Installing hard wood flooring?

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by thunderex

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.

There were A LOT of install problems when I installed them. Granted,they were relatively new at the time.

[DLIT]

Originally Posted by marko138

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

[Gas Man]

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...

Tigger got most of it

Originally Posted by JoJoYZF

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.

Truth.

Get a rubber mallet.

Consider the engineered hard wood as well. Looks alot nicer than pergo style. Same snap together floating installation but individual pieces. I did one a month or so ago... real nice. When we did, we laid down mdf board over all the existing floor... make it all nice n even as said above.

[askmrjesus]

Originally Posted by thunderex

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.

I don't know what those people are doing on their floors, but Bamboo is anything but soft;

"Bamboo flooring's hardness rating, usually gauged by ASTM 1037 (also known as Janko Hardness Rating) is higher than most wood floorings. According to ASTM 1037 tests, bamboo shows an average hardness of 1642, making it 21 percent harder than white oak and 13 percent harder than hard maple."

JC

[JoJoYZF]

Originally Posted by Gas Man

Tigger got most of it



Truth.

Get a rubber mallet.

Consider the engineered hard wood as well. Looks alot nicer than pergo style. Same snap together floating installation but individual pieces. I did one a month or so ago... real nice. When we did, we laid down mdf board over all the existing floor... make it all nice n even as said above.

Engineered flooring is sweet. Not quite as durable to scratches as laminate but install is easy and like you said, the look is a hell of a lot nicer than most laminates.

[RACER X]

i've laid down a few laminate floors, so here's my tips

buy the pergo install kit, it has all the stuf you'll need to make life easier

cut the boards w/ the pretty side down. it splinters less.

and good underlying stuff is exp. we plan to do some rooms in our new house sometime in the future.

[thunderex]

Originally Posted by askmrjesus

I don't know what those people are doing on their floors, but Bamboo is anything but soft;

"Bamboo flooring's hardness rating, usually gauged by ASTM 1037 (also known as Janko Hardness Rating) is higher than most wood floorings. According to ASTM 1037 tests, bamboo shows an average hardness of 1642, making it 21 percent harder than white oak and 13 percent harder than hard maple."

JC

Beats me. Maybe it just shows worse on Bamboo for some reason. Although I do think carbonized Bamboo is softer due to the process of making it darker.

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by askmrjesus

I don't know what those people are doing on their floors, but Bamboo is anything but soft;

"Bamboo flooring's hardness rating, usually gauged by ASTM 1037 (also known as Janko Hardness Rating) is higher than most wood floorings. According to ASTM 1037 tests, bamboo shows an average hardness of 1642, making it 21 percent harder than white oak and 13 percent harder than hard maple."

JC

I personally had problems with the glue they sent but I agree that the floor looked awesome!

[Gas Man]

Originally Posted by JoJoYZF

Engineered flooring is sweet. Not quite as durable to scratches as laminate but install is easy and like you said, the look is a hell of a lot nicer than most laminates.

That is true. I "heard" of my step bro in law's neighbor... if you can follow that shit.. had a parts. A bunch of sluts were over wearing high heals and major drinking. The next morning he said there was a trench of heal divits in the engineered hardwood flooring around the island in the kitchen. CRAZY SHIT!

[Amber Lamps]

oh snap!