We're about to do 5 rooms of Pergo in the house and have a few
questions. We have the first room about ready to go, did self
leveling floor coating and all cleaned. Have the vapor barrier all
ready, too. We have found hints and info on how to lock the panels
together and things like that, but we were wondering if there was a
good site saying how to best cut around doors and closet opening,
where to start with an entrance door (don't want the locking lip left
on the door opening and also don't want a very narrow piece in the
door opening for sure) and things like that.

Does anyone have a good link to get info on things like that?

infiniteMPG wrote the following:
We're about to do 5 rooms of Pergo in the house and have a few
questions. We have the first room about ready to go, did self
leveling floor coating and all cleaned. Have the vapor barrier all
ready, too. We have found hints and info on how to lock the panels
together and things like that, but we were wondering if there was a
good site saying how to best cut around doors and closet opening,
where to start with an entrance door (don't want the locking lip left
on the door opening and also don't want a very narrow piece in the
door opening for sure) and things like that.

Does anyone have a good link to get info on things like that?

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...=install+pergo

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...go+flooring&se...

Thanks but we actually just watched that about 10 minutes before
posting my question. That is a great video to show how to lock the
panels together but we're looking for more of a "This is where you
need to lay the first panel down" or "This is the best way to lay the
transition piece in a main door entranceway" kind of info :O/

"infiniteMPG" wrote in message
...
We're about to do 5 rooms of Pergo in the house and have a few
questions. We have the first room about ready to go, did self
leveling floor coating and all cleaned. Have the vapor barrier all
ready, too. We have found hints and info on how to lock the panels
together and things like that, but we were wondering if there was a
good site saying how to best cut around doors and closet opening,
where to start with an entrance door (don't want the locking lip left
on the door opening and also don't want a very narrow piece in the
door opening for sure) and things like that.

Does anyone have a good link to get info on things like that?

Yes, the Pergo site.
http://na.pergo.com/Images/how_to/In...ials_Guide.pdf

Pay special attention of _when_ you need to use _T_ molding at doorways,
always use a _T_ molding when a doorway is under 4ft. Never start at a
doorway either. Also, your layout is critical, just like with tile. Nobody
can give you an answer for this, you need to figure out _your_ layout. I
don't know if this is on their site, but avoid having a _sliver_ of
flooring 2" or less. You _need_ to figure this out with your layout.

I did take their course in Raleigh NC, for being an endorsed installer.
It's been probably 6-7 yrs.

I've seen people reply in threads b/4, they would fire a installer putting
in _T_ molding at doorways. Unfortunately for them, Pergo warranty insists
on it in doorways under a 4 ft opening. The reason being is different rooms
have different humidity & temps. The flooring contracts/expands at
different rates, same goes for closets.

Enjoy your project.

infiniteMPG | 2009-12-20 | 12:26:13 PM wrote:

We're about to do 5 rooms of Pergo in the house and have a few
questions. We have the first room about ready to go, did self
leveling floor coating and all cleaned. Have the vapor barrier all
ready, too. We have found hints and info on how to lock the panels
together and things like that, but we were wondering if there was a
good site saying how to best cut around doors and closet opening,
where to start with an entrance door (don't want the locking lip left
on the door opening and also don't want a very narrow piece in the
door opening for sure) and things like that.

Does anyone have a good link to get info on things like that?

A few suggestions:

* Measure carefully to get the planks to come out the way you want
them. There's no other solution.

* Remove the baseboard, then replace it after the floor is down. You
can skip putting on quarter-round that way.

* Consider putting an expansion joint in the middle of every doorway.
You have to have expansion joints every so far anyway.

* Undercut door jambs instead of trying to fit the planks to the
molding. Put a Pergo scrap and a layer of padding down next to the
jamb, then lay your hand saw flat on the Pergo. This spaces everything
nicely so you can slide planks under the door jamb.



--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX USA

On Dec 20, 4:03*pm, "SteveBell" wrote:
infiniteMPG | 2009-12-20 | 12:26:13 PM wrote:

We're about to do 5 rooms of Pergo in the house and have a few
questions. *We have the first room about ready to go, did self
leveling floor coating and all cleaned. *Have the vapor barrier all
ready, too. *We have found hints and info on how to lock the panels
together and things like that, but we were wondering if there was a
good site saying how to best cut around doors and closet opening,
where to start with an entrance door (don't want the locking lip left
on the door opening and also don't want a very narrow piece in the
door opening for sure) and things like that.

