Renovation on Easy-DYI

Shopping for shop vacuum

Sat, 04 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0200

I’m on my third workshop vacuum now. The first one was Parkside, an old model from about 15 years ago. It never cleaned properly, I don’t even remember if it broke or I got rid of it because it was useless. Next one was a small Karcher. It worked great for years, but I only did occasional DIY projects. When I started the large renovation, I killed it in a week. It’s now on a shelf, until I decide if I want to replace the motor unit or bin it.

Which meant I had to buy a replacement quickly, I couldn’t research the best model and look for bargains. In rural Sweden there’s no “next day delivery”, it’s “in three days if you are lucky”. I had to choose from whatever was available in nearby shops.

The immediate requirement was renovation. Wood dust, plaster and cement dust, occasional metal filings and wet mess. Nothing toxic, but a lot of it.

The longer-term use case is lighter: ongoing DIY projects, sawing, sanding, drilling, the usual.

Workshop vacuum vs regular vacuum

A regular domestic vacuum cleaner is a civilised tool for civilised places. It has good filtration, reasonable noise levels, an assortment of finely shaped attachments for different surfaces and spaces. And you would break it in minutes if you tried to use it on a construction site.

A workshop vacuum can handle wood shavings, plaster dust and metal filings. Most can also handle wet stuff, they can even be used to pump out water.

Can you use a workshop vacuum for regular domestic cleaning? Yes. Would you enjoy it? Definitely not. It’s heavy and it’s LOUD. Plus, once you used it for intended purposes, it’s forever dirty.

Features to look for

Tank capacity. My old vacuum had a 15L tank. For occasional use it was good enough, it took months to fill. For the renovation I wanted a 30L model.

Filtration. Some vacuums are rated for hazardous materials such as asbestos. For that use, you also need to line it with a disposable bag, so make sure you stock them. But I didn’t need that, regular filter was good enough for me.

Auto filter cleaning. As fine dust builds up on the filter, suction drops. Some vacuums have an automatic mechanism that taps the filter periodically to knock accumulated dust back into the tank. Very convenient. Mine doesn’t have it though.

Wet/dry capability. Most workshop vacs handle both. Wet pickup requires removing the standard filter and replacing it with a foam sleeve.

Power tool socket with autostart. Some vacuums have a socket on the body - you plug your power tool into it, the vacuum starts automatically when the tool does, stops when the tool does. More important for woodworking than for renovation. Also, you would need to make sure the socket where you plug the vacuum can handle the combined power of both, which is usually above 2kW.

Small differences. Things like: how long the hose and power cord are, how well the castors turn, are there places for storing extra attachments (in my case: 2m, 3m, very well, no but the previous had it). If you’re in a comfortable position of comparing similar models, you can be choosy.

What I got

The DeWalt DXV30SAPTA. Thirty litres, stainless drum, wet/dry. There was a decent deal on it at the time, and the more important factor was DeWalt’s build quality. It should survive the renovation.

It is, as expected, large and loud. But my noise-cancelling headphones do a great job on the constant hum. It cleans very well. It came with several attachments, but I only use two: the wide brush and the narrow nozzle. There’s also blower mode: the hose can be connected to the exhaust. I found this feature useful a few times.

I sometimes connect the vacuum to tools - sanders, planer and plunge saw have dust extraction ports. I had to buy adapters for them, since every manufacturer uses a different diameter.

It doesn’t have auto filter cleaning. It would be really useful, sometimes I need to clean it several times per day. Well, you can’t always get what you want. I keep an old toothbrush and use it when I see it doesn’t suck.

Laying laminate panels: the floor saga continues

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:05:00 +0200

Flooring: part 4 of 4

After removing the old floor and checking the subfloor, next step was to install something we like.

Choosing panels

Apart from the look, the main decision criteria were low emissions and durability, roughly in that order. We ended up with two types, but with similar features.

Emissions mattered because laminate flooring is a product that spends its entire life slowly releasing whatever volatiles are in the resin and backing into the room you’re living in. Our panels have low-emission certification.

Durability: The AC (Abrasion Class) scale goes from AC1 (residential light use) to AC6 (commercial heavy). The panels we chose are rated AC4 - commercial moderate - which means in a house they should last for years.

For the bedrooms and living room, we chose Myfloor Palais and for the kitchen - Classen Visogrande. The main difference was in the look. Room panels are large (1380 x 193mm) and imitate wood, kitchen panels (604 x 280mm) resemble stone. Both are made in Germany, which I think gives a slightly higher chance that their ratings are real.

