Installing hard wood flooring?

[DLIT]

Originally Posted by buzzcutt2

Nice place...does everyone have a nice new house except for my poor ass?

Now's the time to buy. I picked this one up for $106k and change "OTD". The bank's paying up to $7k (subtracted from total of $116.5k) in my closing costs and all their costs, too. There's two bedrooms and a decent size loft on the second floor, and a 2-car garage. 1926 sq/ft.

[buzzcutt2]

Originally Posted by DLIT

Now's the time to buy. I picked this one up for $106k and change "OTD". The bank's paying up to $7k (subtracted from total of $116.5k) in my closing costs and all their costs, too. There's two bedrooms and a decent size loft on the second floor, and a 2-car garage. 1926 sq/ft.

I bought just before the real crazy time...but my divorced broke ass at the time couldn't afford much in S. FL. (That is any place that didn't have a homeowners association anyway).

Sounds like you got a good deal.

[Mr Lefty]

http://www.ehow.com/how_15087_instal...-laminate.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Installing...nts!&id=307282

some good tips there...

one more
http://interiordecorating.suite101.c...laminate_floor

[askmrjesus]

Originally Posted by TIGGER

I've dropped quite a few floors and haven't had any problems...except we once did a BAMBOO floor,never again!!!

What? Bamboo rocks! The shit is practically indestructible, it's renewable, you can refinish it down the road if need be, (try that with a laminate floor) and it's not too expensive, (about $2.25 a square foot).

If Barbie was going to install a new floor in her "Malibu Fun House", it would be a laminate floor.

In short, laminate floors are for pussies.

There. I said it.

JC

[Mr Lefty]

yeah I've heard great things about the Bamboo floors I really like the look of them too

[JoJoYZF]

Originally Posted by TIGGER

Ok I've installed ceramic and Pergo (laminate) and it is super easy! You'll probably end up getting "snap together" flooring and for the most part,you just follow the directions that usually come with it.

Main points;

1. buy approx 10% extra,if you make mistakes you'll have enough to cover for it and the DIY stores will take what you don't use back.

2. keep 1/2 to a full box for repairs. Styles come and go,if something happens you'll want to have replacement pieces handy.

3. make sure you install the foam underlay,if the floor calls for it (trust me). These floors are only "nailed" down on the edges so they can be bouncy/noisey without the underlayment.

4. inspect the current floor after the carpet is removed and make sure that it is reasonably smooth. If it isn't install a sub-floor before the laminate.

5. use a radial arm saw to make the cut pieces and be mindful of the joints and they way they fit together when you cut your boards.

6. leave a small space away from all walls,cabinets,etc. Approx 1/8-1/4 I believe.

7. GET SOME REALLY GOOD KNEEPADS!!! Do not skimp in this area trust me!

8. if you don't finish in one day,cover the new floor in paper to protect it from any nails,screws,etc being dragged across it stuck on shoes.

9. borrow or rent a good nailer and compressor as opposed to buying a cheap set. This will be a one shot deal so don't blow a ton on buying one but a cheap set will drive you fucking nuts!!!

10. trim pieces are your friends,quarter round,kick boards,bull nose,etc will cover the edges so don't drive yourself nuts trying to make it all perfect. BTW this may be a good time to replace the kick boards in that room.

11. the ends of two boards can NEVER line up and I also avoid the brick wall look. Each box comes with boards of several different lengths and I like the more "random" look but to each their own.

12. make sure that you get a "block",a piece of wood to put against the boards to hit with a hammer to knock them into place. NEVER hit the flooring with a hammer,not even gentle taps. There's nothing worse than completing a course and being half thru the next and having a board not fit because you fucked up the joint.

13. briefly inspect every board before you install it to make sure it doesn't have any finish or joint imperfections.

I hope this helps a little...

Most of what tigger mentioned is right on. I actually work in our flooring department at Home Depot, so I deal with all the usual questions all the time. I just added to most of what he said but if you need anything else feel free to pm me.

3. Good underlayment is a great idea. It helps with sound and a bit of insulation. Also, laminate is not nailed down at all.

5. This is your best bet, but you can also use a circular saw if need be. Just use a fine tooth miter blade and wrap the line youre going to cut with painters tape or masking tape. This will keep the finish from getting messed up.

6. Yes its a 1/4" gap, it allows for the expansion and contraction of the floor, the gap will get covered by the quarter round molding.

9. See if you can rent or borrow a nailer, all that you need it for is the trim pieces. Laminates are considered floating floors beacuse they do not attach directly to the subfloor in any way.

11. Laminate pieces come in boards (typically about 3 feet long) and are all the same length. Only hardwood and engineered wood comes in uneven lengths. The pattern is printed onto the boards and the seams typically blend very well so they will not be noticed. I do typically recommend staggering them a little bit from one row to the next though.

12. A tapping block is what hes referring to. Its just a plastic block, but a piece of wood works just as well.

13. Very good idea.

[Captain Morgan]

Originally Posted by buzzcutt2

Nice place...does everyone have a nice new house except for my poor ass?

No, not everyone.

Originally Posted by JoJoYZF

6. Yes its a 1/4" gap, it allows for the expansion and contraction of the floor, the gap will get covered by the quarter round molding.

I HATE the look of quarter round. If it can't be covered by regular trim, count me out. Quarter round looks like Bubba didn't measure correctly and had to install quarter round to cover up his mistakes. I'm also not a fan of laminate flooring, but that's just my personal opinion.

[JoJoYZF]

Originally Posted by Captain Morgan

No, not everyone.



I HATE the look of quarter round. If it can't be covered by regular trim, count me out. Quarter round looks like Bubba didn't measure correctly and had to install quarter round to cover up his mistakes. I'm also not a fan of laminate flooring, but that's just my personal opinion.

Yeah, Im not a huge fan of it either but there isnt much else you can do. You can leave a smaller gap so that regular molding will cover it, but thats about it, and then it doesnt have as much room if it expands. That depends a lot on the climate of your home.

I definitely like the look of hardwood floors better, but they scratch A LOT easier. We went with laminate and it turned out great, plus my dog would have scratched the shit out of the finish on a true hardwood floor.

[marko138]

DLIT...congrats on buying a place. Thats a big step. And a wise move. Also...nice fucking place man. Really nice.

[thunderex]

Originally Posted by askmrjesus

What? Bamboo rocks! The shit is practically indestructible, it's renewable, you can refinish it down the road if need be, (try that with a laminate floor) and it's not too expensive, (about $2.25 a square foot).

If Barbie was going to install a new floor in her "Malibu Fun House", it would be a laminate floor.

In short, laminate floors are for pussies.

There. I said it.

JC

Lots of folks have done bamboo hardwoods around here. Evidently the wood is quite soft and marks easily. I still like the look of it but it doesn't get great reviews from a lot of people who have them.