Does anyone have a good link to get info on things like that?

A few suggestions:

** Measure carefully to get the planks to come out the way you want
them. There's no other solution.

** Remove the baseboard, then replace it after the floor is down. You
can skip putting on quarter-round that way.

** Consider putting an expansion joint in the middle of every doorway.
You have to have expansion joints every so far anyway.

** Undercut door jambs instead of trying to fit the planks to the
molding. Put a Pergo scrap and a layer of padding down next to the
jamb, then lay your hand saw flat on the Pergo. This spaces everything
nicely so you can slide planks under the door jamb.

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX USA

The first thing I'd do is make absolutely sure Pergo is what you want
to install in 5 rooms. Of course, everything depends on the house,
what similar houses in the area have, your future intentions, etc. I
would certainly use Pergo in certain applications, like finishing a
basement office, etc. But given all the labor and that you can get
some decent engineered or total wood products for not all that much
more, I think in many cases going with real wood makes more sense.
I've never seen anyone advertise a home for sale noting that it has
Pergo flooring.

wrote:
On Dec 20, 4:03 pm, "SteveBell" wrote:
infiniteMPG | 2009-12-20 | 12:26:13 PM wrote:

We're about to do 5 rooms of Pergo in the house and have a few
questions. We have the first room about ready to go, did self
leveling floor coating and all cleaned. Have the vapor barrier all
ready, too. We have found hints and info on how to lock the panels
together and things like that, but we were wondering if there was a
good site saying how to best cut around doors and closet opening,
where to start with an entrance door (don't want the locking lip left
on the door opening and also don't want a very narrow piece in the
door opening for sure) and things like that.
Does anyone have a good link to get info on things like that?
A few suggestions:

* Measure carefully to get the planks to come out the way you want
them. There's no other solution.

* Remove the baseboard, then replace it after the floor is down. You
can skip putting on quarter-round that way.

* Consider putting an expansion joint in the middle of every doorway.
You have to have expansion joints every so far anyway.

* Undercut door jambs instead of trying to fit the planks to the
molding. Put a Pergo scrap and a layer of padding down next to the
jamb, then lay your hand saw flat on the Pergo. This spaces everything
nicely so you can slide planks under the door jamb.

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX USA

The first thing I'd do is make absolutely sure Pergo is what you want
to install in 5 rooms. Of course, everything depends on the house,
what similar houses in the area have, your future intentions, etc. I
would certainly use Pergo in certain applications, like finishing a
basement office, etc. But given all the labor and that you can get
some decent engineered or total wood products for not all that much
more, I think in many cases going with real wood makes more sense.
I've never seen anyone advertise a home for sale noting that it has
Pergo flooring.

May as well put down fake wood grain vinyl. Pergo is only a little less
ugly.

wrote in news:7d0183b2-f061-440d-b4c8-f49215490a82
@g12g2000vbl.googlegroups.com:

On Dec 20, 4:03*pm, "SteveBell" wrote:
infiniteMPG | 2009-12-20 | 12:26:13 PM wrote:

We're about to do 5 rooms of Pergo in the house and have a few
questions. *We have the first room about ready to go, did self
leveling floor coating and all cleaned. *Have the vapor barrier all
ready, too. *We have found hints and info on how to lock the panels
together and things like that, but we were wondering if there was a
good site saying how to best cut around doors and closet opening,
where to start with an entrance door (don't want the locking lip left
on the door opening and also don't want a very narrow piece in the
door opening for sure) and things like that.

Does anyone have a good link to get info on things like that?

A few suggestions:

** Measure carefully to get the planks to come out the way you want
them. There's no other solution.

** Remove the baseboard, then replace it after the floor is down. You
can skip putting on quarter-round that way.

** Consider putting an expansion joint in the middle of every doorway.
You have to have expansion joints every so far anyway.

** Undercut door jambs instead of trying to fit the planks to the
molding. Put a Pergo scrap and a layer of padding down next to the
jamb, then lay your hand saw flat on the Pergo. This spaces everything
nicely so you can slide planks under the door jamb.

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX USA

The first thing I'd do is make absolutely sure Pergo is what you want
to install in 5 rooms. Of course, everything depends on the house,
what similar houses in the area have, your future intentions, etc. I
would certainly use Pergo in certain applications, like finishing a
basement office, etc. But given all the labor and that you can get
some decent engineered or total wood products for not all that much
more, I think in many cases going with real wood makes more sense.
I've never seen anyone advertise a home for sale noting that it has
Pergo flooring.

