Laminate Flooring....

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RustyRatRod

RustyRatRod

I was born on a Monday. Not last Monday.
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Yeah, I know it's not a car question. Found some laminate flooring on sale at Lowes the other day. Kitty's been wanting to ditch this wore out carpet for a while in the main area of the house. We're going to leave the bedrooms and bathrooms alone.

Come in 8" by however long it is......might be 36" hell I ain't put the tape to it. It's tongue and groove snap together. I got 950 sq ft of underlayment to go with it, too. Lookin at it, I plan on sealing each joint with clear silicone. I know that's unorthodox, but my thinking is moisture will make glue let go over time. SIlicone will both seal the FFF out of it and be there forever. We can just have a bucket of hot soapy water and come back and wipe the excess off as we go.

Any of yall got any tips for this stuff? Been watchin youtube videos and it looks fairly easy.
 
Did a the little woman's sewing room with something similar. Very easy (although tedious) install. I doubt the silicone is necessary as the flooring goes together quite tight. Won't hurt to have the insurance tho, especially in a kitchen or bathroom. A fine tooth blade on the miter saw made clean easy cuts.
 
It is easy. I'm not sure about the silicone idea though. Mine required x" gap per x-length, at each end to allow for expansion and contraction. Not sure if it would affect it. Each style varies I'm sure but you may want to look into that.

Cut upside down......
 
Just get a good chop saw and an accurate tape measure and you are on your way. I would forgo the silicone idea myself but can't fault you for trying it. Good luck with it.
 
We did Laminate in most of our house in Colorado and most of our Condo here in Arizona. I have always just snapped it together..no glue and have never had a problem. All mine were "Floating Floor" style.
 
I go along with the others about NOT using silicone; you scared me with the pail of hot soapy water........ many laminate flooring products are engineered wood products and do not take well to getting wet........there are glues to use if you wish to make the joints water proof, you may want to look into those

Good luck
 
Yes pretty much the same, no glue or any type of sealant. If you do you may end up with a bulge in the center of your floor, the flooring will expend and contract all year long. I used plastic sheeting under the laminate to help the floor shift, it works fine. Use a discarded piece of laminate and a hammer to get the ends to butt tight. The mistake I made was I open one box and started to lay it down, the random design was not so random. Should have read the instructions on the box, it stated to open three boxes and pick out each and work through the three.....but your design could be different. Best of Luck with it.
 
The laminate over wood(plywood) with a layer of underlayment works well, gives a little cushion compared to glued down. No need for glue or silicone, the underlay creates a floating effect which is very noticeable at first but as the floor compresses, settles it becomes less notable. The floating will always have somewhat of a hollow sound but it feels great to walk on. Dont glue to the underlayment that will create all kinds of buckles and humps. Oh yeah, the finished product is only as good as the floor you lay it in so be sure to get all the old carpet pad up and bumps out.
 
I have it in the hitchen in one of my rentals.
It is designed to float, do not restrain it.
 
Sealing the joints of a snap/click laminate?

You cant really make 'affordable' last a lifetime.
Pull the base off..Seal and subfloor it , then underlay and stagger them 18"-20" 'or whatever the box says to.'and gap from wall 3/8ish all round.
Solid wood is what lasts, but even then in damp climates needs a 24" disc sand and refin about or around 12-18 years.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Yeah, I know it's not a car question. Found some laminate flooring on sale at Lowes the other day. Kitty's been wanting to ditch this wore out carpet for a while in the main area of the house. We're going to leave the bedrooms and bathrooms alone.

Come in 8" by however long it is......might be 36" hell I ain't put the tape to it. It's tongue and groove snap together. I got 950 sq ft of underlayment to go with it, too. Lookin at it, I plan on sealing each joint with clear silicone. I know that's unorthodox, but my thinking is moisture will make glue let go over time. SIlicone will both seal the FFF out of it and be there forever. We can just have a bucket of hot soapy water and come back and wipe the excess off as we go.

Any of yall got any tips for this stuff? Been watchin youtube videos and it looks fairly easy.
Click to expand...

Oh man can I relate.:D
Just picked up a bunch of the stuff yesterday.
 
Do as the manufacturer recommends for installing and cleaning. Silicone will stop it from expanding and contracting properly. It could buckle. The chemicals in the silicone may cause de-lamination.

We've had ours for several years with no problems
except for a soup can making a nick in it and had to replace a piece.
We use a Swifer wet jet with the cleaner made for laminate flooring.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Yeah, I know it's not a car question. Found some laminate flooring on sale at Lowes the other day. Kitty's been wanting to ditch this wore out carpet for a while in the main area of the house. We're going to leave the bedrooms and bathrooms alone.

