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Laminate Flooring Help.


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I know this is not car/mustang related, however, I don't see a "home improvement" section so mods if this needs to be moved its ok.

So, just purchased a new house a couple of months ago and I'd like to undertake the task of laying down laminate flooring. Any hints or suggestions? Yes, I did watch a dozen or so you tube vids but would like to know if anyone has done it themselves here that can chime in. Also, what's a decent starter table/miter saw to look for, surprisingly all 3 sales rep from the hardware dept. at my local Home Depot were pretty clueless about what saw to sell me for laminate flooring and baseboards projects. Thanks in advance.

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I know this is not car/mustang related, however, I don't see a "home improvement" section so mods if this needs to be moved its ok.

So, just purchased a new house a couple of months ago and I'd like to undertake the task of laying down laminate flooring. Any hints or suggestions? Yes, I did watch a dozen or so you tube vids but would like to know if anyone has done it themselves here that can chime in. Also, what's a decent starter table/miter saw to look for, surprisingly all 3 sales rep from the hardware dept. at my local Home Depot were pretty clueless about what saw to sell me for laminate flooring and baseboards projects. Thanks in advance.

 

 

I put some down in a room in my house in Tampa before we sold it a few years ago, and from my experience I would offer this advise:

 

The cheap table saw is a good idea....I already had one so I used a sliding mitre saw for most of my cuts (end cuts)

 

They have blades for the saws specifically for laminate flooring at Home Depot or Lowes that won't chip the finish on the cut edge.

 

My house was typical Florida block construction with cement flooring and, I would imagine, even if you're going down on a wood base, Make sure you're completely flat and level!!!!!

 

If there is any deviation the planks will squeak like crazy at the joints when you walk across them!

 

Other then that, just follow the directions and it's a pretty easy install

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I've done it in my house and it turned out great! As for a saw I used a sliding miter saw from Harbor Freight... they have it on sale now for about $80. http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/miter-saws/10-in-compound-miter-saw-with-laser-guide-system-69683.html It never even dulled the blade! Just give yourself room around the edges like the instructions say and you will be fine.

 

After it's installed be careful with any water spillage or pet urine, depending on what you installed it may damage fairly easily.

 

Good luck and have fun!

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Two things....

 

1. Make sure you buy high quality underlayment sheeting. Helps with noise and with temperature insulation....

 

2. Make sure you buy the "z" shaped tool that is made for hooking the end of the boards near the wall, and allowing you to use a hammer to pull the board joints together. Almost impossible to do without this. Buy a good quality one, or you will bend or break it.

 

 

Not too difficult to do, just take your time and stagger the joints.

 

 

Mike

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Stay away from the cheap stuff! In my business, I sell truckloads of this product, and I can tell you the thicker the better. Look for something at least 12mm thick. Installation is simple, but as mentioned above get a good underlay. The better the underlay, the easier the installation.

Good luck!

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We installed ~1.1K sf in our basement 2 years ago. Some great feedback thus far and here is a couple things we learned...

 

- thicker is better.. we used a 12mm with pre-attached foam

- invest in good saw blades

- if cutting indoors, attach a shop vac to your saws (the dust can be toxic)... since mine was cut in the basement, we sealed off an unfinished room with thick poly and ran vacs on both saws)

- a small table saw and miter saw were very helpful

- spend the money on a good quality "laminate z-tool"... even with good ones, I ruined a couple

- invest in a good pair of gel knee pads... even using a good pair, my knees were swelled up for several days after we finished

- take your time... especially preplanning for larger spans and measuring for end board widths so you don't end up a very narrow strip on one side of the room

 

Although it was very rewarding for us to complete the install, I will not take on something like that again (at least that much sf). Then again, I did all the framing, electrical and the floor. All we hired out was the drywall/paint and ceilings.

 

Here's a couple pictures...

 

Basementfloorfinished118_zps5e036eb6.jpg

 

Basementfloorfinished119_zpscddd7137.jpg

 

Basementfloorfinished124_zps9a6ec66f.jpg

 

Basementfloorfinished126_zpsd037d929.jpg

 

 

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We installed ~1.1K sf in our basement 2 years ago. Some great feedback thus far and here is a couple things we learned...

 

- thicker is better.. we used a 12mm with pre-attached foam

- invest in good saw blades

- if cutting indoors, attach a shop vac to your saws (the dust can be toxic)... since mine was cut in the basement, we sealed off an unfinished room with thick poly and ran vacs on both saws)

- a small table saw and miter saw were very helpful

- spend the money on a good quality "laminate z-tool"... even with good ones, I ruined a couple

- invest in a good pair of gel knee pads... even using a good pair, my knees were swelled up for several days after we finished

- take your time... especially preplanning for larger spans and measuring for end board widths so you don't end up a very narrow strip on one side of the room

 

Although it was very rewarding for us to complete the install, I will not take on something like that again (at least that much sf). Then again, I did all the framing, electrical and the floor. All we hired out was the drywall/paint and ceilings.

 

Here's a couple pictures...

 

Basementfloorfinished118_zps5e036eb6.jpg

 

Basementfloorfinished119_zpscddd7137.jpg

 

Basementfloorfinished124_zps9a6ec66f.jpg

 

Basementfloorfinished126_zpsd037d929.jpg

 

 

AWESOME Floors. Is that Bamboo? Love the color.

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Thanks folks, Doogie, your floors looks amazing!! I have about 1600SQ FT that needs and my wife and decided we are just going to hire someone to lay tiles since we are very concerned about any water damage. We have two dogs a shepherd and a pug and when they drink water inside they leave a mess so we didn't want to risk "water damage". Also being in Miami FL where it rains quite a bit we think it is in our best interest to just get tiles. I was really looking forward to taking on this project, I really appreciate all of the tips y'all gave me. Saving them in my folder incase I ever need them.

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Got rid of all carpet in our house some years ago - it was expensive to purchase and a pain to keep clean, especially with kids and pets!

 

Nothing but tile and wood floors now! Solid bamboo in several rooms, (very nice, but be careful, it's a green product, and it is a soft wood!), and tile in the main part of the house and in the bathrooms, (heated floors in the bathrooms - even in Florida, this is very nice to have, and an inexpensive install!).

 

One of my favorite floors, however, is one no one seems to see very much of - we put down CORK flooring in the master bedroom! It's an engineered, (plywood with a cork veneer), snap together, plank style, floating installation. Very easy to DIY as we managed to complete ours in a weekend! It's as comfortable as carpet, (warm and has some "give" to it), and it's easy to maintain. It also holds up very well to traffic, even pets! The cork isn't like what you see on a bulletin board, but is more raw, with lots of texture and color. Has a nice semi-gloss finish as well.

 

Looking at carpet? Just say NO THANKS!

 

Sam

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