Flooring

[lupi]

Have boxes of laminant flooring ready to install in my bottom floor. I'm ready to empty the first room and start but not sure how to handle the separation between the 2 rooms (a doorway).

I plan on doing the first room one weekend, move the stuff from other room into the finished room, and then do the other room the next weekend. Just duct tape the exposed board that extends into the unfinished room to prevent it from getting moved? Or is there a better idea?

 

[z1ggy]

This belongs in H&G.

Is the flooring the "snap" in kind with a groove and tongue? Are you nailing it down... etc?

 

[TwiceOver]

This belongs in H&G.

Is the flooring the "snap" in kind with a groove and tongue? Are you nailing it down... etc?

Hrm. You mean we don't have a flooring forum?

 

[z1ggy]

Hrm. You mean we don't have a flooring forum?

There's plenty of threads in Home & Garden about flooring.

 

[TwiceOver]

There's plenty of threads in Home & Garden about flooring.

Sorry, forgot to use the sarcasm font.

 

[highland145]

Sorry, forgot to use the sarcasm font.

bazinga



not duck tape. don't want to have to remove the residue.

 

[z1ggy]

Sorry, forgot to use the sarcasm font.

You didn't say bazinga!

DONT YOU READ THE unWRITTEN FORUM RULES!?

 

[z1ggy]

bazinga



not duck tape. don't want to have to remove the residue.

Ducks now make tape...??

 

[highland145]

Ducks now make tape...??

No but they shit everywhere.


bazinga.

 

[TwiceOver]

Ducks now make tape...??

Sigh. It's tape made out of ducks. Ducks making tape, you guys...

 

[lupi]

Yes it's the groved snap together variety. Room is on a slab so can't use any other type with building an additional subfloor.

 

[z1ggy]

Sigh. It's tape made out of ducks. Ducks making tape, you guys...

Is that like, the sauce I get from the Chinese take out place? After they make all the tape, they head to their second job (because let's be real, ducks are not white collar) to make all the duck sauce?

 

[Markbnj]

You probably want to lay the flooring the same direction in all rooms and lay it continuously through the doorways. The reason is that it looks more real when it looks as if the floor was built before the walls, as it would have been if it were original. You'd only want a transition in a doorway if you're moving to a different type of material. As long as you're laying the same color and type, then lay it all the same direction and continuously through the doors, imo.

 

[highland145]

Yes it's the groved snap together variety. Room is on a slab so can't use any other type with building an additional subfloor.

Don't see a need to do anything to hold it down. I wouldn't run into the next room until the wall section in the 2nd room is down up to the door casing. Then span the door gap to tie the 2 rooms together. That piece may need to be notched for the separating wall.

Does that make sense?

 

[DrPizza]

You'll have scraps. Use the scraps to protect the exposed edge.

 

[UnklSnappy]

Sounds like the floor is running parallel to the doorway. If that's the case I would start on that wall. Cut door jambs and casings so the flooring fits under it. put in the doorway piece then your first row and go from there. Just make sure everything is square in the room. If not split the difference or decide which wall is best to hide the out of squareness.

 

[highland145]

You'll have scraps. Use the scraps to protect the exposed edge.

Good idea.

Sounds like the floor is running parallel to the doorway. If that's the case I would start on that wall. Cut door jambs and casings so the flooring fits under it. put in the doorway piece then your first row and go from there. Just make sure everything is square in the room. If not split the difference or decide which wall is best to hide the out of squareness.

I was thinking perpendicular....OP?

 

[NoTine42]

The problem with parallel...how do you angle and snap-in the doorway piece without removing the door jamb?
You also have a problem with perpendicular..how do you join in?

There are a variety of flooring transition /threshold products that might make this job easier. Usually they are used for a laminate to wood or ceramic transition, but they would still work in this instance.

 

[lupi]

The room is a long rectangle with the doorway being in the wall that divides into a smaller room along the shorter dimension (larger of 2 rooms is around 28x12).

Was planning on laying down the planks so they would be parallel to the doorway between the rooms.

I grabbed probably more than I needed but a decent bit before pruning for less desirable boards since I got it all on sale awhile back, so using one of those sounds like a good plan.

 

[lupi]

Something else I meant to ask, the smaller room I'm doing first has a basic sliding closet door (2 panels moving along an upper track with a small mount point in the bottom center to assist in keeping them in line).

Am I going to have any trouble mounting that small channel guard (or whatever you call it) into the planks or should I look at getting a new type of door?

 

[UnklSnappy]

The problem with parallel...how do you angle and snap-in the doorway piece without removing the door jamb?
You also have a problem with perpendicular..how do you join in?

There are tricks and techniques.
Pull the doorway piece forward enough to snap together the first pieces of the starter row then slide back in place. On the other side of the doorway. If it doesn't extend far enough to snap together the first row you can modify the piece to eliminate the snap in feature. And just glue those pieces together.

 

[Micrornd]

You'll have scraps. Use the scraps to protect the exposed edge.

This is the best way.
Just put a couple screws through the face of some sacrificial scraps to hold them in place during the week, and then remove the screws and scraps when you start next weekend.
That will fully protect the tongue.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

I would probably not lay the flooring continuously between the two rooms. Leave a small gap in the middle of the doorway, and cover it with a transition piece. Better for expansion, especially in an area like a basement that is likely to have dampness issues.

 

[lupi]

It's not a basement, sadly those don't exist in this area.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

It's not a basement, sadly those don't exist in this area.

Sorry, somehow I read "bottom floor" and interpreted it as "basement". Still I would floor the rooms separately and just use a small transition piece between the two which allows for an expansion gap on both sides.