Has anyone ever installed laminate flooring?

[mruffruff]

I'm having one room done professionally next Tuesday. I'm pretty sure I'll be doing the rest of the house (3 rooms and a hall) by myself. I'm pretty handy, but I could use some hints. Like where to start--middle of the room or on one end? Any other help would be appreciated.

Mary

[christa]

Me & hubby did our office. We got a video that taught us how and we also went to a class at Lowe's.

I know that you always start on the longest wall!!! Definitely don't start in the middle! It's not as easy as it looks, but it was our first time. I think we'd do better if we ever did it again.

[Miss Z]

We've just had it put down in the hallway. It looks really nice:) but we had a bit of trouble putting it down, the joiner didn't quite lay the underlay down properly, so it was bumpy and we had to take it all up again! But it's fine now. It's not cold to walk on like I thought it would be;)

[Logan]

My husband has done our den and our hallway and I believe he started on one side and worked over, instead of starting in the middle. I will ask him tonight, just to make sure. We bought our laminate flooring at Sam's Club and it was the "floating" laminate that already had the padding attached to it. That last section, next to the wall, is the hardest, if I remember correctly.

Good luck! You will love it!!! :)

[Lady's Human]

Logan,

Thinking of buying the laminate Sam's carries, how is it? Standing up to furkids okay?

[christa]

That last section, next to the wall, is the hardest, if I remember correctly.


YES!!! If you can, work it out so your last section doesn't have any doorways! Our last section had 2 doorways and it was a pain in the arse.

[mruffruff]

The laminate I got is Pergo with the 30 year warranty, underlayment attached ($3.97 a sq. ft) from Lowes.

Do I need any special saws? What kind works best?

[Felix]

Hubby knows how,he's not home now.Will see if he has advice for you when he gets home,if im too late in getting back to you,good luck with it!

[Corinna]

If you can wait until to night I will have Dugans dad post thats what he does for a living . We have our own company it is just one part we do all hard woods also. He just left for work so it will be several hours be fore he can get back . I'll leave him a note to check this thread.

[mruffruff]

No rush! I still have to buy the stuff. The sale lasts until Sunday.

Thanks, everyone. I feel a little more confident that I can actually do this. I didn't want to , but good installers are hard to find. If I can build a fence, put in a new kitchen and pour a sidewalk, I guess I can try this.

[lizbud]

No rush! I still have to buy the stuff. The sale lasts until Sunday.

Thanks, everyone. I feel a little more confident that I can actually do this. I didn't want to , but good installers are hard to find. If I can build a fence, put in a new kitchen and pour a sidewalk, I guess I can try this.


Wow, I am very impressed. :D I wish I had developed those skills too.
Best of luck with the installation.

[king2005]

it was the "floating" laminate that already had the padding attached to it.


Thats the same stuff my Landloard put in my new apt. However its freaky to walk on a low spot hehe Its on a basement floor so its not perfect, but its quite soft on the feet :)

[DugansDad]

I have done hardwood flooring for 23 years and own my own business. Have laid many thousands of square feet of "laminate' flooring. You can cut it with a 'skil saw' or jig saw but cut it from the back side as not to chip or splinter face side. Also does the flooring have an actual wood surface, backed with wood (as in plywood) or is it a masonite with an oak (or other species) paper or laminate face? They chip easier. If you want more info, PM me with your contact number or I can give you mine.

God's Country Hardwood Flooring

[Felix]

My hubby said that you cannot start in the middle,you have to start against the longest wall.He used a chop saw.You need a block to knock each piece into place.

Hope this helps!

[Logan]

Lady's Human, my only complaint about the laminate from Sam's club is that it is quite slippery, even more so than the Pergo flooring we have in our kitchen, which is a bit slippery, too. So far no dogs have wiped out on it, though. We do have an area rug in the center of our room that helps.

Good luck, Mary. I'm quite impressed that you are going to tackle this yourself. Get a set of knee pads to give you some padding. They saved Scott's knees when he was installing the floor.

Logan

[Logan]

Here are a couple of pictures I found of our den and our hallway that Scott did with the Sam's flooring. We used such a light color because the Pergo in the kitchen was already here when we bought the house and we had to try and match it.

By the way, Mary, the thresholds seemed to be the most expensive and time consuming part of our project. We had to buy the Pergo thresholds as Sam's didn't carry that part. I will say that the Sam's flooring was quite reasonably priced, though, at $27 for 17 sq feet.

Logan

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid203/p45a305f6d0658268aa447029bc3c8a96/efa161af.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid203/pa5dd431d4fa35398f0bb881ed565c723/efa160fe.jpg

[mruffruff]

Thanks everyone!

I do have some knee pads somewhere. I'll be sure to dig them out.

I've tackled a lot of jobs I thought I couldn't do and they turned out OK. I learn from each one. After 17 years in this house, I thought I could relax. But noooooooooooooooo, I have to keep thinking up new projects! This one may take some time, though. I'm a lot older and not any wiser.

