Anyone familiar with Lumber Liquidators?

They have some bamboo floors that are onsale for $1.99 / SF which is a very
good price. I remember installing my bamboo floor in the bedroom six years
ago and it was $14.00 / SF installed.

The onky thing is that these are special "closeouts" that are 72" long. The
36" long ones are $3.99 and they look the same.

I am wondering does 72" long plank really work on a room that is only say
12'x12'? The planks are T&G, so if you place at the edge two 6' planks,
what do you do for the next row? If you want it staggered say 12", you may
cut the 72" length plank into a 60" piece and a 12" piece. Then after the
60" piece, you put in a full 72" piece, then the 12" you cut off on one end
will now be placed at the other end? So for each row you use two planks cut
in different lengths?

Somehow I think this will not look good with planks this long. Something
about it bothers me.

Comments?

Thanks!

MC

1st Row .... 2 lengths
2nd row ..... 1/2 length, full length, half length
Continue till finished

if you want a more random look
cut a length at any length you like ... dont even have to measure, then lay
full length, then off cut of first length.
repeat till finished

either wat you go the end joins should not be all that obvious as to jump
out and grab you anyway.


"MiamiCuse" wrote in message
...
Anyone familiar with Lumber Liquidators?

They have some bamboo floors that are onsale for $1.99 / SF which is a
very good price. I remember installing my bamboo floor in the bedroom six
years ago and it was $14.00 / SF installed.

The onky thing is that these are special "closeouts" that are 72" long.
The 36" long ones are $3.99 and they look the same.

I am wondering does 72" long plank really work on a room that is only say
12'x12'? The planks are T&G, so if you place at the edge two 6' planks,
what do you do for the next row? If you want it staggered say 12", you
may cut the 72" length plank into a 60" piece and a 12" piece. Then after
the 60" piece, you put in a full 72" piece, then the 12" you cut off on
one end will now be placed at the other end? So for each row you use two
planks cut in different lengths?

Somehow I think this will not look good with planks this long. Something
about it bothers me.

Comments?

Thanks!

MC

How can I do random length if it is tongue and groove? If I cut one end
that end has to be against the wall and no way it will lock into the next
plank, right? or is there a trick?

MC

"Paul D" wrote in message
...
1st Row .... 2 lengths
2nd row ..... 1/2 length, full length, half length
Continue till finished

if you want a more random look
cut a length at any length you like ... dont even have to measure, then
lay full length, then off cut of first length.
repeat till finished

either wat you go the end joins should not be all that obvious as to jump
out and grab you anyway.


"MiamiCuse" wrote in message
...
Anyone familiar with Lumber Liquidators?

They have some bamboo floors that are onsale for $1.99 / SF which is a
very good price. I remember installing my bamboo floor in the bedroom
six years ago and it was $14.00 / SF installed.

The onky thing is that these are special "closeouts" that are 72" long.
The 36" long ones are $3.99 and they look the same.

I am wondering does 72" long plank really work on a room that is only say
12'x12'? The planks are T&G, so if you place at the edge two 6' planks,
what do you do for the next row? If you want it staggered say 12", you
may cut the 72" length plank into a 60" piece and a 12" piece. Then
after the 60" piece, you put in a full 72" piece, then the 12" you cut
off on one end will now be placed at the other end? So for each row you
use two planks cut in different lengths?

Somehow I think this will not look good with planks this long. Something
about it bothers me.

Comments?

Thanks!

MC

MiamiCuse wrote:
How can I do random length if it is tongue and groove? If I cut one end
that end has to be against the wall and no way it will lock into the next
plank, right? or is there a trick?

Many people use the trick of doing a Google search for the simple
questions.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...wood+floor+DIY

R

"RicodJour" wrote in message
oups.com...
MiamiCuse wrote:
How can I do random length if it is tongue and groove? If I cut one end
that end has to be against the wall and no way it will lock into the next
plank, right? or is there a trick?

Many people use the trick of doing a Google search for the simple
questions.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...wood+floor+DIY

R


It is not a simple question. I believe there is no way one can take a 72"
long floor plank and cut it into random lengths and use them if thse planks
are tongue and groove on all four edges. Someone suggested cutting them
but I cannot visualize how this could work.

MC

In article ,
MiamiCuse wrote:
...snipped...
It is not a simple question. I believe there is no way one can take a 72"
long floor plank and cut it into random lengths and use them if thse planks
are tongue and groove on all four edges. Someone suggested cutting them
but I cannot visualize how this could work.



Why do they need T&G at the ends? Many if not most floor boards are
only T&G on the sides.


--
When the game is over, the pawn and the king are returned to the same box.

