hi folks

we are thinking of putting laminate flooring in our house. we are gonna
do this by ourselves.

1. i was reading about how the moisture difference between the
laminates and the sub floor should not me more than a certain amount.
Is this step really necessary? To measure this difference, you need a
"Pin type wood moisture meter" which costs about $300 (and HD does not
even have it or rent it). I know I should keep the laminate flooring in
the house for 2-3 days for moisture to equalize.

2. My floor is not really even. I know of at least one dip about 3 feet
in diameter. I am afraid of what other surprises am I gonna find once i
rip out the carpet. The automatic leveling compound is expensive as
hell. Is there a better/ inexpensive way of filling the dips?

3. Does the baseboard need to be removed prior to installation? Can I
just slide the laminate under the baseboard? Will I have to undercut
the door frames too? Can I just hide the edges of the laminate under a
quarter round?

4. The laminate floor will be installed in 3 rooms that are adjacent to
each other. Is there an advantage to breaking the floor into three
sections, one for each room, separated by T transitions? Or can I just
have a smooth floor from one room to the other?

5. Can I install laminate over linoleum (i.e. not remove the linoleum
from the kitchen floor)?

Thanks for any advice

1. I've known several people who've put in laminate, never heard of
anyone worrying about it. There installs do not seem any worse off for
it.
2. Floor leveler, if it's really bad, ir find out why there's a dip.
3. You can hide the edges under quarter round. The bit around the door
frames - I'd cut out the gap. It'd be difficult to get the laminate to
match up to the contour.
4. Dunno.
5. You can install it over just about anything, it's a floating surface.

What is "laminate flooring?" Do you know any brand names and how much
it costs for a gallon can?
I have been thinking of tearing up my carpet, and putting some kind of
dark coating over the concrete, which will have gluey fabric remnants stuck
to it. I don't want to put down hardwood,which is expensive, and I don't
like the feel of walking on it; or linoleum, which can peel or get holes in
it; and tile is expensive. I don't want to use concrete paint, as it shows
the cracks in the concrete, and has to be redone after so many years.
I bought some glue from Fasco of Hialeah; Fasco No. 110, which is an
epoxy glue with over 5000 PSI sticking power. They used to make an epoxy
coating that looked like "terraco," - terracotta, I guess - but no longer
make it because they are not allowed any more to make anything that is
flammable. They make something has has a "porcelain" look, but they said it
would be too expensive to use for a floor covering.
The best-looking application for a concrete floor that I have ever seen
is acid-stain, but it should be done by a professional, over a newly-poured
concrete foundation. The second best, also over a new concrete floor, is to
polish it with a concrete polishing machine, which looks just life a wax
buffing machine. If you do this long enough, it will look almost like a
marble floor.

You will probably need to fix the dip if it is more than a 1/4" drop.
The constant popping up and down when walking on it will damage the
tongue and grooves and eventually you will be replacing flooring.
I prefer to remove the door casings and baseboards then install the
flooring but I can see the advantage of using a base shoe to cover it
up. I have routed door casings so there are no base shoes to cover
this. Make sure you have the correct gap from the flooring to wall or
it gets real ugly. I believe most recommend 5/16".

If you are doing this in a basement, worry about the moisture content
of the floor. Otherwise, who cares. If you want, cover the floor with a
vapor barrier before you install the laminate. I did this and used a
spray adhesive to attach it to the wall/floor and then nailed the
baseboards over it to form a good seal.

Over Linoleum? Guess so, seems lazy but what the heck, give it a try.

I like the continuous look from room to room but if you decide to
change the flooring later in one of the rooms, you have to do some
cutting and then put a T in. It will be easier on you to make it
continuous (ie less cutting now).

I did a 200 sq ft room in about 2 days and all I can say is get the
laminate with the built-in padding and the proper tapping and pulling
tools. Without those tools, you end up with a lot of damaged pieces. I
bought the non-padded flooring then ended up buying rolls of the
armstrong padding and what a pain in the ass that was. With one person
cutting and one installing the flooring, it goes in pretty quickly.