And not sure where the OP is located but also keep in mind the floor will
be colder, especially where they are unheated below.

In article
,
wrote:

The first thing I'd do is make absolutely sure Pergo is what you want
to install in 5 rooms. Of course, everything depends on the house,
what similar houses in the area have, your future intentions, etc. I
would certainly use Pergo in certain applications, like finishing a
basement office, etc. But given all the labor and that you can get
some decent engineered or total wood products for not all that much
more, I think in many cases going with real wood makes more sense.
I've never seen anyone advertise a home for sale noting that it has
Pergo flooring.


There are places where it's bragged about. I know because I never heard
of it until I went rental house shopping in another city a few years
ago, and kept seeing listings that proudly declared it.

Smitty Two wrote:

In article
,
wrote:

The first thing I'd do is make absolutely sure Pergo is what you want
to install in 5 rooms. Of course, everything depends on the house,
what similar houses in the area have, your future intentions, etc. I
would certainly use Pergo in certain applications, like finishing a
basement office, etc. But given all the labor and that you can get
some decent engineered or total wood products for not all that much
more, I think in many cases going with real wood makes more sense.
I've never seen anyone advertise a home for sale noting that it has
Pergo flooring.


There are places where it's bragged about. I know because I never heard
of it until I went rental house shopping in another city a few years
ago, and kept seeing listings that proudly declared it.

It will be bragged about in new construction because the default is sheet
vinyl and mid-grade carpeting. A good laminate IS a step up from that. I
would only mention it when selling an existing home if the buyer had dogs.
It is a great surface for that, second only to ceramic or stone.

The home is in west central Florida, home of burning sun, salt water
and scratching sand. We have shopped around heavily and the BIG point
against real wood floor is scratching, staining and discoloration from
sun. We have been in homes with real wood whenever anything was slid
on the flooring it left it's mark, permanently. When part of the
floor got direct sun, it discolored. When something was spilled on it
or it got wet with salt water (yeah we fish, jet ski, swim and do lots
in the salt water) it discolored.

Even when shopping we walked by the real wood, I reached up to the
sample pieces and in most I could make a pretty deep mark with my
fingernail. With pets and kids around and all that comes with having
an active home, Pergo might not be "prime" but it's looks a boatload
better then real wood that is scratched and marred by every day living
here in the sunshine state. We're not remodeling a show home, we're
remodeling a functional home that will more likely have a mountain
bike run thru the house into the back yard then a cocktail party. We
want a floor that will last with low maintenance, easy install and
good resilience to life (scratches, spills, stains, sun, sand, etc).

Oh yeah, we put diving boards on basements in Florida and call them
pools :O)

Thanks for the help!

On Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:03:21 -0800 (PST), infiniteMPG
wrote:

The home is in west central Florida, home of burning sun, salt water
and scratching sand. We have shopped around heavily and the BIG point
against real wood floor is scratching, staining and discoloration from
sun. We have been in homes with real wood whenever anything was slid
on the flooring it left it's mark, permanently. When part of the
floor got direct sun, it discolored. When something was spilled on it
or it got wet with salt water (yeah we fish, jet ski, swim and do lots
in the salt water) it discolored.

Even when shopping we walked by the real wood, I reached up to the
sample pieces and in most I could make a pretty deep mark with my
fingernail. With pets and kids around and all that comes with having
an active home, Pergo might not be "prime" but it's looks a boatload
better then real wood that is scratched and marred by every day living
here in the sunshine state. We're not remodeling a show home, we're
remodeling a functional home that will more likely have a mountain
bike run thru the house into the back yard then a cocktail party. We
want a floor that will last with low maintenance, easy install and
good resilience to life (scratches, spills, stains, sun, sand, etc).

Oh yeah, we put diving boards on basements in Florida and call them
pools :O)

Thanks for the help!

Older homes in Florida had Terrazzo floors finished on the slab. You
couldn't tear that stuff up. Too late now, but staining the concrete
slab would cover all the things you mentioned , basically, an
occasional sealing of the stain.

If you find a product brand you like, ask to open the box for
instructions and check them out.

Happy fishing!

