Alex wrote:
On Aug 12, 7:13 am, "HeyBub" wrote:
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
clamphttp://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=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.

Thanks for the reply and tips. I might just have to pick-up the
ratchet clamp from the local Harbor Freight, so great idea!

Ideally I'd love to make the floors seamless, but with the way our
house is laid-out, I just don't see how we can do so since we'll have
to start a new row of planks in a couple of places... and given
they'll be coming from different directions, I just don't know how we
can make them seamlessly blend together without transition pieces.

Laminate flooring is supposed to simulate wooden decking. Imagine what
happens in a house with oak flooring as you move from one room to another
and the floor rotates 90°.

Vertigo.

I'd try to keep the orientation the same, reserving transition pieces to
transition from one floor type to that of a different type (i.e.: laminate
to carpet or tile).



Also, just curious to anyone why's laid a floating laminate floor, we
plan on having three of us working on it with one cutting and two
laying, and at about 750 square feet I'm guessing we can get done in
either one day or maybe one day plus a few hours into a second one.
It's basically a living room, kitchen/dining room, hallway, small
entry hallway, and one bedroom. We might hold-off on the trim until
the next day, but that I wouldn't think should take too long.

Thanks for the advice..


"One [person] cutting" may be unnecessary as a full time job.

A technique I found goes like this: Lay one course and cut the last plank to
fit. The cut-off piece is the starter piece for the next course (the planks
have to overlap, like laying bricks). This cut-off piece may not be suitable
as a starter - it may be too short (less than about ten inches), so you
start the next course with a full plank. So, then, the job is: a) lay a row
(some minutes), b) cut to fit, c) lay another row, d) repeat.

I'd remove the trim and put one person to reconditioning it. Fill in holes,
sand, paint, sand, paint. Couple coats of enamel. That'll take a day in
itself.

You will have to undercut the door frames. This is straight-forward, but
non-trivial. You've got what, five doors? Each will take up to a half-hour
unless you have an expensive power tool. A Dremel won't do it. A jig-saw,
circular saw, angle grinder, or other common thing won't work. You've got to
cut the frame; you can't cut the laminate to fit. At a minimum, you'll need
something similar to this:

http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11101

Even then, if you get frustrated you end up with busted knuckles! You'll
also use a Dremel for the intricate massaging and L-shaped cuts. A wood rasp
comes in handy.

Have fun!