Installing click-type hardwood flooring advice?
12-29-2009, 09:05 PM
#1
Installing click-type hardwood flooring advice?
Background story
My fiancee and I bought our first home about four months ago. Our plan originally was to replace the carpet that's in the home with laminate from Costco due to the smell left behind by the previous homeowner's two large dogs. After giving the carpets multiple shampooing and vacuum treatments we have all but eliminated the smell so we decided to leave the carpet and do the flooring at a later date.
Well, we came across a killer deal at the Home Depot for a returned special order engineered hardwood floor that originally cost $89.99/case. Opening up a Home Depot charge gave us a 10% discount on the reduced price so in the end we ended up paying $36/case which equals about $1.44/square foot, almost $0.60 cheaper then the Costco laminate! We had to order 6 more cases at the original price to make sure we had enough to do out home +10% to account for material waste but it was still worth it!
The main story
My fiancee and I hope to install the flooring ourselves. Unfortunately we are already moved in and settled but luckily we are able to move our furniture into the basement to give us an uncluttered working area.
The previous owners knocked out one of the bedrooms in order to make the living room bigger. The house has hardwood floors throughout but after the removal of the bedroom, rather then filling in the void with hardwood, it was filled with plywood and some type of leveling goop and carpet was put in throughout the home to hide it, save for our bedroom.
Has anyone laid click-type flooring before? What would be some tips you'd give to a couple of first-times?
Any advice is much appreciated!
My fiancee and I bought our first home about four months ago. Our plan originally was to replace the carpet that's in the home with laminate from Costco due to the smell left behind by the previous homeowner's two large dogs. After giving the carpets multiple shampooing and vacuum treatments we have all but eliminated the smell so we decided to leave the carpet and do the flooring at a later date.
Well, we came across a killer deal at the Home Depot for a returned special order engineered hardwood floor that originally cost $89.99/case. Opening up a Home Depot charge gave us a 10% discount on the reduced price so in the end we ended up paying $36/case which equals about $1.44/square foot, almost $0.60 cheaper then the Costco laminate! We had to order 6 more cases at the original price to make sure we had enough to do out home +10% to account for material waste but it was still worth it!
The main story
My fiancee and I hope to install the flooring ourselves. Unfortunately we are already moved in and settled but luckily we are able to move our furniture into the basement to give us an uncluttered working area.
The previous owners knocked out one of the bedrooms in order to make the living room bigger. The house has hardwood floors throughout but after the removal of the bedroom, rather then filling in the void with hardwood, it was filled with plywood and some type of leveling goop and carpet was put in throughout the home to hide it, save for our bedroom.
Has anyone laid click-type flooring before? What would be some tips you'd give to a couple of first-times?
Any advice is much appreciated!
12-30-2009, 01:36 AM
#2
Senior Moderator
basic tips, make sure the area it's going on is vacuumed and cleaned properly and that you leave an expansion gap at the edges. Also keep a rubber mallot handy to help you, however don't go banging up the flooring and force it to fit...
12-30-2009, 07:23 AM
#3
i would also recommend a very light (1lb) dead blow hammer (usually orange color)... and i want to emphasize the need to clean up the floor properly before laying down the new laminate... did you get the thin insulation foam that goes underneath the new floor??? that is supposed to cushion from creaks...
i would also read the box to find out if you have to acclimate the wood to the room for a few days... I know with real hardwood, you need to do that...
make sure you take pics to show us the before and afters
good luck...
12-30-2009, 08:30 AM
#4
Oliver!!!
I've put it down in a few houses. Its actually pretty easy. I'm going to assume that you've never done it before and don't have any of the tools or the know how, so please don't be insulted if I say something you already know. I'm also assuming that you got the floating type laminate, not the stick down stuff.
Like others have said, be sure the floor is clean first. Put down the insultation/vapor barrier stuff. Its the foam like stuff that comes in big rolls. Duct tape the strips together to keep them from shifting. It'll save you a lot of headaches and frustration.
Knee pads.
Next, buy one of those kits with the little plastic tools shaped like stair steps (the people at Home Depot will know what you're talking about.) It makes tapping the pieces together a lot easier. It also ensures that you don't mess up the tongues and grooves.
Knee pads.
It sucks, but you pretty much have to rip out all the baseboards before you start. You won't be able to get the flooring underneath them, no matter how hard you try, especially the last strip. And the gap between the new flooring and the old may not be the same. You can also optionally add the quarter round molding after you're done, but that's strictly personal preference.
