Flooring Questions

BigFishFever · 02-07-2005, 06:57 AM

Time to upgrade our floors in the household, and we spent all day Saturday looking at different options and it looks like we are going with a pergo type wood floor.
The stuff that is at Costco appears to be nice (not pergo some off brand that I have not heard about)...does any body have experience with this flooring and installing it?
I am fairly handy with building stuff, but have never done anything quite like this before...

Does any body have any info on the Laminate flooring that is at Costco?
Is it as easy to install as they say?
Does the higher sound reducing under layer really make that much difference?

Second Flooring type (yup Got my work cut out for me)
We are going to rip out the current lynoleum (sp) in the kitchen and use a tile look alike lynoleum, (12"x12" squares) in there....This looks fairly simple, but again, have not done it.

Just thought I would drop these questions off to the vast knowledge base of Ifish!

Any Help would be great!

Thanks

BFF

fishbait · 02-07-2005, 08:43 AM

I have been researching and if I use a laminate type floor, Wilsonart seems to be hands down a superior product for not that much more money.

Slayer · 02-07-2005, 08:55 AM

use the quicksnap stuff and allow yourself plent of time and take it slow. Once its cut is cut. you know the old carpenter's rule measure twice cut once. We installed tongue and groove 3 years ago, and what a pain in the ash! The extra floor insulation really did nothing for us, unless the area that is going to be walked on is high traffic area. Even if you are quite handy around the house, seek the help of friends who have done it before. We put down 700 sq ft and I wish I knew then what I know now.
Chris W

FINZ · 02-07-2005, 09:37 AM

I put new flooring down in our kitchen a couple years ago. It was laminate flooring made by shaw. I was very nervous when I started putting it down but after starting it was very easy. Like mentioned above. measure twice cut once.

I have a 3 boys that play hard on it all day and it has held up to their abuse very good.

newbeebob · 02-07-2005, 09:37 AM

Installed Wilsonart laminate flooring this summer. We bought the estate plus. It has the pressure treated wood on both the top and bottom sides of the boards. This helps make it allot more sturdy and doesn't move as much under your feet. We also used the extra thick padding "hush step" I think is what it was called. As far as installation it wasn't too bad. One thing is you need to make sure your subfloor is flat no humps or valleys. And buy a good laminate blade for your saw. Oh and make sure your fingers are out of the way when you are tapping them in place

.

We are happy with the results in our house and will be putting more after we redo the kitchen cabinets.

El-Kabong · 02-07-2005, 10:08 AM

I have installed both hardwood and "pergo" type flooring. personally I would not use pergo, why use a paper copy when you can put down real wood. HD has a product that actually has a re-finishable wood layer on top of the laminate base. We used a maple in our kitchen, looks very nice.

Just did some more Bruce oak flooring. I would recommend that product also. Comes pre-finished, installation is harder (need a flooring nailer and a compressor) but when it is done you will have wood floors.

Be careful when you are pulling the boards together, DO NOT FORCE them as you can easily damage the edges.

Regardless of the material, take your time and think before you begin. It is easy once you get going!

EK

BigFishFever · 02-07-2005, 10:29 AM

Thanks all for the advise....

Kinda what I thought as well, it doesnt look to awfully difficult, just gonna require some brainwaves in the correct direction.

Would love to do real hardwood, as EK mentioned but the $$$ is the limiting factor.

Thanks again all!

El-Kabong · 02-07-2005, 10:32 AM

The bruce is about $4.5 a foot if I recall. I got mine years ago when one of the big Home depot like chains went out of business (used to be on 82nd around division) got a nice discount as they were closing out inventory.

another place to try is lumber liquidators. seach the web, they have a store in town.

EK

skybuster · 02-07-2005, 10:41 AM

Are you talking about the 12"x12" place and press linoleum? Is it the stuff where you peel off the back and it has its own adhesive and you just stick it to the floor?

If so I would reccomend against it. That stuff is pretty cheap and won't last long, especially if any moisture gets under it. I tried it in a laundry room and ended up tearing it out and laying carpet. Kitchens carry a lot of a homes value and you would be better off spending a little more money on vinyl flooring in there.

Riverkeeper · 02-07-2005, 10:42 AM

Might also check out the ReBuilding center in North portland. They sell salvaged building materials, and frequently have entire hardwood floors that have been removed from houses and stacked up on pallets. Might take a little more elbow grease to install, but would be much cheaper, much more high quality matierials, and you would be recycling.

FishinMission · 02-07-2005, 10:54 AM

We had laminate in our last home. Had a plumbing issue which ended up with a bit of water on the floor. It caused some of the material under the laminate to swell, and it consequently looked like crap.

