Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Technique or something else?

I am trying to lay 2,000 Square feet of floating laminate flooring and am having some trouble getting started.

I have lifted the wall to wall carpeting in one room, pulled the nail strips, and baseboards, layed and taped the vapor barrier as recommended and started laying the click together laminate planks from westhollow.

The problem I have is that I don't really understand how to click together planks end to end and side to side at the same time.. It seems impossible to start on the second row when I have to kind of lift up on one end or one side to attach it to the next one and it seems impossible to lift both the end and side at the same time to attach new planks to the last one in the row and the next one in the last row. None of the instructions I have read really seems to address this technique except one which recommends laying a whole row end to end and then sliding it into the last row.. this doesn't really work from myu perspective because of the slight variations in the product which make it impossible to insert a whole row at a time succesfully. I have taken to sliding them together side to side and then tapping them together end to end which seems to work mostly, but leaves slight gaps in some pieces and seems it might be damaging the locking mechanism, which seems kind of fragile in the first place.

The other problem is that some pieces seem to not lock together 'tightly' and leave a slight gap as well. If I lift them up and push them together in the air I can get them to stay together with no gap but on the floor they seem to not want to do this uniformly.

Do you think it help help to use floor leveler on the cement underneath before putting down the vapor barrier? Seems like little imperfections in the floor might be causing some of the strips to not mesh as perfectly as they might. The floor seems level enough, but there are little imperfections here and there where cement or plaster was dropped and not wiped or scrapped up.

Ideas? What technique do others use to get them to lock together in both directions?

Use a small wedge, to hold the previously installed plank up at the angle needed. Not too much or it will come out, not enough and the plank won't want to go into the long end.

Rotate the end down as far as you can to the length joint so you don't have far to get it in the long joint. Take a 2x4 and tap the board to seat the long joint. As it gets in pull the wedge and slap the plank once or twice to seat it tight. On down the row, you go.

OK.. I think I understand
This is very similar to what someone else was telling me but I wasnt' quite getting it.
Thanks a lot

I just finished doing a house in this and trust me, you're at the worst stage. After you get a few going it gets much easier.

1) Did you buy the little "installation kit" the big box stores sell? It's about $15.00 and invaluable because it has the spacers, the pry bar you need at the end of the rows, etc. Well worth the money.

2) If you go to Home Depot, they have a video you can watch on laying laminate floors, and it helps make it a little clearer.

3) the important thing is to lay the black plastic tap bar that comes in the installation kit SIDEWAYS before you "tap" it.. really, "hammer" it ~~ to close the little gaps. Lay it longways on the floor. The first few I did I had it standing UP and the laminate can get tiny knicks in it this way, if you hammer too hard which tends to happen as you get tired :) If you lay the long tap bar down flat on the ground the hammer force is much more deflected and doesn't easily hurt your laminate..

I had a really messed up floor and it doesn't show at all under the laminate. Stick with it, it'll be beautiful!

POST BACK if you have questions... Good luck

Don't tap in a rotating lock floor!!! It will split the groove, and most likely damage and micro fracture the edge your beating on.

Do you think it help help to use floor leveler on the cement underneath before putting down the vapor barrier? Seems like little imperfections in the floor might be causing some of the strips to not mesh as perfectly as they might. The floor seems level enough, but there are little imperfections here and there where cement or plaster was dropped and not wiped or scrapped up.


the floor SEEMS level enough??? :eek: :rolleyes:

remember reading anything in the manual about variations greater than 1/8" with a 6' distance? if the floor can't sit perfectly flat, not only will the planks not click together properly & stay together tightly, but it will have movement (it will bounce slightly up & down when walked on) and will eventually cause your joints to crack, gaps to form, the edges to chip, & eventually, the floor to fail (and your warranty will be void). you're already having problems with blobs of plaster & whatnot. before you go any further, take up your underlayment & do some more prep work on your subfloor. scrape up anything you can, fill any voids/dips & grind down any hills.

the wedge under the last plank trick did it nicely
it's going much smoother now

He's right about hammering the click together planks though.. I ruined a few before I found that out

Next question..

What do do about coming to the other side of a open closet space?

On 1 side it was fine enough to cut out and slide under the door frame that I had undercut, but how to do this on the opposite side when you need to slant in the next row and slide a cutout under the door frame at the same time? Having a hard time figuring this one out..

Ideas?

Thanks

Cut the little tab lock running on the tongue, then use glue, so you can go in flat and not have to rotate it. Blue tape it tight to hold the joint tight while the glue sets up for a day or two before removing the tape.

Cut the little tab lock running on the tongue, then use glue, so you can go in flat and not have to rotate it. Blue tape it tight to hold the joint tight while the glue sets up for a day or two before removing the tape.


Thanks.. that will do it.. oh yes