Knee pads
A wise man once told me, and it really didn't make sense until I tried it, lay out your flooring before you start. Before you put the first piece down, you need to know where the last piece will be. You don't want to end up putting down the entire floor only to end up with a 1" gap at the back wall.
Knee pads
As pointed out before, get the flooring into the house a day or two before you start laying it. I don't think its strictly necessary with laminate or engineered wood, but never hurts. I've always done it that way. Don't forget to leave a small expansion gap all the way around, but not so big that the baseboards won't cover it when you put them back on.
Have I mentioned you'll want knee pads?
Now, you're ready to start. Open a few cases at a time and take from mutliple cases as you're laying it. That way, any minute differences from one case to the next won't be obvious. Also, don't line up the planks so that they all line up at the ends. And don't alternate between full and half planks. It may not seem like that big a deal because you really can't see the lines when its all down, but it really does horrible. I've seen it done both ways. Always start with random lengths.
If you don't have one, a chop saw might be a good investment. If nothing else, it'll be a huge time saver. Home Depot has a miter saw for about $100. You can probably find one cheaper elsewhere though if this will be its only use. Or you could put it up on craigslist or something after you're done with it.
Congrats on the flooring! I'm hoping to do some of mine in the next few weeks. Just got my check back for the overage in my escrow account. Figure I'll put about $1k towards flooring. Not nearly enough to do the whole house, but enough to start.
Like others have said, be sure the floor is clean first. Put down the insultation/vapor barrier stuff. Its the foam like stuff that comes in big rolls. Duct tape the strips together to keep them from shifting. It'll save you a lot of headaches and frustration.
Knee pads.
Next, buy one of those kits with the little plastic tools shaped like stair steps (the people at Home Depot will know what you're talking about.) It makes tapping the pieces together a lot easier. It also ensures that you don't mess up the tongues and grooves.
Knee pads.
It sucks, but you pretty much have to rip out all the baseboards before you start. You won't be able to get the flooring underneath them, no matter how hard you try, especially the last strip. And the gap between the new flooring and the old may not be the same. You can also optionally add the quarter round molding after you're done, but that's strictly personal preference.
Knee pads
A wise man once told me, and it really didn't make sense until I tried it, lay out your flooring before you start. Before you put the first piece down, you need to know where the last piece will be. You don't want to end up putting down the entire floor only to end up with a 1" gap at the back wall.
Knee pads
As pointed out before, get the flooring into the house a day or two before you start laying it. I don't think its strictly necessary with laminate or engineered wood, but never hurts. I've always done it that way. Don't forget to leave a small expansion gap all the way around, but not so big that the baseboards won't cover it when you put them back on.
Have I mentioned you'll want knee pads?
Now, you're ready to start. Open a few cases at a time and take from mutliple cases as you're laying it. That way, any minute differences from one case to the next won't be obvious. Also, don't line up the planks so that they all line up at the ends. And don't alternate between full and half planks. It may not seem like that big a deal because you really can't see the lines when its all down, but it really does horrible. I've seen it done both ways. Always start with random lengths.
If you don't have one, a chop saw might be a good investment. If nothing else, it'll be a huge time saver. Home Depot has a miter saw for about $100. You can probably find one cheaper elsewhere though if this will be its only use. Or you could put it up on craigslist or something after you're done with it.
Congrats on the flooring! I'm hoping to do some of mine in the next few weeks. Just got my check back for the overage in my escrow account. Figure I'll put about $1k towards flooring. Not nearly enough to do the whole house, but enough to start.
12-30-2009, 09:07 AM
#5
Nom Nom Nom Nom
I've put it down in a few houses. Its actually pretty easy. I'm going to assume that you've never done it before and don't have any of the tools or the know how, so please don't be insulted if I say something you already know. I'm also assuming that you got the floating type laminate, not the stick down stuff.
Like others have said, be sure the floor is clean first. Put down the insultation/vapor barrier stuff. Its the foam like stuff that comes in big rolls. Duct tape the strips together to keep them from shifting. It'll save you a lot of headaches and frustration.
Knee pads.
Next, buy one of those kits with the little plastic tools shaped like stair steps (the people at Home Depot will know what you're talking about.) It makes tapping the pieces together a lot easier. It also ensures that you don't mess up the tongues and grooves.
Knee pads.
It sucks, but you pretty much have to rip out all the baseboards before you start. You won't be able to get the flooring underneath them, no matter how hard you try, especially the last strip. And the gap between the new flooring and the old may not be the same. You can also optionally add the quarter round molding after you're done, but that's strictly personal preference.
