Mark wanted his newly purchased condo to be classy, to have a high-end appearance, yet be easy to clean. He decided to start with hardwood flooring and had just begun looking around when he happened on some beautiful surplus Brazilian cherry. Super expensive, yes, but he could save a ton of money by doing the work himself. Partly because it was a cash deal he didn’t ask many questions (He didn’t know what questions to ask anyway). He bought it and took it home, very pleased with himself.

The first thing Mark learned was that the existing flooring under the carpet was concrete, therefore his high quality hardwood couldn’t be nailed or stapled into place. Next he found out that it was the type of hardwood that couldn’t be applied directly to concrete. When he found out that putting a subfloor over the concrete would increase the height of the floor so it couldn’t smoothly meet the tile in other rooms, he decided he needed some professional help.

Maybe Mark should have consulted a hardwood flooring expert before buying anything.

Maybe what he should have done in the fi­rst place though was ask his strata council for permission to change the flooring in his strata lot.

What a mess! This was going to be an expensive floor job.

­Lynne Taylor
Strata Council Power
www.stratacouncilpower.info
seminars and consultations for strata councils & condo owners