Red Green wrote:
"HeyBub" wrote in
m:

Alex wrote:
Hi...

We're about to lay laminate floating flooring throughout our house,
but given we'll be doing almost every room (except bathrooms),
there's no way we'll be able to have a single starting point. Is it
recommended to start a new row in each room then use a transition
piece at the door where the floors meet (for example hallway and
bedroom or kitchen and living room) or is there anyway to have the
floors move seamlessly throughout the house? I'm not sure what the
standard process is for this.


The standard process OUGHT to be that which minimizes the work. I'd
use a transition only if I had to do so or if it made the
installation easier.

There are four tools you'll need that you may not have considered:
1. A cheap table saw - there will be ripping.
2. A rubber mallet.
3. Ratchet clamp
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=90416

The last is useful because no matter how much you beat on some
planks, they just refuse to snap together!

I presume you'll be removing the baseboards (excellent opportunity to
recondition them). (Hint: Don't drive the nails out from the
backside: cut them off instead.) If so, you'll also need:
4. Tool for undercutting door jambs.

A pneumatic brad-nailer is a god-send when re-installing the
baseboards.

Good luck on your project: Laminate flooring is kinda fun and you'll
be tickled with the results. Downstream, laminate flooring is MUCH
easier to keep clean than carpeting and a lot more durable.

P.S.
The plastic-impregnated laminates are okay for the kitchen and batch
- they're virtually waterproof.



Get a pull bar or make one if you have the resources. Not sure if the
HF ones are any good. Lip may bend from hammering on it if gauge is
light. One I got from the Borg was good. Part of a kit.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=97751
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=96447

1. A cheap table saw - there will be ripping.

I lived without using that. Just used a jig saw. I would think you
need a taper jig if you use a table saw for ripping since walls are
not going to be straight, Heck, at some corners, the wall may even
bow out from a taper..

What I could not have lived without was the chop saw. Lesson I
learned is MAKE SURE you use a carbide tipped blade otherwise the saw
blade will blue smoke after about 10 cuts. Laminate I used had
aluminum oxide used in it's surface (better wear). Keep in mind Al
Oxide is what's automotive sandpaper used for metal.

Yeah. I used a miter saw to begin with which wasn't quite enough depth (cut,
flip, cut) and used my radial arm saw for the rips. After one room, I said
"screw this!" and got a cheap table saw. Worth it.

Your point about a taper jig is a good one, but inasmuch as the planks
shouldn't contact the wall anyway, minor wobbles of the wall are
insignificant.

One other observation about knee-pads. I didn't use them. I scooted around
on my butt (the laminate is really slickery). My not-inconsiderable weight
also help hold the stuff in place. The only thing to keep in mind, as you
use the rubber mallet between your legs, is to hit what you're aiming at.