Before you start

Acclimatisation. The packs need to sit in the room at normal temperature and humidity for at least 48 hours before laying. This lets the planks stabilise dimensionally before they’re locked together. My boards waited much longer than that, while I removed the old floor and did other things.

Subfloor condition. Laminate needs a flat subfloor - within 3mm per 2m is the standard tolerance, though tighter is better. We have chipboard subfloors that are generally flat, but we had to fill a few gaps with wood filler.

In a previous house, we had concrete subfloors. They need a moisture test and possibly drying - especially newly made, but even older concrete can be damp in ground floor installations.

Underlay. Options are foam or cork. Cork gives a bit of extra thermal insulation and sound dampening, foam is cheaper and more resistant to moisture. We used cork for bedrooms and foam elsewhere. Both come in rolls. Put them right before laying panels, they tear easily.

Planning the layout

Decide on direction first. Standard recommendations are to go parallel to the longest wall and to the main light source if possible - in some rooms these were opposite requirements. If in doubt, try both ways without installing them properly, or use visualisation app, or browse through example photos.

Unless you’re very lucky and your room width is an exact multiple of plank width, you’ll have to cut planks for the last row (I was lucky in one room). If you only need a few centimetres, it won’t look good. In that case, make both first and last row narrower. A little arithmetic before starting saves you from rearranging the whole room later.

Remember there will be expansion gap at all walls and other fixed objects (door frames, pipes). 10 to 15mm recommended. The floor isn’t fixed to the subfloor, it needs space to expand or it will crack. Take it into account when planning the layout. It actually makes your life easier - since it doesn’t need to be exactly the same width, there is some wiggle room when planning. The gap gets covered by skirting board or trim, so it’s invisible in the finished floor.

If you use the same panels all over the house, decide whether you want to split in doorways or make a continuous run. Continuous looks great, but are harder to plan and install. If you make a mistake and need to rearrange… well, plan for more installation time and more foul language.

Cutting the panels

Some panels can be easily cut with a Stanley knife - just scratch along the ruler and it breaks cleanly. Not this type, apparently. The panel is thick, layers tend to break in different places.

Manufacturer recommends a hand saw. What is it, 18th century? I tried my favourite plunge saw on the track. Special fine-tooth blade should be used for laminate material, but I thought I might get away with a standard wood-cutting blade (and it wasn’t even a new one). Result: clean and fast cuts. Perfect! I would even accept jagged cuts - they will be at the expansion gaps, it doesn’t matter if the edges are rough or if they’re a few millimetres off.

Laying the panels

Start in one corner of the room and make one full row. Remember about the expansion gap - there are special plastic spacers, if you forgot to buy them (I did), improvise. Planks attach to each other with an angle-click system. Put one board on the floor, hold the next one at around 45° and attach the edges. There should be no gap and the boards should be attached firmly (though on short edges, they often detach easily). At the end of the room, you’ll have to cut the plank to length - be careful to cut on the right side. Keep the off-cut, you’ll need it.

Start the next row with an off-cut plank. That’s because the joints need to be staggered by at least 1/4 - 1/3 of the length (check manufacturer’s recommendation). If the joints line up, the floor is structurally weak, it also looks wrong. The pattern should be random, which is where you can use off-cuts from previous rows. If you plan it carefully, you’ll only have very little waste.

Now check the manufacturer’s instructions (actually, you should have done that first instead of trusting some random guy on the internet). In our case, one type of panels required to make full next row just like the first one, than connecting two rows. Depending on the row length, you’ll need two or more people. You need to lift the second row at an angle and attach it to the first one. First tries are frustrating - the planks will detach, the edges won’t click. You need a few tries. The other type was much easier to work with. For the next row, you slide individual panels, one by one.

Properly connected, the panels should sit with a barely visible edge and almost flat. If that’s not the case, disconnect and reconnect. Use a rubber mallet to make them completely flat. You’ll gain experience quickly, before you cover half of the 1st room you’ll be much faster.

Problem points

As is usual with surface jobs - replacing floors, insulating walls etc. - 90% of the surface takes 10% of efforts. The endings, doorframes, pipes etc. take most of the time and planning.

Irregular shapes for doorways and such are more problematic than straight cuts. I used a saw blade on my oscillating multitool. Be careful, the tool vibrates and can jump on the surface, scratching the plank. Turn it on before it touches the surface, hold it firmly, touch with the corner of the blade first and then press down. If it’s the first time, practice on an off-cut. If your shape is especially complicated, use a contour gauge or cut a cardboard template to transfer the shape.

