[Maria]

I've nver had anything to do with laminate flooring - I don't actually
like it but can't afford to replace it at the moment.
So, in the entrance hall, how can I peek underneath to see what's
there? It's possible that there are some Victorian Mosaic tiles as
there are in the porch, but I can't tell. How can I remove a piece of
floor to take a sneaky peek? ! It's just the glueless interlocking
type I believe with joiing strips between the two ajoining rooms.

[Andy Hall]

On 2007-10-28 14:22:40 +0000, Maria said:

I've nver had anything to do with laminate flooring - I don't actually
like it but can't afford to replace it at the moment.
So, in the entrance hall, how can I peek underneath to see what's
there? It's possible that there are some Victorian Mosaic tiles as
there are in the porch, but I can't tell. How can I remove a piece of
floor to take a sneaky peek? ! It's just the glueless interlocking
type I believe with joiing strips between the two ajoining rooms.

Just rip it all up. Whatever is there will look better.

[Stuart Noble]

Andy Hall wrote:
On 2007-10-28 14:22:40 +0000, Maria said:

I've nver had anything to do with laminate flooring - I don't actually
like it but can't afford to replace it at the moment.
So, in the entrance hall, how can I peek underneath to see what's
there? It's possible that there are some Victorian Mosaic tiles as
there are in the porch, but I can't tell. How can I remove a piece of
floor to take a sneaky peek? ! It's just the glueless interlocking
type I believe with joiing strips between the two ajoining rooms.

Just rip it all up. Whatever is there will look better.


I expect the Fein has a laminate section remover tool

[Broadback]

Andy Hall wrote:
On 2007-10-28 14:22:40 +0000, Maria said:

I've nver had anything to do with laminate flooring - I don't actually
like it but can't afford to replace it at the moment.
So, in the entrance hall, how can I peek underneath to see what's
there? It's possible that there are some Victorian Mosaic tiles as
there are in the porch, but I can't tell. How can I remove a piece of
floor to take a sneaky peek? ! It's just the glueless interlocking
type I believe with joiing strips between the two ajoining rooms.

Just rip it all up. Whatever is there will look better.


Also it will not be so loud!

[Maria]

On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 14:58:09 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote:

On 2007-10-28 14:22:40 +0000, Maria said:

I've nver had anything to do with laminate flooring - I don't actually
like it but can't afford to replace it at the moment.
So, in the entrance hall, how can I peek underneath to see what's
there? It's possible that there are some Victorian Mosaic tiles as
there are in the porch, but I can't tell. How can I remove a piece of
floor to take a sneaky peek? ! It's just the glueless interlocking
type I believe with joiing strips between the two ajoining rooms.

Just rip it all up. Whatever is there will look better.


I agree, but have some reservations as the house (a terrace on a hill)
has obviously subsided at some point and there is a large gap between
the floor and skirting at one end of the rooms, so I have left the
laminate in the living and dining rooms for now. I'm not sure how you
address an uneven gap like this...relocating the skirting to hide the
gap at one end will lead to an obvious problem. Aside from ripping up
the floorboards and relaying the floor so that it is higher at one
end, I can't see how else to do it.

[Maria]

On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 15:58:24 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote:

On 2007-10-28 15:44:13 +0000, Maria said:

On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 14:58:09 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote:

On 2007-10-28 14:22:40 +0000, Maria said:

I've nver had anything to do with laminate flooring - I don't actually
like it but can't afford to replace it at the moment.
So, in the entrance hall, how can I peek underneath to see what's
there? It's possible that there are some Victorian Mosaic tiles as
there are in the porch, but I can't tell. How can I remove a piece of
floor to take a sneaky peek? ! It's just the glueless interlocking
type I believe with joiing strips between the two ajoining rooms.

Just rip it all up. Whatever is there will look better.


