First time installing laminate, want to do it right
"First time installing laminate, want to do it right," in the Hardwood and Laminates Q&A forum, begins: "I am preparing to install approximately 360sq feet of laminate flooring in our house, and since this is the first ..."
First time installing laminate, want to do it right
I am preparing to install approximately 360sq feet of laminate flooring in our house, and since this is the first time I'm doing anything like this I've done a lot of research on how to (and how not to) do it. I have run into a situation in our entryway and I'm not sure how we should handle it when we start laying the planks.
First things first - our home is on a concrete slab, in very good condition. We're pulling up the carpet that currently covers the living room & hall and replacing it with the laminate. There is also a small entryway (about 20 sq ft) that until recently was covered in tile. I took a hammer & chisel to that last weekend so it's now down to the slab there.
Underneath the carpet throughout the house (except the entryway) is the original vinyl flooring. It's old & ugly but in good condition, in the respect that it's not bubbled up or torn anywhere. We plan to lay the underlayment & laminate right over the vinyl. The laminate planks are 10mm, and the underlayment is another 3mm. The existing vinyl is also about 3mm thick.
I would like to avoid adding a threshold or transition molding between the entryway and the living room, if at all possible - but I'm not sure how to address the difference in height between the slab and the vinyl. I know it's way beyond my ability to use a levelling compound to raise the height of that area up to the vinyl, but the difference isn't enough to use mdf or plywood to even it all out. I also think pulling up the vinyl would be a bad idea - it may have asbestos in it and was likely installed before the interior walls, so it would be a bear to get up.
Would it be advisable to double up on the underlayment just in that one area? Is there something else I could/should use to equalize the height difference? I know I can't leave it as it is. For what it's worth, the underlayment we're using is Floormuffler Ultraseal.
While I'm here, I have a second question, regarding the transition trim installation. I know what kind I'll need for each of the doorways and around the fireplace, but when I went to buy it I couldn't find any tracks to use for the installation. Home Depot stopped carrying them, and a flooring place I went to said they don't even bother ordering it. He suggested I glue the trim directly to the subfloor (or vinyl, as the case may be), rather than gluing the track and snapping the trim into it. Does that sound right? It sounds easier, but after all this work and money, I don't want a crappy trim job to ruin it all.
Re: First time installing laminate, want to do it right
This certainly isn't the recommended method, but it might be acceptable in your situation. Rather than try to feather the edge of the vinyl with a Portland Cement patching compound, you might try just peeling off the top layer of the vinyl to expose the paper backing. It will have the effect of a stepped transition from vinyl to paper to slab.
Round the corner to make it smoother and hold your knife (a very sharp utility knife) at a sharp angle so as to feather the cut even more. Cut just through the wear layer of the vinyl, not through the paper backing too. Cut several feet back away from the edge if you can. Peel the vinyl off in narrow strips, if you have to, by making several parallel cuts.
Re: First time installing laminate, want to do it right
The transitions are for covering the expansion space that you must have all the way around your area. I don't quite understand what is in your entry? You said tile which you removed so I thought you were going to cover that with laminate also.
Re: First time installing laminate, want to do it right
The entryway is really just a very short hallway about the width of the front door, which leads into the living room. There's baseboard on each side that will cover the expansion gap at the walls, and there will be trim along the 3rd side of the entry by the front door. The last side opens directly into the living room, so my preference would be to have the planks run straight into that room without interruption. Does that make sense?
I don't know if I'd be able to manage slicing/shaving the vinyl down in a smooth manner, and like I mentioned - I don't know what it's made of. The house was built in the 70s, so it's really a crapshoot whether or not it contains asbestos. Frankly, if it's in one piece and not bothering anything, my preference would be to leave it as is. I appreciate the suggestion, though.
Re: First time installing laminate, want to do it right
I guess I should've expected a number of replies telling me to get a "pro" to do it, but hiring someone always presents it's own set of challenges and expensive lessons. Honestly, if the floor wasn't in good condition I wouldn't even attempt this myself. I'm fairly handy and resourceful, and I'm pretty good at following directions, so I think I can handle this - but I understand where the pros here are coming from.
The previous owner left a few boxes of vinyl sticky tile in the closet, leftover from the bathroom. I suppose I could use those in the entry to raise the floor level up a little. It's not the most elegant solution, but as long as it doesn't cause any issues with the laminate install I'm happy. I would like to avoid sticking them directly to the slab - do you think it would be alright to tape them together and let them "float" in the area? It's about 3 1/2' wide and about 7' long, I can fit them in right up to the wallsso they shouldn't shift around.
And as far as my second question - is it commonplace to just secure the trim transitions directly to the subfloor or slab with a glue? Any thoughts on that?
Re: First time installing laminate, want to do it right
I'm going to go ahead and say that I've seen many, many DIY laminate installations that look and perform great. If you're going the install one type of flooring yourself, in my opinion, this would be the one.
Re: First time installing laminate, want to do it right
kylenelson said
I'm going to go ahead and say that I've seen many, many DIY laminate installations that look and perform great. If you're going the install one type of flooring yourself, in my opinion, this would be the one.
And I'll say that nearly every DIY laminate install I've seen has had issues.
Of course I am also saying in TX you can probably do the job as well as most of the "pros" down there.
Re: First time installing laminate, want to do it right
S Carver said
do you think it would be alright to tape them together and let them "float" in the area?
And as far as my second question - is it commonplace to just secure the trim transitions directly to the subfloor or slab with a glue? Any thoughts on that?
Yes you can "float" them and yes they can be glued carefully.
Re: First time installing laminate, want to do it right
I really appreciate all the advice. I have a game plan now and I'm relatively confident we can do this with good results.
For the record, I completely agree with the opinions re: good professional installers in TX. There's just too much cheap, unskilled labor in the area - it makes it hard for real pros to stay competitive & in business, so you never know who is going to show up for a job. If I'm going to take a chance screwing up an install, I'd rather have it on my own head and not also be out hundreds of $$$ in installation costs.
Thanks again everyone - I don't plan to lay down the floor for another 2 weeks, when I have time to do it slow, so in the meantime if anyone else has an opinion or advice I'd love to hear it. I'll post pictures once we're finished!
Re: First time installing laminate, want to do it right
Regarding the trim install method:
I have done both. I prefer Track on straight transitions, doorways, etc.
I glue with picture frame installs, ( around fireplaces, etc.) Use a liquid nails type glue, clean the concrete first and apply a bead to the concrete and back of the trim. Set in place, tape tight with blue tape the outside miters and weigh down over night.
Do you have a miter saw for cutting around the fireplace?
Re: First time installing laminate, want to do it right
3rdfloordesign said
Regarding the trim install method:
I have done both. I prefer Track on straight transitions, doorways, etc.
I glue with picture frame installs, ( around fireplaces, etc.) Use a liquid nails type glue, clean the concrete first and apply a bead to the concrete and back of the trim. Set in place, tape tight with blue tape the outside miters and weigh down over night.
Do you have a miter saw for cutting around the fireplace?
I guess I should've expected a number of replies telling me to get a "pro" to do it, but hiring someone always presents it's own set of challenges and expensive lessons. Honestly, if the floor wasn't in good condition I wouldn't even attempt this myself. I'm fairly handy and resourceful, and I'm pretty good at following directions, so I think I can handle this - but I understand where the pros here are coming from.
