, or would you rip out first and then lay? General tips are also welcome
Ps. We want to do as much as possible in a month before we move in (the bathroom and kitchen can wait)
Thanks for the input!
Ida
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Welcome to the forum!
If you lay parquet flooring directly on the plastic mats, you should consider that there is a high risk of the doors hitting the floor, meaning you need to adjust door frames, thresholds, and the doors. Similarly, if you place 12-13 mm drywall on the walls, it becomes awkward at the door and window frames.
Regarding the ceiling, you need to fasten the new boards to something.
The bathroom is quite new, but otherwise, it's often more troublesome to live with an ongoing kitchen renovation than a renovation of a bedroom or living room.
If you lay parquet flooring directly on the plastic mats, you should consider that there is a high risk of the doors hitting the floor, meaning you need to adjust door frames, thresholds, and the doors. Similarly, if you place 12-13 mm drywall on the walls, it becomes awkward at the door and window frames.
Regarding the ceiling, you need to fasten the new boards to something.
The bathroom is quite new, but otherwise, it's often more troublesome to live with an ongoing kitchen renovation than a renovation of a bedroom or living room.
Thank you so much!BirgitS said:
We have door openings without doors. It's the bedroom door that faces that issue, but we plan to move that door to another wall. That should be okay, right? The thresholds need to be replaced anyway, as the previous resident was wheelchair-bound.
Do you have any opinions on whether to choose renovation drywall or regular drywall? Since the apartment is old and the walls are thin, it seems smarter to go with thicker drywall.
There's supposed to be an (ugly) wooden ceiling under the stretched fabric one. Can't you attach battens to it and then put up the drywall? That should work, right?
Bathroom door?
If you move the bedroom door, you make sure to get frames, etc., at the right level for a new floor.
Most people choose renovation plasterboard so they don't have to redo everything around windows and doors.
But then I think you should first remove the wallpaper on the ceiling completely.
If you move the bedroom door, you make sure to get frames, etc., at the right level for a new floor.
Most people choose renovation plasterboard so they don't have to redo everything around windows and doors.
But then I think you should first remove the wallpaper on the ceiling completely.
The bathroom door will also be moved. We are going to expand the bathroom (take some space from the hallway) and will move both doors.
What is the difference with renovation plaster around windows and doors? I'm a bit new to this haha. Also, there is an old radiator in the living room, how would you handle the plaster there? I’ve heard that it's very complicated to take it down when living in an apartment (since the water has to be turned off for everyone, I think?)
Okay, thanks! Do you think it's possible to just take down all the moldings and then "pull down" the ceiling? As I understand, a stretched fabric ceiling isn’t fastened everywhere. Some also say you should save it to "not tear down the old," but the ceiling is in poor condition anyway, I think.
So, will the bathroom be completely renovated anyway?I Ida Sze said:
Any problem with getting permission to make such a change?
Most associations require that bathroom renovations be done by an authorized company, and it can take a few months before a good one can start working. The renovation itself usually takes about 5 weeks.
With renovation plaster, you get an unusually small edge (height difference) between the wall surface and the door and window frame surface.I Ida Sze said:
The heating system is centrally managed and usually, it's not possible to turn off the water for just one apartment. A plumber can sometimes freeze the pipes, remove the radiator and put plugs on the pipes before you fix the wall and then do the opposite when the wall is ready. You should probably have permission from the board before you start with that.I Ida Sze said:
The bathroom will be completely renovated at a later stage. Now, only one wall will be extended (which will not affect the bathroom's function). The association wants us to renovate. We are thinking that we can move the wall ourselves, but bring in a company for the other work in the bathroom.
Okay, thanks, I understand. I'm unsure how soundproof the apartment is currently. But maybe there's not a significant difference in soundproofing between renovation gypsum and regular, or what do you think?
Can you otherwise renovate "around the radiator"? Everything is going to be bright anyway, and I don't think it will be very noticeable. We're young and have a limited budget. But any renovation in that apartment is better than none.
Cannot comment on soundproofing.
It is possible to avoid having plasterboard on the outer wall by using wide putty (roller putty) instead, except right at the radiator.
In reality, an 11-year-old bathroom still has many years left before its lifespan is reached.
It is possible to avoid having plasterboard on the outer wall by using wide putty (roller putty) instead, except right at the radiator.
In reality, an 11-year-old bathroom still has many years left before its lifespan is reached.