(MCT)—Q: I was looking at a new condo with “cherrywood flooring.” No illusions that it was solid; I was told it was engineered.
Looking again at some damage (the condo stapled flooring over radiant pipes with staples too long, resulting in water damage in several units), I saw that the top layer is a thin photographic film, not veneer.
Does this mean it’s laminate, not engineered? And if so, if the cat throws up while I’m at work, am I talking significant repair costs?
The material also scratches badly, I noticed.
A: It is engineered wood, and it would depend on what you fed the cat. A diet of syrup of ipecac, perhaps; Tender Vittles, probably not.
Let’s just say the condo developer didn’t dig too deeply into his or her pockets for flooring, nor for the expertise required to install it without puncturing the flexible piping in the radiant heating system.
It kind of makes me wonder what other evidence of builder shortcuts will appear in the months after you move in.
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Q: I have a great outdoor furniture set that is a little over 20 years old. The chairs are very comfortable but they need new cushions. Hence, the problem.
They are Samsonite chairs and the cushions were manufactured by Hoover Industries in Florida. I have tried to touch base with Hoover with no luck.
Apparently, Hoover manufactured airline seat cushions and covers, and I don’t know that they are in the outdoor furniture business anymore.
A: Remodelers have a rule of thumb to which I adhere. When you find something you like, buy extra because next year the manufacturer will be making something “new and improved” and not the thing you like.
A few years ago, I built a window seat with bookcases underneath in the seating area at the back of our kitchen.
My wife was easily able to find someone in Philadelphia’s Germantown to make pillows for the window seat from material she bought at one of the fabric stores on South Fourth Street.
You might find something you like going this route.
Questions? Email Alan J. Heavens at aheavens@phillynews.com or write him at The Inquirer, Box 8263, Philadelphia, Pa. 19101. Volume prohibits individual replies.
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