Oren wrote:
On Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:03:21 -0800 (PST), infiniteMPG
wrote:

The home is in west central Florida, home of burning sun, salt water
and scratching sand. We have shopped around heavily and the BIG point
against real wood floor is scratching, staining and discoloration from
sun. We have been in homes with real wood whenever anything was slid
on the flooring it left it's mark, permanently. When part of the
floor got direct sun, it discolored. When something was spilled on it
or it got wet with salt water (yeah we fish, jet ski, swim and do lots
in the salt water) it discolored.

Even when shopping we walked by the real wood, I reached up to the
sample pieces and in most I could make a pretty deep mark with my
fingernail. With pets and kids around and all that comes with having
an active home, Pergo might not be "prime" but it's looks a boatload
better then real wood that is scratched and marred by every day living
here in the sunshine state. We're not remodeling a show home, we're
remodeling a functional home that will more likely have a mountain
bike run thru the house into the back yard then a cocktail party. We
want a floor that will last with low maintenance, easy install and
good resilience to life (scratches, spills, stains, sun, sand, etc).

Oh yeah, we put diving boards on basements in Florida and call them
pools :O)

Thanks for the help!

Older homes in Florida had Terrazzo floors finished on the slab. You
couldn't tear that stuff up. Too late now, but staining the concrete
slab would cover all the things you mentioned , basically, an
occasional sealing of the stain.

If you find a product brand you like, ask to open the box for
instructions and check them out.

Happy fishing!


I wonder if anyone these days puts terrazzo in new homes. We have it in
our kitchen, baths and hallway. After I stripped, sealed and shined it,
it is beautiful....redo that about every 2-3 years, if I'm in the mood.
Tile in other rooms....I wouldn't have wood or pergo right now, esp.
near beach. The other units in our condo have tiled over their terrazzo
because it looks like crap if it isn't decently maintained. The only
thing that might harm our tile is dropping red wine or maybe some oily
stuff on the grout....damp mop once in a while. Tile on a slab might be
brutal with small children or elderly people subject to falls. Terrazzo
is very slippery if it gets wet.

infiniteMPG wrote:
We're about to do 5 rooms of Pergo in the house and have a few
questions. We have the first room about ready to go, did self
leveling floor coating and all cleaned. Have the vapor barrier all
ready, too. We have found hints and info on how to lock the panels
together and things like that, but we were wondering if there was a
good site saying how to best cut around doors and closet opening,
where to start with an entrance door (don't want the locking lip left
on the door opening and also don't want a very narrow piece in the
door opening for sure) and things like that.

Does anyone have a good link to get info on things like that?

You don't cut around doors - you undercut the door frames and slide the
solid flooring in the gap. You can get an undercut saw at the box store for
about ten dollars. Much better is a multifunction tool. Fein makes one for
about $350 or you can get the Harbor Freight model for less than forty
dollars.

You WILL end up with bizzare widths somewhere and a doorway is probably the
best place since you'll usually have a transition piece between the doorway
and the hall. The alternative is a narrow strip on the far wall from the
door. This makes the room look like it was set on top of an existing floor
and the far wall merely a portable divider.

You say you have the first room about ready; did you remove the baseboards?
If not, I strongly recommend it. The flooring job will be easier, you can
repair and repaint the baseboards more easily, and, best of all, you can
avoid those hideous quarter-round trim pieces.

"HeyBub" wrote in
:

infiniteMPG wrote:
We're about to do 5 rooms of Pergo in the house and have a few
questions. We have the first room about ready to go, did self
leveling floor coating and all cleaned. Have the vapor barrier all
ready, too. We have found hints and info on how to lock the panels
together and things like that, but we were wondering if there was a
good site saying how to best cut around doors and closet opening,
where to start with an entrance door (don't want the locking lip left
on the door opening and also don't want a very narrow piece in the
door opening for sure) and things like that.

Does anyone have a good link to get info on things like that?

You don't cut around doors - you undercut the door frames and slide
the solid flooring in the gap. You can get an undercut saw at the box
store for about ten dollars. Much better is a multifunction tool. Fein
makes one for about $350 or you can get the Harbor Freight model for
less than forty dollars.

A few yeas back I put a laminate floor in 3 rooms. Used an undercut saw.
Overall, it came out awesome. Looking back and now having used a HF
multifunction tool, I would have killed for even a HF one.


You WILL end up with bizzare widths somewhere and a doorway is
probably the best place since you'll usually have a transition piece
between the doorway and the hall. The alternative is a narrow strip on
the far wall from the door. This makes the room look like it was set
on top of an existing floor and the far wall merely a portable
divider.