I agree, but have some reservations as the house (a terrace on a hill)
has obviously subsided at some point and there is a large gap between
the floor and skirting at one end of the rooms, so I have left the
laminate in the living and dining rooms for now. I'm not sure how you
address an uneven gap like this...relocating the skirting to hide the
gap at one end will lead to an obvious problem. Aside from ripping up
the floorboards and relaying the floor so that it is higher at one
end, I can't see how else to do it.

Move the skirting?

Surely the skirting will then be sloping like the floor is!

[Andy Hall]

On 2007-10-28 15:44:13 +0000, Maria said:

On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 14:58:09 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote:

On 2007-10-28 14:22:40 +0000, Maria said:

I've nver had anything to do with laminate flooring - I don't actually
like it but can't afford to replace it at the moment.
So, in the entrance hall, how can I peek underneath to see what's
there? It's possible that there are some Victorian Mosaic tiles as
there are in the porch, but I can't tell. How can I remove a piece of
floor to take a sneaky peek? ! It's just the glueless interlocking
type I believe with joiing strips between the two ajoining rooms.

Just rip it all up. Whatever is there will look better.


I agree, but have some reservations as the house (a terrace on a hill)
has obviously subsided at some point and there is a large gap between
the floor and skirting at one end of the rooms, so I have left the
laminate in the living and dining rooms for now. I'm not sure how you
address an uneven gap like this...relocating the skirting to hide the
gap at one end will lead to an obvious problem. Aside from ripping up
the floorboards and relaying the floor so that it is higher at one
end, I can't see how else to do it.

Move the skirting?

[Andy Hall]

On 2007-10-28 15:20:50 +0000, Stuart Noble
said:

Andy Hall wrote:
On 2007-10-28 14:22:40 +0000, Maria said:

I've nver had anything to do with laminate flooring - I don't actually
like it but can't afford to replace it at the moment.
So, in the entrance hall, how can I peek underneath to see what's
there? It's possible that there are some Victorian Mosaic tiles as
there are in the porch, but I can't tell. How can I remove a piece of
floor to take a sneaky peek? ! It's just the glueless interlocking
type I believe with joiing strips between the two ajoining rooms.

Just rip it all up. Whatever is there will look better.


I expect the Fein has a laminate section remover tool

Nah, they don't make Kango breakers.

[Andy Hall]

On 2007-10-28 15:58:21 +0000, Maria said:

I agree, but have some reservations as the house (a terrace on a hill)
has obviously subsided at some point and there is a large gap between
the floor and skirting at one end of the rooms, so I have left the
laminate in the living and dining rooms for now. I'm not sure how you
address an uneven gap like this...relocating the skirting to hide the
gap at one end will lead to an obvious problem. Aside from ripping up
the floorboards and relaying the floor so that it is higher at one
end, I can't see how else to do it.

Move the skirting?

Surely the skirting will then be sloping like the floor is!

Ah, OK, different problem.

Since the whole room now won't be square - - it probably never was - it
becomes a case of repairing what needs to be repaired, truing up where
possible and then making adjustments after that for a reaasonable
visual outcome.
You might not be able to achieve all of those.

Assuming that the structure of the house is now stable, it would then
depend on the floors underneath and what you want to do. If they do
turn out to be mosaics that you want to keep then that would define and
limit options in that area. However, more likely is to have suspended
timber floors. You could lift the boards of those and pack the joists
to make up the gap. The boards could be cleaned up (or not) and put
back or they could be replaced with new wood. People even put in
concrete floors. It would probably be a good idea before doing
anything substantial to get a structural engineer to take a look.

Like all these things, you need to decide what you are willing to spend
before starting.

[Roger Mills]

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Maria wrote:

On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 15:58:24 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote:


Move the skirting?

Surely the skirting will then be sloping like the floor is!

