Q. I am looking for a cheap flooring job in a room in my house, and it has to be wooden floors. I am friends with a guy that is a flooring contractor and he gets to keep all extra pieces that do not fit in the house. So he has all of the flooring that I need, they all fit each other, but not all of them have the same texture/gain and color. Is there any way to get them all to be the same? I was thinking that I would be able to sand them down and maybe stain them, but I'm not too sure.

A. Probably not. All woods accept stains differently. The only way to have uniformity with differing species and grains is paint.

Q. I want to get Black wood flooring but the problem is it's really expensive it ranges to 4.00 to 6.00 a square foot but people were telling me if I bought unfinished wood flooring and stain it black but see im not a craftsman and personally I don't want the paint fumes and all of that but my ? is Can I go to someone and can they stain it for me? if so can you suggest a company? or give me ideas who to go to for this and also if you find Black wood flooring less than 2.00 a square foot please notify me Thank You So Much.

A. You can sometimes get discounted wood flooring for as low as $2 a square foot (see the link I have provided), but it will cost you at least another $3 a square foot to have someone install it and finish it black for you. Hardwood flooring is a luxury, and add alot of value to your home. Remember, the money you spend doesn't go away; you keep it as in investment in your home.

Q. We are considering laying hardwood flooring in the living/dining room of our new house. The floor is concrete and we have been told we need to wait for a period of time before laying wood flooring. The time period varies with who we ask, but we've been told anything from 3 months to 2 years! Does anyone have any direct experience of this? Is it a load of rubbish or is it genuine?

A. Would have thought that after a week or so when the concrete was set it would be ok to lay flooring. Maybe the flooring contractors are trying to put you off until they can fit in the job!!

Q. Im a flooring contractor looking for massive commercial flooring accounts

A. Lodi - Tracy - Stockton - Manteca area has tons of home building going on

Q. I am about to have some vinyl flooring fitted in my kitchen and would grateful for any suggestions as to what I can use for cushioning and to try and keep the floor as warm as possible under foot. I have had vinyl flooring before and it is still hard and cold when standing on the flooring. I have even tried cork tiles and this did not seem to make a huge difference. Would a laminate and wood flooring underlay be suitable or would this be a waste of time? I should add that I am in the UK.

A. An idea, There is a product by DRIcore subfloor which is designed to be put over concrete floors in basements, playrooms etc, this may be something you would want to look into, it would serve all your needs. Lowes carries this by the way, here's a link to the DRIcore website http://www.dricore.com/en/eIndex.aspx

Q. We have tile looking vinyl flooring right now. I love my floor but it has to go to add new cabinets, extra wall cabinets and a middle cabinet island. What have others did for their flooring that is easy and not too expensive. We have a good solid wood surface under (1) layer of vinyl flooring to work with. Thanks for any help and answers......

A. Dont go too cheap.....home depot or lowes has closeout tile (usually less than 1$ a sq.) really east to install and will last forever, and when you do a project like that yourself you will be proud!

Q. On a recent episode of Greenovate, a television programme aired on Planet Green - episode title Eric R. The contractors used a stone pebble flooring throughout his home. They used the tool you'd normally use to spread concrete around, to spread this mixture of a epoxy and stone pebbles. It hardened and looked beautiful. I've searched the internet and seem to come up with results geared towards stone TILE flooring. Can someone shed some light into this type of flooring, where I can get more information about it, etc ? I'd appreciate it! Thanks!

A. You may be referring to Epoxy River Rock. A common flooring used in Florida around a pool. Here is a link to get you started http://mckinnonmaterials.com/our_products/epoxy_stone.html

Q. I have researched this issue in installing laminate flooring in metal framed doorways without getting a definitive answer. It seems to me if the door jamb is cut through the integrity of the structure coould be weakened. Any other experts have an poinion?

A. More than likely, unless you have the proper tools, cutting the jambs will cause you more damage and future problems than what it`s worth. I`d fit the flooring around the opening Another solution may be to remove the unit, do your flooring then reinstall the door on top of the new flooring. What you want in the end is the door jambs resting on a solid surface to reduce the chances of future door movement. Lots of "Flooring Experts" seem to ignore this problem when under cutting door jambs. (That`s where I come in)