Hint to OP: If you don't already know how, you need to learn to "scribe"
if ("if", HA!) your wall lengths are not straight.


You say you have the first room about ready; did you remove the
baseboards? If not, I strongly recommend it. The flooring job will be
easier, you can repair and repaint the baseboards more easily, and,
best of all, you can avoid those hideous quarter-round trim pieces.

HeyBub wrote:
infiniteMPG wrote:
We're about to do 5 rooms of Pergo in the house and have a few
questions. We have the first room about ready to go, did self
leveling floor coating and all cleaned. Have the vapor barrier all
ready, too. We have found hints and info on how to lock the panels
together and things like that, but we were wondering if there was a
good site saying how to best cut around doors and closet opening,
where to start with an entrance door (don't want the locking lip left
on the door opening and also don't want a very narrow piece in the
door opening for sure) and things like that.

Does anyone have a good link to get info on things like that?

You don't cut around doors - you undercut the door frames and slide the
solid flooring in the gap. You can get an undercut saw at the box store for
about ten dollars. Much better is a multifunction tool. Fein makes one for
about $350 or you can get the Harbor Freight model for less than forty
dollars.

You WILL end up with bizzare widths somewhere and a doorway is probably the
best place since you'll usually have a transition piece between the doorway
and the hall. The alternative is a narrow strip on the far wall from the
door. This makes the room look like it was set on top of an existing floor
and the far wall merely a portable divider.

You say you have the first room about ready; did you remove the baseboards?
If not, I strongly recommend it. The flooring job will be easier, you can
repair and repaint the baseboards more easily, and, best of all, you can
avoid those hideous quarter-round trim pieces.


One can also undercut baseboards if needed...we had it done when our
liv. and din. rooms were tiled...so glad we did it. There is no
quarter-round, just the baseboard, and no sign that they have been cut
(done just after they had been painted ). Probably different issues
with Pergo as to evenness of the cut and how to conceal it. If a
quarter round is installed, then it is easier. I had proposed tearing
off all of our baseboards because I had seen neighbors condos with same
layout and who had tiled up to the bb and grouted around door
frames...not pretty.

The guy who did the undercuts was a sub to the flooring contractor who
installed the tile....it is all the guy does.

wrote:
HeyBub wrote:
infiniteMPG wrote:
We're about to do 5 rooms of Pergo in the house and have a few
questions. We have the first room about ready to go, did self
leveling floor coating and all cleaned. Have the vapor barrier all
ready, too. We have found hints and info on how to lock the panels
together and things like that, but we were wondering if there was a
good site saying how to best cut around doors and closet opening,
where to start with an entrance door (don't want the locking lip
left on the door opening and also don't want a very narrow piece in
the door opening for sure) and things like that.

Does anyone have a good link to get info on things like that?

You don't cut around doors - you undercut the door frames and slide
the solid flooring in the gap. You can get an undercut saw at the
box store for about ten dollars. Much better is a multifunction
tool. Fein makes one for about $350 or you can get the Harbor
Freight model for less than forty dollars.

You WILL end up with bizzare widths somewhere and a doorway is
probably the best place since you'll usually have a transition piece
between the doorway and the hall. The alternative is a narrow strip
on the far wall from the door. This makes the room look like it was
set on top of an existing floor and the far wall merely a portable
divider. You say you have the first room about ready; did you remove the
baseboards? If not, I strongly recommend it. The flooring job will
be easier, you can repair and repaint the baseboards more easily,
and, best of all, you can avoid those hideous quarter-round trim
pieces.
One can also undercut baseboards if needed...we had it done when our
liv. and din. rooms were tiled...so glad we did it. There is no
quarter-round, just the baseboard, and no sign that they have been cut
(done just after they had been painted ). Probably different issues
with Pergo as to evenness of the cut and how to conceal it. If a
quarter round is installed, then it is easier. I had proposed tearing
off all of our baseboards because I had seen neighbors condos with
same layout and who had tiled up to the bb and grouted around door
frames...not pretty.

The guy who did the undercuts was a sub to the flooring contractor who
installed the tile....it is all the guy does.

Undercut BASEBOARDS! Jeeze!

An 11 x 14 room translates into about FIFTY LINEAR FEET of undercutting!

Did he use some sort of tool or did he pull a beaver and just gnaw the
stuff?