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar.org

MiamiCuse wrote:
"RicodJour" wrote in message

MiamiCuse wrote:
How can I do random length if it is tongue and groove? If I cut one end
that end has to be against the wall and no way it will lock into the next
plank, right? or is there a trick?

Many people use the trick of doing a Google search for the simple
questions.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...wood+floor+DIY


It is not a simple question. I believe there is no way one can take a 72"
long floor plank and cut it into random lengths and use them if thse planks
are tongue and groove on all four edges. Someone suggested cutting them
but I cannot visualize how this could work.

It _is_ simple. Look at the link I posted instead of arguing. They
have pretty pictures and explanations and everything!

R

On Mar 23, 10:33 pm, "MiamiCuse" wrote:

How can I do random length if it is tongue and groove? If I cut one end
that end has to be against the wall and no way it will lock into the next
plank, right? or is there a trick?

It is not a simple question. I believe there is no way one can take a 72" long floor plank and cut it into random lengths and use them if thse planks are tongue and groove on all four edges. Someone suggested cutting them but I cannot visualize how this could work.

MC

I went to the LL website to look at the floor, and I am not sure you
were clear until asking about the tongue and groove question as to
what you were after. I am not sure the other guys are either. If I
am reading your question right, it has as much to do with installing
the long planks correctly as it does maintaining a pattern of a nice
looking floor.

I THINK this material has T&G all four sides, and at only 5/8" thick,
I
sure hope so. I am basing this reply on that. You may need to dummy
up a couple of model pieces to help you see the tongue and groove on
the ends of our "pieces" to see how this would work. Here goes:

Imagine your 12' wide room. We are only concerned with the edges,
here for purposes of orientation. Put your piece of flooring (a full
plank) in the middle of the floor with the tongue on the left, and the
groove on the right. You should now have 3' on each side to the
walls.

If you get this part, order the material - you got it.

Take another piece of your 6' flooring material, and cut it in half.
With the same orientation of tongue on the left and groove on the
right, hold the pieces in your left and right hands, separately.

Walk up to the full plank on the floor, and put the piece in your left
hand on the right side, which should mate up by putting the tongue on
the piece in the groove on the full plank. Now you are closed with
floor to the wall on the right hand side, and you have a proper edge
joint.

Take the other piece still in your right hand, and mate up the tongue
on the full plank into the groove on your piece. This will close you
to the wall.

You now have one run, with a full piece in the middle, with proper T&G
joints made up on both sides to hold the joints closed in times of
movement. You can use any combination of short pieces using the drop
off by switching the side, but you will ALWAYS have a 6' piece
somewhere in there if you want to maintain the T&G joints.

You could cut 12" off your full plank, start with that piece, then put
your full plank, then put the remaining 60" piece in. The concept is
always the same. But I am with you, unless you were shootnig for some
kind of stairstep pattern, it could look funky.

The solution? To make it random, you could buy a box of the 36"
pieces to mix in, and then you wouldn't have to worry about having to
mate up to a 72" piece to maintain the T&G joints.

I wouldn't butt joint the ends of flooring on a dare. I live in a
really high humidity environment, and the heat causes floors to walk
all over the place here. Joints open, joints close, wood literally
buckles up and pops off the screeds or concrete sometimes.

Make sure you leave the suggested expansion margins around this
flooring. Pop off the shoe mold/quarter round - its cheap to replace
and hold the floor back from the wall.

Clear anything up?

Robert

On Sat, 24 Mar 2007 00:33:48 -0400, "MiamiCuse"
wrote:


It is not a simple question. I believe there is no way one can take a 72"
long floor plank and cut it into random lengths and use them if thse planks
are tongue and groove on all four edges. Someone suggested cutting them
but I cannot visualize how this could work.

Simple.

The cut ends go against walls, not other boards.

You can have a 5' and a 1', a 2' and a 4', and two 3' from each plank,
with very little waste. You just don't use both cuttings in the same
course.

Think about it... G

MiamiCuse wrote:
How can I do random length if it is tongue and groove? If I cut
one end that end has to be against the wall and no way it will lock
into the next plank, right? or is there a trick?

The trick is shhh...make new T&G in the cut ends. Or face nail each
end.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

"MiamiCuse" wrote in message

I am wondering does 72" long plank really work on a room that is only say
12'x12'? The planks are T&G, so if you place at the edge two 6' planks,
what do you do for the next row? If you want it staggered say 12", you
may cut the 72" length plank into a 60" piece and a 12" piece. Then after
the 60" piece, you put in a full 72" piece, then the 12" you cut off on
one end will now be placed at the other end? So for each row you use two
planks cut in different lengths?

Somehow I think this will not look good with planks this long. Something
about it bothers me.

Just whack a couple of them into random lengths and work from there. That
will keep the joints totally random and look good.