Knee pads
A wise man once told me, and it really didn't make sense until I tried it, lay out your flooring before you start. Before you put the first piece down, you need to know where the last piece will be. You don't want to end up putting down the entire floor only to end up with a 1" gap at the back wall.
Knee pads
As pointed out before, get the flooring into the house a day or two before you start laying it. I don't think its strictly necessary with laminate or engineered wood, but never hurts. I've always done it that way. Don't forget to leave a small expansion gap all the way around, but not so big that the baseboards won't cover it when you put them back on.
Have I mentioned you'll want knee pads?
Now, you're ready to start. Open a few cases at a time and take from mutliple cases as you're laying it. That way, any minute differences from one case to the next won't be obvious. Also, don't line up the planks so that they all line up at the ends. And don't alternate between full and half planks. It may not seem like that big a deal because you really can't see the lines when its all down, but it really does horrible. I've seen it done both ways. Always start with random lengths.
If you don't have one, a chop saw might be a good investment. If nothing else, it'll be a huge time saver. Home Depot has a miter saw for about $100. You can probably find one cheaper elsewhere though if this will be its only use. Or you could put it up on craigslist or something after you're done with it.
Congrats on the flooring! I'm hoping to do some of mine in the next few weeks. Just got my check back for the overage in my escrow account. Figure I'll put about $1k towards flooring. Not nearly enough to do the whole house, but enough to start.
Like others have said, be sure the floor is clean first. Put down the insultation/vapor barrier stuff. Its the foam like stuff that comes in big rolls. Duct tape the strips together to keep them from shifting. It'll save you a lot of headaches and frustration.
Knee pads.
Next, buy one of those kits with the little plastic tools shaped like stair steps (the people at Home Depot will know what you're talking about.) It makes tapping the pieces together a lot easier. It also ensures that you don't mess up the tongues and grooves.
Knee pads.
It sucks, but you pretty much have to rip out all the baseboards before you start. You won't be able to get the flooring underneath them, no matter how hard you try, especially the last strip. And the gap between the new flooring and the old may not be the same. You can also optionally add the quarter round molding after you're done, but that's strictly personal preference.
Knee pads
A wise man once told me, and it really didn't make sense until I tried it, lay out your flooring before you start. Before you put the first piece down, you need to know where the last piece will be. You don't want to end up putting down the entire floor only to end up with a 1" gap at the back wall.
Knee pads
As pointed out before, get the flooring into the house a day or two before you start laying it. I don't think its strictly necessary with laminate or engineered wood, but never hurts. I've always done it that way. Don't forget to leave a small expansion gap all the way around, but not so big that the baseboards won't cover it when you put them back on.
Have I mentioned you'll want knee pads?
Now, you're ready to start. Open a few cases at a time and take from mutliple cases as you're laying it. That way, any minute differences from one case to the next won't be obvious. Also, don't line up the planks so that they all line up at the ends. And don't alternate between full and half planks. It may not seem like that big a deal because you really can't see the lines when its all down, but it really does horrible. I've seen it done both ways. Always start with random lengths.
If you don't have one, a chop saw might be a good investment. If nothing else, it'll be a huge time saver. Home Depot has a miter saw for about $100. You can probably find one cheaper elsewhere though if this will be its only use. Or you could put it up on craigslist or something after you're done with it.
Congrats on the flooring! I'm hoping to do some of mine in the next few weeks. Just got my check back for the overage in my escrow account. Figure I'll put about $1k towards flooring. Not nearly enough to do the whole house, but enough to start.
12-30-2009, 01:09 PM
#6
Oliver!!!
Yeah, isn't it amazing how quick it goes down once you get it started? A buddy of mine and I did almost 2k square feet of it in 2 afternoons. The house was empty, so no furniture to move, but it still went down amazingly fast.
12-30-2009, 01:27 PM
#7
is learning to moonwalk i
Great info from Litesout.
Only thing I would add is to check for squeaks in the existing subfloor and see if you add some nails to reduce/remove them before laying down the new flooring. Your description of the existing flooring was a little confusing, so I'm not 100% sure this applies.
Oh, and check to see if there will be any height differences between the new floor and the flooring in any other rooms - especially tile in the kitchen and bathrooms. You'll want to get some transition pieces for those areas.
Only thing I would add is to check for squeaks in the existing subfloor and see if you add some nails to reduce/remove them before laying down the new flooring. Your description of the existing flooring was a little confusing, so I'm not 100% sure this applies.
Oh, and check to see if there will be any height differences between the new floor and the flooring in any other rooms - especially tile in the kitchen and bathrooms. You'll want to get some transition pieces for those areas.