How big a slope is there? How big is the gap? Is the skirting level all the
way round? If so, the walls presumably haven't subsided - just whatever is
supporting the floor joists. To make a *proper* job, you really need to take
up the floorboards and pack the joists up level - making sure that there is
something solid under them. Are you sure that the joists haven't partially
rotted on one side of the house, and sunk onto their supports - rather than
subsidence per se?
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

[[email protected]]

Maria wrote:

I've nver had anything to do with laminate flooring - I don't actually
like it but can't afford to replace it at the moment.
So, in the entrance hall, how can I peek underneath to see what's
there? It's possible that there are some Victorian Mosaic tiles as
there are in the porch, but I can't tell. How can I remove a piece of
floor to take a sneaky peek? ! It's just the glueless interlocking
type I believe with joiing strips between the two ajoining rooms.

The simplest way to peek is to jump on the floor. If it bounces
slightly its suspended timber, if its as hard as rock its concrete,
with or without tiles.

Lam might have been put down for fashion purposes, or it may have
been put down for a sensible reason.


NT

[Maria]

On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 17:18:30 -0000, "Roger Mills"
wrote:

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Maria wrote:

On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 15:58:24 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote:


Move the skirting?

Surely the skirting will then be sloping like the floor is!

How big a slope is there? How big is the gap? Is the skirting level all the
way round?

The skirting is level (it's recently been replaced before we moved in)
and the laminate appears to be chocked up at one end - the visible
skirting board narrows by 1 - 1.5 inch over 10 feet distance.

If so, the walls presumably haven't subsided - just whatever is
supporting the floor joists.

It's hard to tell - we had a vertical 2 inch wide settlement crack on
an interior wall adjacent to the front wall of the house. The front of
the house shows no signs of settlement at all - it's all inside on the
adjoining wall with next door. Looks like the bit of the house (the
main bit!) behind the front wall as dropped. Same upstairs where there
is no laminate, there is a one inch gap between the skirting and the
floor at the same end of the room.

To make a *proper* job, you really need to take
up the floorboards and pack the joists up level - making sure that there is
something solid under them.

That's what I thought.

Are you sure that the joists haven't partially
rotted on one side of the house, and sunk onto their supports - rather than
subsidence per se?

Can't see any rot, but not sure until I've removed the laminate!

[Maria]

On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 16:42:54 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote:

On 2007-10-28 15:58:21 +0000, Maria said:

I agree, but have some reservations as the house (a terrace on a hill)
has obviously subsided at some point and there is a large gap between
the floor and skirting at one end of the rooms, so I have left the
laminate in the living and dining rooms for now. I'm not sure how you
address an uneven gap like this...relocating the skirting to hide the
gap at one end will lead to an obvious problem. Aside from ripping up
the floorboards and relaying the floor so that it is higher at one
end, I can't see how else to do it.

Move the skirting?

Surely the skirting will then be sloping like the floor is!

Ah, OK, different problem.

Since the whole room now won't be square - - it probably never was - it
becomes a case of repairing what needs to be repaired, truing up where
possible and then making adjustments after that for a reaasonable
visual outcome.
You might not be able to achieve all of those.

Assuming that the structure of the house is now stable, it would then
depend on the floors underneath and what you want to do. If they do
turn out to be mosaics that you want to keep then that would define and
limit options in that area. However, more likely is to have suspended
timber floors.

It's timber floors in the living and dining rooms, but definintely
solid in the entrance hall - it could just be concreted I guess.

You could lift the boards of those and pack the joists
to make up the gap. The boards could be cleaned up (or not) and put
back or they could be replaced with new wood. People even put in
concrete floors. It would probably be a good idea before doing
anything substantial to get a structural engineer to take a look.

I'll do that.

Like all these things, you need to decide what you are willing to spend
before starting.

We weren't planning to spend anything on this! We didn't notice it
before we purchased...still it's 120 years old and these things are
bound to happen, especially on clay on a steep hill like this.
It's quite difficult doing major work because we have 5 children and
so the house is always full...I might just grit my teeth and ignore
it!