Wood Laminate Flooring.

[verbalks]

I had a question for the handymen out there that might have installed wood laminate flooring.

I have standard room and I understand the basics of installation but I had a question about a what to do when I reach a closet floor track. Should I just cut the flooring as tight to track as I can get and install around the closet track? Take up the closet track put the floor under the track and readjust all the closet doors? Or other...?

Thank you for any pointers.

 

[james t kirk]

Remove the closets, remove the track, floor right across the entire room, reinstall the track and doors. You may need to cut the bottom of the doors a bit.

 

[verbalks]

Thank you.

 

[kfames]

Laminate flooring

I have done several - it is easier to remove the track and reinstall it back on top of the flooring. Mark the wall as where the track lines up for easier reinstall.

Try not to leave too much of a gap at each end of the room as the wood will shrink dramatically in the winter, and small gaps may appear under the coping.

Glue the ends even if it is the "snap" together type. I have found that over a number of years the ends will drift apart leaving gaps in the floor.

Clean with a vinegar / water solution and dry with an old bath towel. 8mm or better will last you at least 10 years. Do not put this in a bathroom or near the kitchen sink.

 

[AdrenalinJunkie]

I put in a door after the floor was laid. New closet, so there was nothing there beforehand.

Floor has been down 10 years this winter, still looks great. All glued, as they did not have snap together at that time.

 

[Gentle Ben]

As others have already said

definately put the floor under the track, door may have to be trimmed, ut often theres enough adjustment to compensate

 

[21pro]

your question seems pretty simple... though i wonder if you know what to do around the closet and door trim...? do you know how to create a continues clean seam?

if not, here's how. (it's done with solid pine flooring, but works with wide or narrow plank laminates, also)
http://www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=17816&pageIndex=1

 

[verbalks]

your question seems pretty simple... though i wonder if you know what to do around the closet and door trim...? do you know how to create a continues clean seam?

if not, here's how. (it's done with solid pine flooring, but works with wide or narrow plank laminates, also)
http://www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=17816&pageIndex=1

Yep you are correct. I have never attempted this. I have a lot of other things to do first so I was doing back ground reading on the subject. Most articles/videos on the net seem only seem to only address a simple square room.

When I was cutting the old shitty carpet out of the rooms I thought the closets look like they were going to be a pain in the butt.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[gar]

Your most complicated cuts will occur whenever your laminate floor meets the door casing/trim. It's easier to install if you run your laminate perpendicular to the closet door instead of parallel.
When you get to the row of laminate flooring that needs to be notched because of the the casing, do not start at the wall. Lay your first piece of laminate for that row against or just under the casing. Having the seam under the casing makes maneuvering easier and simplifies the cuts need for the notch. Once you're satisfied with the notch, finish the rest of the row on both sides.

 

[oldjones]

Under the casing's the way to go. Fitting to things—like door track—is way too demanding, so equip yourself w/ a sharp fine-toothed saw and cut the casing so the flooring will just slide under it. Turn a piece over and slide the saw on the backside as a guide.

 

[enduser1]

My utterly worthless advice: Don't use laminate flooring. Use the new "Engineerd Hardwood". It lasts a lot longer and looks much better.

EU

 

[Sasha Jones]

My utterly worthless advice: Don't use laminate flooring. Use the new "Engineerd Hardwood". It lasts a lot longer and looks much better.

EU

X2
The only good thing I can say about laminate is that it is tough.
Other than that it is VERY loud and annoying when compared to real hardwood and if you look around you can find reall hardwood around the same price or even cheaper than a 'good' laminate.

Look at kultur in mississauga for one, we got ours there for around $6.85 installed, and that was for 5" wide the narrower stuff is cheaper and they have different finishes that vary in price as well. That was for real hardwood, the engineered stuff was even cheaper.
Just make sure to go to the warehouse in on Dundas, don't go to a dealer.

 

[stang]

My biggest question is always which direction to place the pieces in a rectangular room. Better to run them across the width or down the length?

 

[danmand]

My biggest question is always which direction to place the pieces in a rectangular room. Better to run them across the width or down the length?

Run them towards the source of light.

 

[stang]

That makes sense. When you reach a hallway though does it look okay to turn the flow 90 degrees?

 

[tboy]

I have done several - it is easier to remove the track and reinstall it back on top of the flooring. Mark the wall as where the track lines up for easier reinstall.

Try not to leave too much of a gap at each end of the room as the wood will shrink dramatically in the winter, and small gaps may appear under the coping.

.....

Good points KF but that is depending on when you install it. In Canada, we do things tight in the summer, loose in the winter. Why? Because in summer (at least here) we get high humidity which will swell the flooring. In the winter, as it dries out, it will shrink.

If you set it too tight in the winter when summer comes around you'll get buckling and the floor may swell to the point where it will crack.

I know the originator has probably already decided on the floor, but IMO click laminate flooring: looks like crap. Engineered or solid hardwood is the way to go (but not if you're doing a basement)

 

[Sasha Jones]

............... Engineered or solid hardwood is the way to go (but not if you're doing a basement)

What would you reccomend in a basement then?
And would it be different if that basement was a walkout?

 

[verbalks]

I know the originator has probably already decided on the floor, but IMO click laminate flooring: looks like crap. Engineered or solid hardwood is the way to go (but not if you're doing a basement)

I have not decided but I was given the task to clean up a house for resale (not in gta).

Old people lived in the house and they were at a stage in their lives they no longer cared about things. The old floor smelled and was ruined. I am just looking for a lower cost product with reasonably easy installation. It seems most want some form of wood in their homes over other products.

Since I am not planning long term with this house more expensive solutions are not viable since there is a ceiling as to what the home can resell for.

 

[antlerman]

always remeber with any engineered flooring and flooring not actually fastened to the sub-floor............that when installing closet doors and tracks...or any thing over the floor.....do not screw directly to the flooring.

mark the holes you plan to put screws in and make the holes larger than the screw so you do not fasten the flooring to the sub-floor.

if you fasten the track tight to the floating floor you will run into trouble....it muist be fastened to the sub-floor and allow the floating floor to move

 

[tboy]

What would you reccomend in a basement then?
And would it be different if that basement was a walkout?

At least engineered hardwood (where they have a hardwood veneer on top, plywood base) or there are some better quality click hardwood veneer floors that have a man made substrate. Though for these you'll be paying 50% more than real hardwood.

Whatever you do in a basement, you'll have to use a vapor barrier underneath. This will prevent wicking moisture through the concrete slab into the flooring. Vapor Barrier Underpad is relatively cheap.

One of the things that make laminate floors so ugly is the fact that IMO all the boards are consistantly the same size and shape and you can easily see the cross seams. The higher end veneer click floors are random (just like engineered and solid hardwood) which makes it look more realistic.

As for durability: most engineered and solid hardwood finishes have a 20 yr warranty and IF you happen to gouge, scratch or ?? a board in the middle of the room, you can relatively easily replace it. It is infinitely more difficult to do this with click type floors (I've had to remove ALL the flooring to the damaged board then replace them all).