Dugan's Dad, I'll keep you in mind. The laminate is real wood on top, cushion on the bottom. I was watching 'This Old House' last night and they were installing the same thing. They were using spacers at the walls. Is this necessary?

Logan, thanks for the pictures. Sure looks nice :)

[Logan]

Use the spacers, Mary. I know that Scott did. And that's about all I can tell you! LOL!!!! :o

[Corinna]

DugansDad here! The spacers area mandatory. They are for expansion. Also if areas are over 1000 square feet an expansion strip is required. For the spacers I use 1/2" blocks. The wood will be hard to keep straight until after the 3rd or 4th row. Then it will tend to keep straight. Use a pounding block to tap together. Will be home this evening.

[emily_the_spoiled]

I have installed most of the laminate in my house and I would definitely recommend getting a "laminate kit". You can pick this up at Home Depot or any hardware store. It contains spacers, the block to hit to put the laminate in place, and a flat hook designed so that in the narrow places you can "hook" the laminate and hit the other end of the hook with the hammer to put the flooring in place.

If you are using a jigsaw to cut the laminate there are special blades for laminate flooring (they last longer than regular jigsaw blades).

You should also consider getting quarter-round to finish off the edges of the room (and hide the expansion space). This is normally sold where you get the flooring.

And most important, www.hgtv.com, has REALLY good instructions for laying the flooring.

[mruffruff]

With all of this advice, I'm anxious to get started!

My whole house is 1400 sq ft, so I don't have to worry about extensions.

I think I'll be at it for a while. I'll order the goods on Wednesday and try to hold off starting until Saturday.

I'll be back next week.

[Logan]

Mary, did you buy your flooring this weekend? Good luck!! :)

[mruffruff]

Ordered the flooring----of course Lowes doesn't have it in stock so it'll be a couple of weeks until it comes in.

The installers did come on the fourth as they were supposed to. I think I can do a better job. They did NOT cut under the door frames and did NOT unscrew the threshold at the door. I'll have to find a way to fix that over the long weekend. I have two steps to install, stain and varnish too. (They will be a different color). It isn't tooooo slippery but the cats have wiped out a couple of times already. Samson (dog) makes a lot of noise with his long nails.

I have already re-installed the baseboards. I'll do all of the quarter round at one time after it's all done.

I'll be sure to buy a special blade for my jigsaw. I also have a 4 inch circular saw I'm going to try.

Funny note:
I have three dogs. Bella likes to get in the front window and scratch the window wildly at the squirrels. Her nails make quite a racket. Twice this weekend I yelled at her to cut it out, only to find her at my side in the kitchen. Turns out Samson was just walking across the new floor and it sounded EXACTLY the same. Bella thinks I'm nuts.

I did take before and after pictures, but I haven't downloaded them from the camera yet.

[critter crazy]

well you make sure to let me know how you make out!! I am just getting to the point where i will be doing our floors in pergo!! I am now as we speak ripping up the old carpet and painting all the walls!! I will be doing 7 rooms total!! kitchen, livingroom, hallway, 3 bedrooms and a mud room. I will also be tiling my two bathrooms!! I am home on disabilty so i thought i would tear up my house!! he he he!! very interested to findout how you have made out!! I am hoping to do it all myself!! :D

[Logan]

Mary, the people who owned this house, before we did, had Lowe's or Home Depot install the kitchen cabinets and the Pergo flooring. I have to tell you, it is the shoddiest workmanship I have ever seen, especially on the floor. I think you will do well to do it yourself, like Scott and I did, when we decided to do some more. Our living room and bedroom are next, but I'm not holding my breath! Those are some large rooms and it will be quite expensive, but I can't wait to get rid of the carpet! :)

I had to laugh at your "scolding"! Poor baby was probably wondering, "what in the world did I do?". :D
Logan

[Lori Jordan]

I had it put in my living room and i hate it!!! it is all coming apart!


http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i79/JamieLori/Picture087.jpg


http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i79/JamieLori/Picture100.jpg

[mruffruff]

Lori, how awful for you! Did you put it in yourself? I purposely bought a brand that has a good warranty so I have some (maybe) recourse. What brand did you get? For the cost and aggravation, I'd certainly see what help I could get fixing the problem.

I'm attaching a couple of pictures, one before and one after, of the 'professionally' installed floor.

[mruffruff]

Logan, I have always had reservations about getting someone else to do work on my house. When I have had no choice, I've always been disappointed. So I've learned to do a lot of things myself. I don't think shoddy workmanship is limited to Lowes or Home Depot. I think it's a general attitude among all people to do the minimum necessary to get the job done. Craftsmanship is no longer valued as it used to be. A good job costs a little more, takes a little more time and lasts longer.

