"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.



Oh, one other tool that may be helpful but not necessary is a contour
gauge: http://www.johnsonlevel.com//jl/spccontour.php

It can be very handy to have around for many things. One of those tools
you never justify buying for one particular project but you end up using
it on many.