What do you recommend for installing laminate wood floors
Sexy Dork
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Saturday, 14th of August 2010 07:58:43 PM
We are going to put laminate wood floors in our house and have been told Sexy Dork that getting the laminate with the backing already attached is the Registered User best/easiest way to go.They said that if you use the laminate without the Joined: Thursday, 27th of May 2010, 05:12:43 backing and lay the backing underneath that it could bunch up.We would be Posts: 1028 installing it ourselves over a concrete foundation.Anyone with experience Viewed 13012 times on this?
Bar stool Dummy
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Sunday, 15th of August 2010 12:40:36 AM
Any fairly modern concrete floor, inside a house should already Bar stool Dummy have a vapour barrier under it. Building codes for the last 30 or 40 years Registered User have made it mandatory. Joined: Saturday, 15th of May 2010, 02:29:22 Posts: 1903 Maybe the previous posters are living in third world countries. Viewed 14418 times
You do not use a vapour barrier under any other floor coverings so why
bother for laminate flooring? The answer is that most cheap laminates are
made out of very cheap porous material & the manufacturers cover their
backs by promoting vapour barriers etc.
If you are laying the floor in an area that could be suspect, a converted
garage or basement then by all means use a vapour barrier. One way to test
if a concrete slab is subject to damp is to tape a small square of clear
plastic down to the concrete & leave it a few days. If there is moisture
in the concrete then beads of condensation will form on the underside of
the plastic.
Use a good quality foam underlay. The better the underlay then the nicer
the finished floor will feel. I have never used flooring with the backing
attached. Seems just another complication to me.
Follow the instructions regarding edge clearance carefully. Don't get it
too close. These floors really do expand in humid weather.
Pumkin Butt
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Monday, 16th of August 2010 04:06:19 AM
I did one room with the foam backing and it was not a problem Pumkin Butt at all. The whole floor went down as easy as pie. I did have the couple Registered User of special tools that you can buy to aid in installing the boards. Those Joined: Tuesday, 8th of June 2010, 17:17:38 are a real help. Posts: 1085 Viewed 4820 times As someone else mentioned, you really need to use a vapor barrier type
underlayment if you are laying on a concrete floor. Be sure and tape all
of the joints completely.
Brace face
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Tuesday, 17th of August 2010 07:56:23 AM
If you're installing over a concrete slab, you need a vapor Brace face barrier. The roll underlayment has a vapor barrier on it already (install Registered User it barrier facing up, felt facing down). Joined: Thursday, 29th of April 2010, 04:55:43 Posts: 410 If you use the planks with the underlayment attatched, the vapor barrier Viewed 8235 times is broken at the edge of each plank which invalidates the whole reason.
For this reason, use the roll underlayment & tape all the seams completely
with clear plastic tape. In all the installs I've done I've never seen it
bunch up. How could it with the floor flat on top of it?
This is a good DIY project. This link goes into details.
poopy :)
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Wednesday, 18th of August 2010 12:19:01 AM
Never had that problem with a separate backing. Use the poopy :) styrofoam based product & just to make sure you get a good cover. Lay it Registered User in the same direction as the laminate boards & lay it as you go, tape the Joined: Sunday, 6th of June 2010, 20:40:46 joins, not completely, just enough to hold them. The styrofoam product is Posts: 1837 also a good damp proof layer. It would also be a better job if you can Viewed 16840 times remove the skirting boards & run the laminate to within 1/4'' of the
walls, refit the skirting & the job will look realy professional, better
than using edging.
Babymeats
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Thursday, 19th of August 2010 02:38:53 PM
You just need to be careful when laying it, not to bunch it up. Babymeats Check the cost difference between the flooring with the backing attached Registered User and using a different product. Many laminate companies recommend a certain Joined: Friday, 18th of June 2010, 14:43:45 type padding for their floors. Make sure you use the correct one. Posts: 355 Viewed 11631 times
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