I'd do the hardwood myself, in fact..last year I did about 1800 sq. ft. of the house we're in now. We used the Bruce stuff...but I think it was $3.98 a sq. ft. if you install it yourself. Maybe $4.98..I don't remember. If you go the real wood route...your floor will be 3/4 in. higher..so you need to keep that in mind if you have a dishwasher. And the real stuff is pretty easy (but tedious) to do.

Mark

BigFishFever · 02-07-2005, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Are you talking about the 12"x12" place and press linoleum?

Yup that is what I was talkin' bout...the moisture issue was of concern for me as well, as this is the kitchen area, and I am just not sure if the peel and stick would be worth it...We are kinda stuck on it, (mainly due to the cost) but we are still in research mode on that.

All I know is I gotta get this done quick! Springers are way to close!

fishonksm · 02-07-2005, 11:03 AM

BFF I have installed both pergo and the stuff Costo sales. Installation was about the same. Tools included tape measrue, carp. square, masking tape, fine tooth saw blade (carbide teeth), table saw works best, but hand saw does fine. The pergo was the glue together type back then, not the snap together Costco sells now. The snap together is quicker to install, but don't be in a hurry. I took a day and ahalf to do my first floor. Pergo flooring back then was $600 for 22sqyd for all material.

i would suggest you use the foam backing it does quite the sound and makes the floor alitte cushiony, it can also make-up for some of those little irregularities in the sub-floor. I would look for a product that has laminate on the back as well, it will keep mositure from comming in thru the back if you have a water leak. The biggest complaint i would have about the laminats is they are not friendly to people walking on them in their socks. every family member fell on their butts more than once going thru our kitchen.

About the lynoleum you plan the rip out. A few questions. How old is the flooring? Do you know when it was installed? How old is the house? If the house was built after the late 70s to mid 80s you may be ok? The flooring my have been replaced once already. I ask these because you may not be aware that the flooring may contain ASBESTOS. You may want to leave it right where it lays and cover over it if your not sure. their is a flooring leveler on the market that you spread over the top of the vinyl and it will level out the ridges and fill in the cracks sealing over the top of the vinyl. I say this because i had to replace flooring in a early 80s house that i had that contained asbestos. diffinetly something to consider, but maybe its just me.

Good luck, take your time. it'll look fine.

BigFishFever · 02-07-2005, 11:13 AM

Thanks for the info.

Dont have to worry about asbestos, the house was built in 98 so I am not concerned there.
The vinly that is there currently is in good shape (roll on type) just uglier than all get out.

My plan is to rip the old vinly out, and then lay the new vinyl down in place of that.
In the living room, we will rip the carpet out and put the laminate wood there.

Which brings up a question....how do you compensate for the difference in height between the 2 floorings?
I am assuming that when I rip out both the vinyl and the carpet the subflooring will all be the same height.
The laminate wood flooring I believe is 8mm (plus the padding) and I know that the vinyl (whichever we put down) will not be as high as the laminate?

Ugh...I am thinking I am getting over my head...should just rip it out and get started before asking any more questions :shocked: and then fix it afterwards

fishonksm · 02-07-2005, 11:17 AM

I just use an everyday carpet/vinyl strip over the seam. check for the different hights on the strip.

finclipped · 02-07-2005, 11:42 AM

I installed the Costco flooring last summer in my girlfriend�s house. Not that difficult and we did about 700 square feet for under a grand (not counting transition pieces.) This included two rooms and a hallway, which was a little more diffucult as it was all continuous. It doesn't look as nice as real wood, but it has held up very well even with her #140 Mastiff constantly scraping her gargantuan claws all around the floor. Everyone comments on how nice the floor looks.

It took me about 2 days for installation and 1 more for trim. The tools I used included a jig saw, circular saw (fine tooth), tape measure, pencil, square, and a small hand held hack saw for intricate cuts. All snap together stuff pretty easy to install. It reminded me of playing with tinker toys, only with grown up tools. When we did it there was a webite somewhere dedicated to the Costco flooring. I believe the brand name is Harmony, so you might be able to find something doing a web search.

ICHTHYDEMON · 02-07-2005, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Thanks for the info.

Dont have to worry about asbestos, the house was built in 98 so I am not concerned there.
The vinly that is there currently is in good shape (roll on type) just uglier than all get out.

My plan is to rip the old vinly out, and then lay the new vinyl down in place of that.
In the living room, we will rip the carpet out and put the laminate wood there.

