[CHRISBRANT]

When installing laminate flooring I read you leave 1/4 in space at baseboards and put down a little molding to cover it. What do you do where your door trim meet the floor, you can't leave a space there and the door trim is already there? Any tips about installing on a stairway? What thickness should a good grade laminate be? I'm putting it on concrete. Is there any certain thing you should look for when buying? There's so many different prices I don't know what to look for.

[glavine]

As For The 1/4 Gap , This Is True, In Places That You Have Casing Touching The Floor You'll Need To Cut The Casing To Allow The Floor To Slide Underneath It,

To Do This You'll Need A Jamb Saw, Or A Dove Tail Saw, They Also Make A Hand Saw Called The Shark, Its Much Like The Dove Tail Saw But With Sharper Teeth, Both Are Under $20, They Have A Flat Blade And Can Be Laid Flat On The Floor

At The Casing Lay A Piece Of Flooring Upside Down And Rest The Saw On The Flooring And Cut The Casing Out Of The Way,

As Far As Stairs Go You Don't Want To Put This On Stairs, Simple This Is A Floating Floor And Is Not Made For Installing On Stairs, You Need Oak Treads If You Want It To Be Stained Or Pine If You Want To Use Carpet

The Molding You Referred To Is Shoe Molding, This Is Nailed Down To The Baseboard After The Floor Is Down To Cover The Gap

[beingteri]

I don't do this professionally... just an avid DIYer like yourself. But my husband and I have installed two sets of laminate in our own home, laid it in my in-laws house (2000 sqft) and just put it in the Mobile Home they bought (1400 sqft). With each installation, we have gotten to use a progressively better flooring product each time. Starting with our kitchen which was the cheapest and thinnest you can get up to the floor we just laid, which was Pergo and considerably thicker.

I know what the instructions [I]say[I] about a 1/4 inch gap... and we did use that in our home, which wasn't so bad. Our walls are fairly square, but there was actually a foot plate board that the drywall gets nailed to. NOT SO in the inlaws home (they turned the garage into a family room, and not a good job at all), Nor was it the case at the Mobile Home. There were a few times we were knocking the boards in place and they went right through or under the drywall!! Thank God for moulding! But when there isn't a solid foot plate behind the walls and you gap the 1/4 inch... you get a lot of movement in the finished sections. You smack in a plank here and 6 feet behind you a 1/4 gap pops open in the middle of your floor. Yes we shimmed the hell out of it. That only works if a shim is "wedged" in and it can't if your wall moves. In one whole room... I started a line, then shot a nail through that would be under the moulding into the subfloor, then again at the end once I made sure it was tight.

In the last room, I measured to the daylight edge and cut with no gap. THis took a little muscle to get that last piece in... instead of inserting the long side first, I connected the short butt end up to the edges you'd click together... then took my prybar under the already laid line and stepped on it which tilted the line up. Clicked in the long edge and gently tapped it in. Worked beautifully where the wall was plumb. But on the damn walls that bowed out some then back in at the bottom... to keep from scraping all the texture off, I snapped in the shorty side, then bent the board over my foot to squeeze the free edge below the ripple in the wall and completed with the same steps above by tilting the line of attached boards and snapping the long side in last, then tapping flat. Funny thing though... doing it this way... I had NO SLIPPAGE, no gaps... and no wedging the stupid spacers. But that's me. You will find what works best for you, you'll get in a rhythm and be done in no time.

As for the stairs... I agree... no stairs!! Once installed, this stuff is hazardous on a flat level surface. On stairs, someone would get killed!

I don't know what your price range is... or how particular you will be about the finished product... on concrete you do put down a vapor barrier and a thin layer of foam insulation. I've used the separate and attached versions... go with the attached! But if you want a better result AND an easier time laying both the underlayment as well as the floor... get the Armstrong under layment. It's cushioned material not foam, so it stays on the floor and doesn't fly around or slip. Plus it works as a baffle when you walk on it. And if you happen to be laying that vinyl roll out stuff too... flip it over and it's the same for it as well. Pricier than the plastic foam... but worth it. If you haven't chosen the brand or color of the floor... a really nice look is the bamboo. I wish I'd found that before I put in my floors. Next time!

[Clough]

When installing laminate flooring I read you leave 1/4 in space at baseboards and put down a little molding to cover it. What do you do where your door trim meet the floor, you can't leave a space there and the door trim is already there? Any tips about installing on a stairway? What thickness should a good grade laminate be? I'm putting it on concrete. Is there any certain thing you should look for when buying? There's so many different prices I don't know what to look for.

Excellent answers above! I have wondered about the same things that you have. And, I wanted to provide an answer to your question. But, I don't have the expertise other than basically installing laminate flooring on a large, flat surface. Even though laminate flooring is relatively easy to install, there are still those instances that you wonder what you are going to do.

[Clough]

As For The 1/4 Gap , This Is True, In Places That You Have Casing Touching The Floor Youll Need To Cut The Casing To Allow The Floor To Slide Underneath It,

To Do This Youll Need A Jamb Saw, Or A Dove Tail Saw, They Also Make A Hand Saw Called The Shark, Its Much Like The Dove Tail Saw But With Sharper Teeth, Both Are Under $20, They Have A Flat Blade And Can Be Laid Flat On The Floor

At The Casing Lay A Piece Of Flooring Upside Down And Rest The Saw On The Flooring And Cut The Casing Out Of The Way,

As Far As Stairs Go You Dont Want To Put This On Stairs, Simple This Is A Floating Floor And Is Not Made For Installing On Stairs, You Need Oak Treads If You Want It To Be Stained Or Pine If You Want To Use Carpet

The Molding You Referred To Is Shoe Molding, This Is Nailed Down To The Baseboard After The Floor Is Down To Cover The Gap

Hi, glavine!

You are a very knowledgeable person, and you provide some very fine answers. I would just like to make a suggestion and also a request to you. And, that is that, would you please refrain from capitalizing every single word in your replies? It makes your responses hard to read. I also would think that you are working more than you need to be if you are capitalizing the first letter of every word.

Thank you!

Clough

[glavine]

ITS SET ON CAP LOCK LOL O SOrry, I didn't know its hard to read, ill change that,
Thanks clough