---

Removing the baseboards and re-installing them allows you to force them down
flush with the finished floor.

Here's what I've learned about baseboards:

1. Many times the corners are coped. That means the baseboards have to be
removed (and reinstalled) in the proper sequence to avoid breaking or
splintering (the coped board comes off first and goes back last).

2. If possible, don't remove the existing nails. Pounding them back out
often generates a big hole in the board that must be filled. I cut mine off
with an angle grinder.

3. Fill all the holes, dents, cracks, and other imperfections with plastic
wood, then sand the board to a smooth finish. Watch out for globbed-up paint
on the back where it oozed down during a previous wall-painting project. It
must be removed (with a utility knife, then sanded), else the board won't
fit correctly.

4. Paint with enamel. The baseboards take a bit of punishment (toys, vacuum
cleaners, etc.), so the harder the surface the better.

4. With the baseboards off, you might be able to detect the studs. Mark
their location on the floor with a pencil. You may have to nail the replaced
baseboards into a stud to counteract twisting or separation from the wall.

5. Use a brad nailer with 2" brads to re-install. Brads makes minuscule
holes that do not have to be countersunk. If you've got a compressor, a brad
nailer can be had for twenty bucks at HF.

If anybody can contribute more to this hint list, so much the better.

"HeyBub" wrote in
m:

wrote:
HeyBub wrote:
infiniteMPG wrote:
We're about to do 5 rooms of Pergo in the house and have a few
questions. We have the first room about ready to go, did self
leveling floor coating and all cleaned. Have the vapor barrier all
ready, too. We have found hints and info on how to lock the panels
together and things like that, but we were wondering if there was a
good site saying how to best cut around doors and closet opening,
where to start with an entrance door (don't want the locking lip
left on the door opening and also don't want a very narrow piece in
the door opening for sure) and things like that.

Does anyone have a good link to get info on things like that?

You don't cut around doors - you undercut the door frames and slide
the solid flooring in the gap. You can get an undercut saw at the
box store for about ten dollars. Much better is a multifunction
tool. Fein makes one for about $350 or you can get the Harbor
Freight model for less than forty dollars.

You WILL end up with bizzare widths somewhere and a doorway is
probably the best place since you'll usually have a transition piece
between the doorway and the hall. The alternative is a narrow strip
on the far wall from the door. This makes the room look like it was
set on top of an existing floor and the far wall merely a portable
divider. You say you have the first room about ready; did you remove
the baseboards? If not, I strongly recommend it. The flooring job
will be easier, you can repair and repaint the baseboards more
easily, and, best of all, you can avoid those hideous quarter-round
trim pieces.
One can also undercut baseboards if needed...we had it done when our
liv. and din. rooms were tiled...so glad we did it. There is no
quarter-round, just the baseboard, and no sign that they have been
cut (done just after they had been painted ). Probably different
issues with Pergo as to evenness of the cut and how to conceal it.
If a quarter round is installed, then it is easier. I had proposed
tearing off all of our baseboards because I had seen neighbors condos
with same layout and who had tiled up to the bb and grouted around
door frames...not pretty.

The guy who did the undercuts was a sub to the flooring contractor
who installed the tile....it is all the guy does.

Undercut BASEBOARDS! Jeeze!

An 11 x 14 room translates into about FIFTY LINEAR FEET of
undercutting!

Did he use some sort of tool or did he pull a beaver and just gnaw the
stuff?

---

Removing the baseboards and re-installing them allows you to force
them down flush with the finished floor.

Here's what I've learned about baseboards:

1. Many times the corners are coped. That means the baseboards have to
be removed (and reinstalled) in the proper sequence to avoid breaking
or splintering (the coped board comes off first and goes back last).

2. If possible, don't remove the existing nails. Pounding them back
out often generates a big hole in the board that must be filled. I cut
mine off with an angle grinder.

Ditto.


3. Fill all the holes, dents, cracks, and other imperfections with
plastic wood, then sand the board to a smooth finish. Watch out for
globbed-up paint on the back where it oozed down during a previous
wall-painting project. It must be removed (with a utility knife, then
sanded), else the board won't fit correctly.

4. Paint with enamel. The baseboards take a bit of punishment (toys,
vacuum cleaners, etc.), so the harder the surface the better.

4. With the baseboards off, you might be able to detect the studs.
Mark their location on the floor with a pencil.

Or mark on the wall, above the baseboard height, with like painters tape
that is not overly sticky. Probably don't want it ripping paint off when
done.