In our case, Myfloor was again quite straightforward, while Classen blunted the blades at a crazy rate. It only took a few seconds until smoke appeared and saw teeth disappeared. I tried a hacksaw and also grinded down the teeth. I finished the first cutout using a metal cutting disc on a rotary tool, taking care not to set the wood on fire. Then I ordered diamond discs. These worked much better. On the other hand, it probably means the abrasion resistance rating was real.

Result

The floor went down without any structural problems. The clicks are firm and there’s no flex underfoot anywhere. I might turn pro if I’m bored with my IT job. That is, if I forget how annoying it is to connect long rows.

Replacing floorboards: necessary, unglamorous, done

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:03:00 +0200

Flooring: part 2 of 4

After removing the vinyl floor, I discovered some floorboards in the kitchen needed replacing. Not many, maybe seven or eight. It seemed so basic - after all, that’s just some measuring, sawing, drilling and screwing - but in combination, it was one of the more tedious renovation tasks I’ve done. Most jobs require either precision or working with large and heavy objects, this one needed both.

Know your floor first

My boards are 180 × 60cm, 22mm thick, laid over joists spaced at 60cm centres. This is a common standard in European construction, but check your house rather than assuming. The joist spacing matches the board width.

Boards can be placed both along and across the joists. Check which direction requires less cutting. Important: board edges should land on a joist, not dangle in the air.

Removing the old boards

This was the most time consuming and tedious part of the job.

Cutting the boards out. A plunge saw set to exactly the board depth - 22mm in my case - cuts the board without touching the joists below. In the beginning I didn’t know where the joists where and some exploratory surgery was necessary. More importantly there may be pipes and cables running beneath the floor. A plunge saw you can set to a precise depth is the right tool here.

Getting the boards up. After getting some access, I tried to remove the boards. They were both glued and screwed to the joists. Most screws were easily removed with a drill/driver, or for more stubborn ones - an impact wrench. 2 or 3 snapped (impact wrench means something WILL be removed). I cut them flush using a rotary tool (I don’t know what they were made of, but multitool blade only got its teeth rounded).

The glue, applied by someone who clearly had an infinite supply, was the main task. The sequence that eventually worked: oscillating multitool with a saw blade along the glue joint to break the bond, then a prybar to lever the board up. Sometimes a sabre saw held horizontally if the board couldn’t be convinced to move. Then, once the board was off, a belt sander on the joist tops to remove the remaining residue.

At one point I counted 8 powertools. I didn’t know I even had that many.

Fitting new boards: dry run first

I made a mistake of glueing and screwing the first board. It then turned out I should have started from the other side to fit to the existing boards properly. I removed it (luckily I haven’t used as much glue as the original creator) and learned to lay all the new boards in position without fixing them. Discover problems before the glue is on, not after.

Fixing sequence: apply wood glue (construction adhesive, something flexible rather than rigid - floors move) to the joist tops, lay the board, drill pilot holes through the board and into the joist, then drive the screws. Countersink the pilot holes so the screw heads sit below the surface. Pilot holes are not optional here. Dry timber splits when you drive a screw without one, especially near the board edge over a joist.

The click edge problem

Modern floorboards typically have a click-lock profile on their edges - a tongue and groove system that snaps the boards together and keeps them aligned. This is fine when you’re laying a whole floor from scratch. It becomes a problem when your new boards meet old ones.

My replacement boards clicked together perfectly among themselves, so did the old ones. Where a new board met an existing old board, the profiles didn’t match - different manufacturer, different era. The solution was to cut the profile off the edge that meets the old floor, leaving a flat butt joint. I used my plunge saw again. A butt joint between floorboards is not as strong as a click joint - there’s nothing mechanical holding the two edges together, just the fixing to the joist below. In practice, if both boards are properly fixed to the joist at that point, the joint is stable enough.

Cutting

New boards in need of cut were clamped to my pallet workbench and treated with my trusty plunge saw on a track rail. This gives clean, accurate cuts. Far better than a freehand cut could achieve. I sometimes made small cuts in place, relying on the depth control again.

For complex cuts, I made cardboard templates. Where a board had to fit around a pipe or into an irregular corner, I cut a piece of cardboard to fit the space first, then transferred the shape to the board. I did these cuts using multitool, the plunge saw is only useful for straight lines. Not millimetre accuracy, but I didn’t need it.

There will be dust

Floorboard work generates an unreasonable amount of dust. The belt sanding of joists alone is enough to coat a room; the saws add more. A PM2.5 meter at times showed 400 μg/m3 (WHO recommends to keep it below 5 on average and not exceed 25). I used all the mitigations I could.