" What is "laminate flooring?" Do you know any brand names and how much

it costs for a gallon can? "

Laminate flooring is a synthetic product that tries to look like a
hardwood floor. It's basicly a picture of real wood that's stamped and
formed into a plastic like material. It gets installed in small
sections, each section being several planks wide, which are glued
together and float. It's advantages are it's less expensive than wood,
less sensitive to moisture, holds up better to spills, pets, etc.
Disadvantages are that it can look pretty good, but if you look close
enough, you can see it isn't real wood, it can't be sanded/refinished
and for resale value, having real wood floors is a plus. Pergo is the
most widely known brand.

Comments inserted:

wrote
hi folks

we are thinking of putting laminate flooring in our house. we are gonna
do this by ourselves.

1. i was reading about how the moisture difference between the
laminates and the sub floor should not me more than a certain amount.
Is this step really necessary? To measure this difference, you need a
"Pin type wood moisture meter" which costs about $300 (and HD does not
even have it or rent it). I know I should keep the laminate flooring in
the house for 2-3 days for moisture to equalize.

You need to take a calcium chloride test if going over concrete, other than
that, forget the moisture meter. You need to acclimate the flooring to the
room it will be laid, follow manufacturers installation method.



2. My floor is not really even. I know of at least one dip about 3 feet
in diameter. I am afraid of what other surprises am I gonna find once i
rip out the carpet. The automatic leveling compound is expensive as
hell. Is there a better/ inexpensive way of filling the dips?

Again, follow manufacturer's recommendation for dips & tolerances.


3. Does the baseboard need to be removed prior to installation? Can I
just slide the laminate under the baseboard? Will I have to undercut
the door frames too? Can I just hide the edges of the laminate under a
quarter round?

You do not need to remove the baseboards, but follow the installation
recommendation for _gap_ allowance. Undercut all doorways, there are tricks
but no shortcuts. If you take a shortcut, it will look like it. Normal
installation of shoe mold hides the expansion gap. Tip: It's best to under
cut outside corners of baseboards 1-1/2" in each direction, this way you can
be assured you won't see a gap after shoe mold is installed.

4. The laminate floor will be installed in 3 rooms that are adjacent to
each other. Is there an advantage to breaking the floor into three
sections, one for each room, separated by T transitions? Or can I just
have a smooth floor from one room to the other?

You need to read up on the flooring being installed. _T's_ are used in
doorways usually 4' and under, they are used because of different
humidity/heat/coolness of each room, the flooring adapts to each room, you
do not want one solid floor which expands/contracts at different rates.
This is why you want to acclimate the flooring in each room it's being
installed in, read manufacturers acclimation instructions. You always lay
flat, away from walls, usually no more than 4 cartons high & usually do not
open the cartons.


5. Can I install laminate over linoleum (i.e. not remove the linoleum
from the kitchen floor)?

Yes, you also want proper sealant at the areas considered _wet areas_. Near
kitchen sink & near dishwasher.

Thank you so much folks. Thought of one more question. Once two
pieces snap together (tounge and groove) can they be separated again
without damaging them? The reason why I ask this is if after
installation, if one of the planks gets damaged or chipped, can I
replace that one plank by uninstalling the flooring upto that spot? I
know it will be a pain in the rear but I am just wondering if it can be
done.

"PG" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thank you so much folks. Thought of one more question. Once two
pieces snap together (tounge and groove) can they be separated again
without damaging them? The reason why I ask this is if after
installation, if one of the planks gets damaged or chipped, can I
replace that one plank by uninstalling the flooring upto that spot? I
know it will be a pain in the rear but I am just wondering if it can be
done.

some can, some can't. read the manual to find out which.

"PG" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thank you so much folks. Thought of one more question. Once two
pieces snap together (tounge and groove) can they be separated again
without damaging them? The reason why I ask this is if after
installation, if one of the planks gets damaged or chipped, can I
replace that one plank by uninstalling the flooring upto that spot? I
know it will be a pain in the rear but I am just wondering if it can be
done.

We just placed an order for a large amount of laminate flooring that we are
going to install in an entry foyer and our kitchen/breakfast room. The type
we are getting is the snap together type. Part of the selling point of this
laminate is that it CAN be unsnapped if necessary to repair or replace a
plank. We are ordering enough to have extra pieces to keep on hand if ever
we need replacements.