You may have to nail
the replaced baseboards into a stud to counteract twisting or
separation from the wall.

5. Use a brad nailer with 2" brads to re-install. Brads makes
minuscule holes that do not have to be countersunk. If you've got a
compressor, a brad nailer can be had for twenty bucks at HF.

If anybody can contribute more to this hint list, so much the better.

"HeyBub" wrote in
m:

wrote:
HeyBub wrote:
infiniteMPG wrote:
We're about to do 5 rooms of Pergo in the house and have a few
questions. We have the first room about ready to go, did self
leveling floor coating and all cleaned. Have the vapor barrier all
ready, too. We have found hints and info on how to lock the panels
together and things like that, but we were wondering if there was a
good site saying how to best cut around doors and closet opening,
where to start with an entrance door (don't want the locking lip
left on the door opening and also don't want a very narrow piece in
the door opening for sure) and things like that.

Does anyone have a good link to get info on things like that?

You don't cut around doors - you undercut the door frames and slide
the solid flooring in the gap. You can get an undercut saw at the
box store for about ten dollars. Much better is a multifunction
tool. Fein makes one for about $350 or you can get the Harbor
Freight model for less than forty dollars.

You WILL end up with bizzare widths somewhere and a doorway is
probably the best place since you'll usually have a transition piece
between the doorway and the hall. The alternative is a narrow strip
on the far wall from the door. This makes the room look like it was
set on top of an existing floor and the far wall merely a portable
divider. You say you have the first room about ready; did you remove
the baseboards? If not, I strongly recommend it. The flooring job
will be easier, you can repair and repaint the baseboards more
easily, and, best of all, you can avoid those hideous quarter-round
trim pieces.
One can also undercut baseboards if needed...we had it done when our
liv. and din. rooms were tiled...so glad we did it. There is no
quarter-round, just the baseboard, and no sign that they have been
cut (done just after they had been painted ). Probably different
issues with Pergo as to evenness of the cut and how to conceal it.
If a quarter round is installed, then it is easier. I had proposed
tearing off all of our baseboards because I had seen neighbors condos
with same layout and who had tiled up to the bb and grouted around
door frames...not pretty.

The guy who did the undercuts was a sub to the flooring contractor
who installed the tile....it is all the guy does.

Undercut BASEBOARDS! Jeeze!

An 11 x 14 room translates into about FIFTY LINEAR FEET of
undercutting!

Did he use some sort of tool or did he pull a beaver and just gnaw the
stuff?

A pro would have an undercut saw:

http://www.craintools.com/fs-specialtysaws.html

Job would justify the cost. Not cheap!


---

Removing the baseboards and re-installing them allows you to force
them down flush with the finished floor.

Here's what I've learned about baseboards:

1. Many times the corners are coped. That means the baseboards have to
be removed (and reinstalled) in the proper sequence to avoid breaking
or splintering (the coped board comes off first and goes back last).

2. If possible, don't remove the existing nails. Pounding them back
out often generates a big hole in the board that must be filled. I cut
mine off with an angle grinder.

3. Fill all the holes, dents, cracks, and other imperfections with
plastic wood, then sand the board to a smooth finish. Watch out for
globbed-up paint on the back where it oozed down during a previous
wall-painting project. It must be removed (with a utility knife, then
sanded), else the board won't fit correctly.

4. Paint with enamel. The baseboards take a bit of punishment (toys,
vacuum cleaners, etc.), so the harder the surface the better.

4. With the baseboards off, you might be able to detect the studs.
Mark their location on the floor with a pencil. You may have to nail
the replaced baseboards into a stud to counteract twisting or
separation from the wall.

5. Use a brad nailer with 2" brads to re-install. Brads makes
minuscule holes that do not have to be countersunk. If you've got a
compressor, a brad nailer can be had for twenty bucks at HF.

If anybody can contribute more to this hint list, so much the better.

On Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:13:43 -0600, Red Green
wrote:

2. If possible, don't remove the existing nails. Pounding them back
out often generates a big hole in the board that must be filled. I cut
mine off with an angle grinder.

Ditto.

I use a pair of diagonal pliers. From the backside of the BB - grasp
and pry them out. If they happen to snap off, then a snip with the
pliers cutting the nail off.

Often you never see any damage of the front, no "real" holes to fill.