Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Laminate hallway and other ?'s
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r4ndy
07-14-03, 08:58 PM
I am using Pergo Presto and I have put down the flooring in a living room/dining room for a total of about 300 sq ft. I screwed a 3/4" piece of wood into the floor where the room transitions to a 40" wide hallway and will be placing a T-Molding between the living room and the hallway. I could use some advice on the following:
1. I have yet to install the wallbase and quarter round and have left in the spacers. Can I leave the room like this for the week and put in the trim and wallbase next weekend (6 days after installing the floor). The room is air conditioned and has all the blinds closed to minimize the changes in temperature and has no furniture in it.
2. The second part of the installation is a 40" wide hallway that runs straight for 5' than has a 45^ turn to the right then straightens out for 5' then has another 45^ to the left. I was planning to run the laminate left to right (the left starting point will be the T-Molding noted above). Is there any issues with running in lengths with angled cuts on both sides?
_/-------\____ drawing is backwards (left is right) to show up in text mode
3. Being an amateur my cuts are not all uniform, I would say my largest gaps from the wall are less than 1/2" but always equal to or greater than the recommended 1/4". I will be putting a 3/8" wallbase and a quarter-round around the entire area for trim. Are the larger expansion areas going to give me any trouble down the road? If so is there a way to prevent it other than starting over?
4. Lastly, I have noticed the floor has a small amount of "give" when I step on it in some places. I am a big guy (275lbs) so I am not sure if this is ordinary, it feels like the padding squishing but I am a bit paranoid with this being my first install. I did level the floor with the self-leveling compound and it is flat almost everywhere. There is an area that was flattened out but has a slight grade of less than 1/2" from the start of the six foot subfloor board to the other end then flattens out and stays level again on the next board and subsequent boards. The high end is right on the T-Molding transition. This plank was much worse when I started and after putting three bags of leveling compound across the two rooms I was getting worried about putting any more down. Should the floor feel firm or is there a certain amount of give?
Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I have read several horror stories on this forum and they have me second guessing everything I am doing :(
1. I have yet to install the wallbase and quarter round and have left in the spacers. Can I leave the room like this for the week and put in the trim and wallbase next weekend (6 days after installing the floor). The room is air conditioned and has all the blinds closed to minimize the changes in temperature and has no furniture in it.
2. The second part of the installation is a 40" wide hallway that runs straight for 5' than has a 45^ turn to the right then straightens out for 5' then has another 45^ to the left. I was planning to run the laminate left to right (the left starting point will be the T-Molding noted above). Is there any issues with running in lengths with angled cuts on both sides?
_/-------\____ drawing is backwards (left is right) to show up in text mode
3. Being an amateur my cuts are not all uniform, I would say my largest gaps from the wall are less than 1/2" but always equal to or greater than the recommended 1/4". I will be putting a 3/8" wallbase and a quarter-round around the entire area for trim. Are the larger expansion areas going to give me any trouble down the road? If so is there a way to prevent it other than starting over?
4. Lastly, I have noticed the floor has a small amount of "give" when I step on it in some places. I am a big guy (275lbs) so I am not sure if this is ordinary, it feels like the padding squishing but I am a bit paranoid with this being my first install. I did level the floor with the self-leveling compound and it is flat almost everywhere. There is an area that was flattened out but has a slight grade of less than 1/2" from the start of the six foot subfloor board to the other end then flattens out and stays level again on the next board and subsequent boards. The high end is right on the T-Molding transition. This plank was much worse when I started and after putting three bags of leveling compound across the two rooms I was getting worried about putting any more down. Should the floor feel firm or is there a certain amount of give?
Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I have read several horror stories on this forum and they have me second guessing everything I am doing :(
Carpets Done Wright
07-15-03, 05:15 PM
Sounds like your doing fine.
With baseboards and ¼ round, you should have plenty of room for expansion movement, without coming out from under the trim moldings.
The flooring will have some give, As long as no sounds are heard as it flexs with the subfloor, you'll be fine.
With baseboards and ¼ round, you should have plenty of room for expansion movement, without coming out from under the trim moldings.
The flooring will have some give, As long as no sounds are heard as it flexs with the subfloor, you'll be fine.
r4ndy
07-16-03, 12:13 PM
Thanks. There is a small area in a corner where you do hear a bit of noise but it is the subfloor, definitely not the Pergo. I put as many screws in it as I could, but it still has a creak in one area. The pergo doesn't flex there and it is a low traffic area so I am not too concerned at this point.