Shop vacuum connected to the tools. The plunge saw and the belt sander have dust extraction ports; the vacuum plugged directly into them caught the majority of cutting dust at source. This is the highest-leverage step - stopping the dust before it becomes airborne is much more effective. What it couldn’t catch was still enough to be a problem.

Dust mask throughout. Not just during cutting and sanding, the dust stays airborne for a long time.

Vacuuming everything. At the end of each session and throughout; whenever I saw some accumulation and especially before putting the new floorboard.

Air purifier running in the room. A HEPA purifier needs time to work, leave it running during work and for a few hours afterwards. And don’t forget to vacuum the filter every day. Home purifier wasn’t designed for these conditions, but it works anyway.

One thing I didn’t do well: sealing the workplace from the rest of the house. There was no door to the kitchen, I hang a few plastic sheets on the doorway without bothering to seal them properly (I wanted to move in and out without resealing). The result was what I should have expected: if I could find the way through the sheets, then dust particles - much smaller than me - also could.

The result

This is one of the bigger renovation jobs I’ve ever done, and one I don’t want to repeat for a while. The removal phase specifically - the glue, the prybar, the belt sanding of joists. The fitting phase was more fun, except for fitting new boards to old boards and making the complex shapes (I had to use the well-known approach: measure twice, cut three times).

Having it done by professionals would be a reasonable choice. A DIY job, unpleasant at times, was deeply satisfying when it ended.

Removing old vinyl flooring: a case for a motorised scraper

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:02:00 +0200

Flooring: part 1 of 4

There’s a special kind of optimism that comes with removing old floor covering. I pulled back a corner of the old vinyl, saw it peel away reasonably cleanly, and thought: I’ll be done in an hour.

Then I found the glue. Old vinyl flooring is often stuck down with adhesive that had decades to cure into something with the structural integrity of a geological formation. You pull the vinyl - nothing happens, you pull harder - it tears.

This is the story of working through three approaches, two of which were insufficient, before finding the one that actually worked.

A safety note before anything else

If your vinyl flooring was laid before some time in the 1980s (depends on the country), stop before you start attacking it aggressively. Vinyl floor tiles from that era may contain asbestos. Asbestos is RELATIVELY (I can’t emphasise it too much) safe when left untouched, but dangerous when you start cutting it.

If in doubt, send the material for testing. My house was built in the 1990s, well after the total ban on asbestos in Sweden.

Attempt one: hand tools

The classic scraper is the obvious starting point. So is a knife, a pry bar, a cold chisel supported by a hammer. I experimented with a few options, after an hour I removed maybe half a square meter. Heating the glue didn’t help.

That definitely won’t do.

Attempt two: oscillating multitool

Oscillating multitool is great for home renovation - I’m going to write more about it soon. It’s excellent for scraping in general, much faster than a hand scraper and requiring less effort.

But for that kind of job, the blade is too narrow and the tool is too weak. You’re working a strip maybe 50–80mm wide at a time. If I only had one small room, it would take a day. But I had a whole house to do. That would take weeks (I have my day job), probably wear out the tool, plus working with it for more than an hour gets really unpleasant.

It was still the right tool for the doorways, the corners, the bits around pipes - all the places a large machine can’t reach. For the open floor area, I needed something bigger.

The actual solution: the floor scraper machine

The electric floor scraper I got - also called a floor stripper - was essentially an oversized version of my oscillating multitool. A blade was wider and longer, the motor had 1500W compared to 300W of my tool. The weight of the machine and the wheeled base make pressing the blade into the floor easier (not super easy).

The difference in speed is not incremental. It’s transformative. What was an hour of back-breaking labour by multitool (not to mention hand tools) takes five minutes. The machine keeps constant pressure on the blade, works a wide path on every pass.

Depending on your floor material, you still might have a hard time pressing the machine into it. The solution is to cut it into more manageable strips. Usually, a few minutes with a boxcutter. But in one room, I had 2 layers of very heavy vinyl with a cured adhesive between them. It was impossible to press the machine for more than a few centimeters, and cutting with a knife would take ages. I had to use my trusty plunge saw, set to the depth of 5mm. Cutting vinyl is messy even with dust extraction, if you ever have to do it, wear a dust mask.

Rent, don’t buy

An electric floor scraper is expensive and you will use it once, maybe twice in a lifetime. Two sensible options are: rent, or buy second hand and possibly resell. I rented for a weekend, that was enough.