Which brings up a question....how do you compensate for the difference in height between the 2 floorings?
I am assuming that when I rip out both the vinyl and the carpet the subflooring will all be the same height.
The laminate wood flooring I believe is 8mm (plus the padding) and I know that the vinyl (whichever we put down) will not be as high as the laminate?

Ugh...I am thinking I am getting over my head...should just rip it out and get started before asking any more questions :shocked: and then fix it afterwards

If the current vinyl is in good shape,I'd lay the new over the old. Armstrong makes an embossing leveler that fills in the old pattern so you won't see the old embossing thru the new. Making an underlayment suitable for vinyl is a pain,especially if you're trying to get the old vinyl and glue off the floor. You need to have the underlayment VERY clean and smooth for a vinyl job to look good.

Peel and stick tiles are GARBAGE! What you might save up front goes out the window when you have to replace them in a year,because they don't stick anymore. A single sheet of vinyl is waterproof,with P&S tiles you have 4' of seam around every one,thats 4' that water can soak under.

As far as the height difference between the vinyl and laminate,the laminate manufacturer makes a reducer that will take care of that. I doubt the flooring will be the same height under the carpet and vinyl. There is more than likely an underlayment on top of the subfloor where the vinyl is installed. The carpet and pad is probably close to an 1" thick,the underlayment is used for a smooth substrate for the vinyl as well as to match the height of the carpet and pad.

5-Cents · 02-07-2005, 12:02 PM

Wow this is a well timed post... I just finished doing laminate style flooring and some HW in my house. The laminate stuff is very easy. I used some stuff that Dupont makes and I got it from Home Depot. The stuff is guaranteed for 30 years and has a foam backing already installed on the back side of the product. I had zero experience laying any kind of floor and the laminate stuff was a snap to install. If you are installing over concrete dont forget to purchase a vapor barier and lay it down first. Also if installing in bathroom/kitchen make sure that your seal around all edges with silicone (sp) so water is not a factor.

I have an installation video if you want one

TheKing · 02-07-2005, 01:30 PM

It's all real easy to install. Buy what you need based on your objective. If you want to maximize re sale buy what is appropriate for the value of the home based on comps in the area. A $150K home would have pergo and lino A $650k might not. If you plan to live in it for a long time get something that will last. The 30 year guarantee means nothing when you really read it.

BigFishFever · 02-07-2005, 01:35 PM

Thanks a ton for all the info all..

5Cents you gotta a PM

EULACHON · 02-07-2005, 04:07 PM

We just did a room bought it at Costco. Took my time first time I did it and it is incredible. Everyone thinks I had it done.

Easy stuff sharp saw blade off you go

Plunging Float · 02-07-2005, 04:41 PM

We put down the Wilsonart flooring last year, and we love it. I think I put down about 800 square feet in 8 hours or so, padding and everything. I like the way it looks, and it seems to be really durable (At least my two kids haven't been able to mark it up....yet). I compared the different brands before buying, and in my opinion, the way the Wilsonart locks together is by far the best connection out there.

Spudwiggley · 02-07-2005, 05:19 PM

I did my master bedroom, an exercise room, upstairs landing, and even the stairs in my house and it turned out very nice. The rooms are a little more "hollow" sounding even with the padding underneath, but it changed the whole look of the house. I also made my own transition strips to compensate for the difference in heights of flooring. Pergo and other manufacturers sell T-molding and transition strips, specifically for the laminates, but it's like $28.00 for a single 8ft length. I used comparable 1x2 wood from Home Depot and a table saw to make mine. I think it cost me 4.00
Last of all, make sure to read the instructions. Snap the laminate together exactly how the instructions say. It's a pain in the butt if you try to do it "backwards".

kenai · 02-07-2005, 08:49 PM

I'm about 3/4 done with slate tile flooring, never again. It is a real pain to put down, every tile is a different dimension both in elevation and length, width. Real hard to get the grout off even if you seal them first. My wife didnt like the pergo or ceramic tiles cuz the dogs slip on em and her saint blew out a knee on the pergo.

ICHTHYDEMON · 02-07-2005, 09:38 PM

Quote:

I'm about 3/4 done with slate tile flooring, never again. It is a real pain to put down, every tile is a different dimension both in elevation and length, width. Real hard to get the grout off even if you seal them first. My wife didnt like the pergo or ceramic tiles cuz the dogs slip on em and her saint blew out a knee on the pergo.

It sounds like you saved a bit of money and went with the ungauged slate.

LongJohn · 02-10-2005, 02:11 AM

I did a kitchen/dining room in Pergo with quite good results. Make sure your floor is level otherwise you'll hear "crackling" sounds when you walk on it.