Come in 8" by however long it is......might be 36" hell I ain't put the tape to it. It's tongue and groove snap together. I got 950 sq ft of underlayment to go with it, too. Lookin at it, I plan on sealing each joint with clear silicone. I know that's unorthodox, but my thinking is moisture will make glue let go over time. SIlicone will both seal the FFF out of it and be there forever. We can just have a bucket of hot soapy water and come back and wipe the excess off as we go.

Any of yall got any tips for this stuff? Been watchin youtube videos and it looks fairly easy.
Click to expand...
Do ur self a favor, buy the bottle of seam sealer that is made for that purpose. I did our bathrooms w/ it on the laminate about 12-14 yrs ago, bathrooms still looks like the day I did it.
Lowes carries it-----recommended for bath rooms or kitchens!
 
I would have never had guessed, thanks for the info.....
Offers a triple protection: penetrates the core, coats the surface, seals and protects the joint
• Leaves floors virtually waterproof & planks can be removed and replaced at anytime
• Ideal for bathrooms, kitchens, entries & laundry rooms
• Unlike glues, Click Seal allows plank to expand and contract <<<<<<<<<<<
• Dual use: Click Seal is a wonderful squeak preventer

81YhhW6C++L__SL1500_.jpg
 
Installed the flooring type with the foam all ready attached. Would not do it that way again. I would use the type that needs the foam as a sheet underlayment, it helps tie the floor together and it walks less.
 
The laminate i bought 15 years ago was glue type. It stands up against water very well considering it was in my entrance way with a mat at the door. Always wet in the winter. Never swelled. My brother in law used 10mm laminate. It had a thick cushion and it flexed a lot.
He had one piece as a cutting board on the counter, ran it through dishwaser frequently.
It stood up suprisingly well.

As others said,read instructions, if there is an install kit, get it. Theres a hook you hammer against to aid in snapping pieces in close to the wall.

Never leave any gaps anywhere.
That gap is the start of a pie cut, it gets bigger as you go. Had to pull about 5 rows after buddy said good enough when he caught a crumb in a groove.

A laminate cutter is the ticket,
And a laminate saw blade is a must if need to make angled cuts.
That stuff is hard on blades.

But the laminate glue. Nothing else is worth the trouble.
 
Did quite a few rooms with different types of flooring. Heres a pic of stuff we got from Home Depot. This is at front entrance and is water proof. Tough and durable. Also put waterproof stuff in bathroom. None of the floors say to use sealant, they all say NO caulking. I consider the "floor sealant" above snake oil. If it was a rebuilt engine , we would be using what engine builder recommends??
Good luck, you can do it.
One thing I learned, flooring is a lot like women.
Lay it right the 1st time and you can walk all over them the rest of your life.

20181028_164819.jpg


20181028_164904.jpg


20181028_164937.jpg
 
I laid the same laminate stuff throughout the living room and high traffic areas. I used the thin foam underlayment and so far , 4 1/2 years later , it's held up beautifully, dogs and all. I did not use any joint sealer or glue
 
Laid a lot of this over the years for a general contractor. Lots of good advice above.
Follow the mnfctr instructions
No sealers.
Fix underlayment squeaks/high spots b4 laying new floor.
Leave recommended space around edges
Every seam must be RIGHT b4 starting next row
Use good laminate blade from back side of panel
Use proper tool or scrap piece with one good end to bump the lock joints
Foam underlayment if recommended will provide better feel and lower noise level
Be sure to undercut door frames to prevent distortion and allow expansion
PATIENCE! PATIENCE! PATIENCE!
 
I'll jump on the no silicone sealer bandwagon with everyone else...lol. My wife and I ripped up carpet and put laminate in our sunroom on our camper at the beach. Fearing moisture from below, because our sunroom ain't far off the ground, I used some leftover roofing felt when we started. What we used wasn't plain ol roofing felt, but the high dollar stuff that seals up all nail holes. Anyway, like was said before...cut it from the back, and double check yourself every time about which end you're cutting. I was in a big assed hurry, and cut the wrong end of the board off more that once! It will only lock one way, and you can't turn it around and use it if you cut it wrong. This stuff is death on a chop saw blade! I thought buying the rubber bumping block was well worth the few bucks it cost. Remember to keep a straight face when you tell your wife..."I've cut this board off 3 times, and it's STILL too short!" Good luck.
 
Worst thing about the click floor is that if you damage a piece, or don’t get it clicked in all the way and it buckles, it can not be repaired. I find it to be a cheap product for basic purposes, but not my usual cup of tea.
 
If we had the money for something more expensive, we'd get it. We don't, so this is it. Ok so no sealer and no glue. Good enough. Thanks yall.
 
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