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12-30-2009, 11:10 PM
#8
Thanks everyone for the kind advice. My fiancé and I were able to move most of the furniture to the basement or the dining room today. After that we started ripping out the carpet and pad in the living room. We also pulled all the tack strips, nails, and staples. We started around noon and we just finished. I'm taking some pictures to document our progress which I will post after I get my computer back together. Right now I'm posting from my fiance's iphone which is not the easiest for me so I shall update with better detail in the near future.
Thank you again for all the advice!
Thank you again for all the advice!
12-31-2009, 10:26 AM
#11
When I installed some laminate in my new house, I went the 1/4 round route, turned out great as the base trim was very tall to begin with.
Also, like litesout said, a chop saw is ideal. I used a 12" dewalt with the all purpose blade and had no problems, however, it did dull the blade up from that one job. They make laminate blades but the all purpose did quite well. Obviously, it started to chip a little bit when the blade was about done. Didn't really matter though as the 1/4 round covered all the edges.
Also, like litesout said, a chop saw is ideal. I used a 12" dewalt with the all purpose blade and had no problems, however, it did dull the blade up from that one job. They make laminate blades but the all purpose did quite well. Obviously, it started to chip a little bit when the blade was about done. Didn't really matter though as the 1/4 round covered all the edges.
01-22-2010, 07:21 PM
#12
I just wanted to update those interested, we're finally almost back to normal. We finished installing the floors about a week and a half ago. Installing the trim was probably as much if not more PITA than installing the flooring. Most of the walls were wavy and places where the trim met in the corners were far from 90 degrees so it took some creative solutions to hide the gaps in the trim. Let's say that wood filler was my best friend!
I will update this thread with pictures in the very near future. I have a lot of catching up to do as I've been mostly without Internet since my first post.
I will update this thread with pictures in the very near future. I have a lot of catching up to do as I've been mostly without Internet since my first post.
02-28-2010, 09:16 PM
#13
Cruising in ATL!!
Question on this laminate flooring install....
I'm ripping out existing carpet so underneath it, I found sort of like foam type. I guess it was used as extra cushion. Should this remain? Can this be use as foam? I'll just add vapor barrier (concrete is a subfloor).
Second, how do I add a molding piece around things like cabinet or fire place? I was told, molding should never be nailed to the floor. But at fireplace, should I nail it to the stone piece?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
I'm ripping out existing carpet so underneath it, I found sort of like foam type. I guess it was used as extra cushion. Should this remain? Can this be use as foam? I'll just add vapor barrier (concrete is a subfloor).
Second, how do I add a molding piece around things like cabinet or fire place? I was told, molding should never be nailed to the floor. But at fireplace, should I nail it to the stone piece?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
03-02-2010, 11:13 AM
#14
is learning to moonwalk i
Question on this laminate flooring install....
I'm ripping out existing carpet so underneath it, I found sort of like foam type. I guess it was used as extra cushion. Should this remain? Can this be use as foam? I'll just add vapor barrier (concrete is a subfloor).
Second, how do I add a molding piece around things like cabinet or fire place? I was told, molding should never be nailed to the floor. But at fireplace, should I nail it to the stone piece?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
I'm ripping out existing carpet so underneath it, I found sort of like foam type. I guess it was used as extra cushion. Should this remain? Can this be use as foam? I'll just add vapor barrier (concrete is a subfloor).
Second, how do I add a molding piece around things like cabinet or fire place? I was told, molding should never be nailed to the floor. But at fireplace, should I nail it to the stone piece?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
For the moulding you nail into the wall - i.e. hitting the studs and base plate in the wall.
With all due respect, it doesn't sound like you're ready to take on a project like this.
03-04-2010, 05:42 PM
#15
Oliver!!!
Yeah, the old carpet pad has to be removed before starting the install. There is a different type that's used for laminate flooring. It has a vapor barrier and sound deadening properties. Shouldn't run more than about $.50/sf.
As far as the the moulding goes, are you talking about between the new flooring and the fireplace? If that's the case, you don't install moulding, you install tracks on the floor (not the laminate, the bare concrete) and do transition pieces. I'd consult with a flooring professional before going any further. If you shop around there are places that will do free in home estimates.
As far as the the moulding goes, are you talking about between the new flooring and the fireplace? If that's the case, you don't install moulding, you install tracks on the floor (not the laminate, the bare concrete) and do transition pieces. I'd consult with a flooring professional before going any further. If you shop around there are places that will do free in home estimates.
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