Re: What a ride...
Thanks guys for all the positive feedback. I'm really pleased with how well it turned out. Link: RE: Ugly mug, I figure, keep a couple hot chicks around while you're working and the pain ain't as bad. Although you kinda get tired of sucking your gut in all the time...
<br /><br />James:<br /><br />Boy oh boy, I can help you out with these. I had to learn a lot of that stuff the hard way, and do I mean hard. <br /><br />First, wear kneepads!!!!! That is the ONLY tool I didn't have when I did this project, and I am regretting it right now. <br /><br />Get a couple guys who you really trust that work hard to help you out. I had my brother and my old roomate helping me out. Their assistance was something I can't even put a price on right now.<br /><br />As far as the concrete slab is concerned. Make sure you put a moisture barrier down underneath your underlayment.<br /><br />The actual installation of the strips of Pergo was pretty simple, stick the left side of the piece together, slide it down so it is laying on the ground, then lift the piece up lengthwise to hook it in. It is a bit difficult getting it in lengthwise but after a while you will get the hang of it.<br /><br />Now for your questions:<br />- Did you have to maintain a 1/4" gap from all the walls to allow for expansion?<br /><br />Yes definitely. Everywhere I heard, everyone from professional Pergo installers to people who have done it in the past said to put that gap in there. I guess these laminates are about 90% wood or something like that. So it expands and contracts based on the humidity level. I didn't want anything buckling in the sumer when it got humid.<br /><br />I'm going to leave the baseboards on and add 1/4 round molding to the baseboards.<br /><br />I did the same exact thing. I was going to pull the baseboards off to get a "cleaner" look but decided against it. I'm glad I did. I think I actually like it better with the quarterround because it is a nice transitioning color from the floor the the baseboard since they are not identical colors.<br /><br />-In your kitchen and bathroom, did you have to caulk the boards or anything to waterproof them?<br /><br />I did. I bought some regular bathroom/kitchen clear silicone caulk and put a bead around all the places that might get wet. By the kitchen sink/dishwasher etc. and all the way around the half bath. That may have been overkill but I figure better safe than sorry.<br /><br />- I removed a 4' x 4' section of linoleum by the front door with no real hassle. I still have to remove the linoleum in my entire kitchen and dining room. Why did you install the laminate over the linoleum instead of first removing the linoleum?<br /><br />I don't know if you caught it in my post, but I did remove the linoleum in the kitchen. Luckily, the previous owner of my house was pretty smart. He did not attach the linoleum directly to the subfloor. He laid down a 1/4 inch thick piece of plywood on the floor, screwed it down, and laid the linoleum on top. The only PITA that I ran across is that he spaced the screws about 3 inches apart evenly across the floor. About 60-100 screws. The yellow "linoleum-like" surface you are seeing in the pictures is a "tile" (i think thats an appropriate description) which I can only assume is original to the house. The tile reminded me of the kind of floor you would see in the chemistry room of a high school. Super-hard and stuck like mad. I didn't even think about removing it because it was stuck so well there is no way I would have a smooth surface after removeing it. I know I would be better off replacing the subfloor before removing that tile.<br /><br />I did leave the linoleum in the half bath. That was glued solid with the hardwood floor beneath it. The linoleum in the bathroom was so thin that when the Pergo transitioned between the two rooms, it you can't even tell there were two different surfaces beneath it. Long story short, that as well would not have been worth the trouble to remove it.<br /><br />- Did you have to maintain a 1/4" gap from all the walls to allow for expansion?<br /><br />There was great debate on the right way to do that so i just tried both ways myself. With a nice sharp blade I cut with the "wood grain" towards the blade. So, with the miter saw I had the pergo facing up. But I'm guessing if you are using a table saw, I would cut it with the top facing down. When you cut in the opposite direction it chips a bit more.<br /><br />Oh, and related to that, I was skeptical at the comments that Pergo eats saw blades. That was no B.S. By the end of the day on Saturday when I was finished with the flooring I tried to trim some moulding pieces for around the door. When I pushed the blade down, whew did it SMOKE. The blade couldn't cut a piece of paper. Obviously an exaggeration but you get the idea. So, since you're doing more sq footage than me, have a spare blade available for each saw.<br /><br />-Did you use knee pads due to all the kneeling you did?<br /><br />As I said... I didn't but YES YES YES YES YES YES YES GET THEM!! My body HURTS!!<br /><br />Good luck!! And post pictures!!! I'm very happy with how it turned out and even happier that I did it myself without screwing it up!!<br /><br /><br />Let me know if you have any other questions.<br /><br />Sean
