john wrote:
Does this seem like a decent cost ? 710 square feet of laminated
flooring of my choice at $3 a square foot. Installed on top of
radiant heating (concrete) at a cost of $4000 ? Everything is out
of the way too..all furniture and stuff is upstairs.

He recommends to leave the original baseboard trim where it is and not
remove it. When the wood goes up against the trim, he will use a
molding to connect the 2. Does that seem like a normal way of
doing it ? I want a tight seal since I have minor radon levels down
there. Would it be possible to have a better tight seal if the wood
trim was removed ?
I appreciate any info, you guys have always been the best.


The flooring expands and contracts with temperature and humidity (laminates,
not so much with humidity). There must be gaps surrounding the floor so the
material can move. If you did get a "tight" seal - say through the use of
glues or sealant - the wood would rip the sealant asunder as the flooring
expands. The floor WILL leak (at least) around the edges.

BUT, laminate is impermeable and that's probably better than what you've
got.

Back to the original issue: The floor will look better if the floorboards
are removed and reset atop the laminate.

Also, you can do the job yourself for less than $1000. You'll need less than
100 curse-words.