The materials for a 12x23 room costs about $1200.00 if you do it yourself. Installation is just about equal. I could have put in carpeting for less and had to get it cleaned every year and replaced in about 10 years, but this should be more practical in the long run. And I am, if nothing else, very practical :D



Christa, where did you find the video? I'd love to get one too.

[Lori Jordan]

Lori, how awful for you! Did you put it in yourself? I purposely bought a brand that has a good warranty so I have some (maybe) recourse. What brand did you get? For the cost and aggravation, I'd certainly see what help I could get fixing the problem.

I'm attaching a couple of pictures, one before and one after, of the 'professionally' installed floor.

We got the flooring at the buliding centre here and town it was the most expensive,it also has a 25 year waranty.I want to rip it up and put the remaing in my basement.I still have like 13 boxes left we were going to the bedroom but didnt bother seeing how it was in the living room,Anyways im getting new furniture finally im so excited so we will be putting the hardwood down! I know it scratches easy but the dogs will not be allowed in the living room after it is redone.They will when they learn not to tear up furniture lol.

[pnance]

Logan, I have always had reservations about getting someone else to do work on my house. When I have had no choice, I've always been disappointed. So I've learned to do a lot of things myself. I don't think shoddy workmanship is limited to Lowes or Home Depot. I think it's a general attitude among all people to do the minimum necessary to get the job done. Craftsmanship is no longer valued as it used to be. A good job costs a little more, takes a little more time and lasts longer.

I have to agree here..we had a new water heater installed by "professionals", even paid extra because we're on propane. 3 month later it stops working...very long nightmare story later come to find out they installed a natural gas one and it pretty much burned the whole unit. According to the warrenty repairman we were lucky, had it we actually been able relight the pilot and keep it on the thing would have probably exploded!

We also installed laminate flooring in the kitchen (the locking kind). It wasn't hard, but I have to agree knee pads will be extremely useful (I didn't have any and...ouch!!). I confess to being a complete idiot when it comes to tools, but I do know my roomate used a table saw to cut ours and didn't have a problem. When we were done it looks great and much easier to maintain. I have 4 large dogs & 3 cats. Bear (he has arthritis in his back legs) has problems getting up on it sometimes, and the others have wiped out into the water bowl, but no harm done and it definately hasn't stopped them. I was a little afraid what their nails would do, but it's been in almost a year and a half and looks as good as when we installed it. I'd like to say the same about the carpet. :rolleyes:

[mruffruff]

Well, it took 3 weeks to get the flooring but one day to wear me out!

I'm doing OK but I really don't know how to do doorways. I can get the flooring under the first door frame, but I can't figure out how to do the other side. I have cut under the frame but there isn't enough room to slide it under the cut and still snap it to the already-installed piece. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I'm going from one room to another through the doorways, so I have to work backward to the wall in the second room. In other words, I started at the top of a U and have to turn the bottom and backtrack to do the other side of the U. Fortunately it's only a short way back.

I skipped the knee pads today because I was doing a lot of demolition on an old plywood and peel-&-stick floor. My knees feel OK, but my back is crying for a nice hot shower. Which is where I'm heading right now.

More tomorrow.

[mruffruff]

I guess no one else knows how to get under door frames either. I blundered through the bedroom, sitting room and half of the hall, with 5 doorways done the best way I could. I still have 4 more doorways and a livingroom to go.

I only have one word for anyone who wants to do this big a project alone.

Don't.

You really need someone else to blame when there's a mistake made. And to remind you "Measure twice, cut once.

With all of the molding I'll have to do, I'm thinking of buying a miter saw. I always seem to need one for something and end up making do with a little wooden box. Results are not wonderful.

I really like the way the rooms look. I'll try for some pictures tomorrow.

Still need some doorway suggestions if anyone has them.

[Corinna]

Email Dugans dad he can walk you though the door ways. (this is why he gets paid well)

[Logan]

Mary, I'm dying to see your pictures! I do wish I had some doorway insight for you, but Scott struggled and cussed over this very same thing when he did ours.

I'm going to PM you with our phone number in case you want to call tonight and he might be able to walk you through it over the phone.

Good luck!

Logan

[mruffruff]

Pictures as promised. No molding yet.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/mruffruff/Sittingroom.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/mruffruff/Bedroom.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/mruffruff/Hall.jpg

[critter crazy]

oooooo.........It looks just gorgeous!!! we are going to be doing our whole house as well!! I am thinking that i will pay the price to have it professionally done!! he he he he!! i dont have much for patiance!!! but i will be doing the bathroom floors myself!! they will be tiled!! and i have done that before!! But gosh your floors look great!! i just cant wait till i can start mine!! Just waiting on my comp money from my old job!!!

[mruffruff]

Thanks!

A whole lot of sliding going on by both cats and dogs. :D Who knew I was putting in an entertainment center?

I'll be glad when it's finished. Might take a while though, since I have plans for Thursday (new patio door going in) and the weekend (company from Akron).

I'll update when I'm done.