Laminate Flooring Suggestions.....Please

[Red55]

Scotty also avoid the temptation to "tap" the pieces together. I have seen marks from light tapping with Pergo and high-end brands even when using the manufacturer's assembly tools. The laminate will go together from wiggling/jiggling it. I have found that it is techinque sensitive and that it varies from floor to floor.

Becareful of the sawdust on the floor it will make it slicker than a sheet of ice! There is also a new type of cutter out that will slice the flooring instead of cutting with a circular saw. Laminate floors destroys blades. For under the door I take a piece of scrap for thickness and cut out the bottom of the door jam. There are speciality handsaws usually in the tools section where they sell the laminate floor. A bisquit jointer (flip up or remove fence) will cut the jamb as well. This way the flooring will run under the door molding and look like it was installed before the doors. -Ed

 

[scott_vt]

Good Mornin Ray, George and Ed,
Thankyou all for your patience and suggestions ! I think I finally figured it out in my simple little mind !

Sorry about the brain delay !

I will give it heck on thursday and report back !

Sheesh talk about slow.....

 

[ray66v]

"Ty Webb: Just be the ball, be the ball, be the ball. You're not being the ball Danny."

Just be the floor Scotty, Then it will all make sense.

 

[scott_vt]

"Ty Webb: Just be the ball, be the ball, be the ball. You're not being the ball Danny."

Just be the floor Scotty, Then it will all make sense.

Good Evenin Ray,
Thanks buddy !

 

[scott_vt]

Good Afternoon Guys,
OK just to wrap this thing up a few more pics but I have to tell you, we lost power thursday afternoon about 3 pm ! We didnt get it back until a few minutes ago ! So the first few pics are where the project stood yesterday afternoon !

 

[scott_vt]

Ok,
So no power friday mornin , Im not wastin a whole day waitin for the power to come on ! How did they build things before electricity ? You betcha, hand tools !

Anyways the closet and bedroom are finished, and just the hall is left to do !

Thanks for all the help and suggestions !

BTW you would think that someone who could build that bed, and all the other furniture in the house, would be able to figure out how to put down laminate flooring, wouldnt you ?

 

[George2615]

Scotty,
Looking good.

 

[2manyrocks]

Yes, it does look good. I'd like to know what you think about the material and how to put it down once you're finished.

 

[ray66v]

Looking good.

 

[scott_vt]

Yes, it does look good. I'd like to know what you think about the material and how to put it down once you're finished.

Good Mornin Guys,
Ray and George thanks for all the suggestions and help !

Good Mornin 2manyrocks,
It went down fairly easy ! My problem was my back and legs took kind of a beating, closing on 58 and Im hurting today! Other than that fairly straightfoward after the guys on here got me pointed in the right direction. I used Pergo and went with Glendale Oak with the backing allready on the laminate, which is the way to go in my opinion. It was $2.97 per sq ft.

Ray and George,
One more question ! I still have my upstairs hallway to to do yet. Going into the bedroom, the laminate male side is showing. My thinking is that I should use this spot to put a saddle in and reverse direction so the female end is going out towards the hall. Do you agree with that, and the other question, is since the hall is so narrow at the top of the landing, do you still stagger the boards for that small section ?

Thanks again !

 

[ray66v]

You should be able to reverse the direction of the tongues if you want, though I am not sure if it will matter.

Yes a hallway is generally where you will put a saddle and break off from the room.

If the hall is narrow enough to do without any butt ends, and you want to eliminate the stagger, you of course can.

You can also switch to a more simple alternating pattern like:
1st row, seam on left
2nd row, no seam
3rd row, seam on right
4th row, no seam
repeat

Keeping them, uniform, and even, will be more important here as the walls will indicate any deviations. Don't assume the walls are straight and square. Use a laser, or chalk line down the middle, and measure off of that to the sides, for your seams.

 

[ray66v]

With some basic tools, and perhaps a little advice, anyone can install one of theses floors

I have helped several people get started, who never did anything like this before, and they did great.

Sore backs, and knees are common.

No pain, no gain.

 

[George2615]

Scotty,
I agree with the aches and pains. (we are about the same age). I went to Harbor Freight and bought a set of cheap knee pads which helped on the knees (I should have mentioned it earlier) but they don't do much for the lower back. I used a lower back support to ease the stress there. Fortunately for me I had help from my son at one house and a friend at my other house. I stayed on my knees most of the time installing, marked the boards that needed cutting and passed the boards to them to cut for me. Ray answered your other questions.

 

[scott_vt]

Sore backs, and knees are common.

No pain, no gain.

Good Afternoon Ray,
Im not sure what I gained , oh yeah thats right my new floor !

Scotty,
I agree with the aches and pains. (we are about the same age). I went to Harbor Freight and bought a set of cheap knee pads which helped on the knees (I should have mentioned it earlier) but they don't do much for the lower back. I used a lower back support to ease the stress there. Fortunately for me I had help from my son at one house and a friend at my other house. I stayed on my knees most of the time installing, marked the boards that needed cutting and passed the boards to them to cut for me. Ray answered your other questions.

Good Afternoon George,
Yes thanks, I did look for my knee pads and couldnt find them ! It would have been nice if one of my boys offered some help, but it didnt happen this time. Yep the constant up and down and going down the stairs to do all the cuts was a pain, the good news is that I slept quite well last night !

 

[ray66v]

Good Afternoon Ray,
Im not sure what I gained , oh yeah that's right my new floor!

$3+ per. sq. ft. to install, plus: trim work, undercutting door jambs, and casings. It adds up fast $$$.

It is better if you can stay down, and have a helper cut, and pass them to you.

I don't mind doing these by myself so much, because you have to move a lot anyway. Doing paving bricks, now there is where I really want a helper.