Installing wood floor?

[V STAR]

Has anybody installed the quick lock flooring system? I looked at the wood laminate floors today and they seemed to be very reasonable as far as pricing. Are they easy to install. The guy said that they require no glue or nails. How do they hold up over time?

Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Dah-Dee]

We used the locking laminate flooring (Pergo? Armstrong? It was one or the other) in our foyer, after using the glue version (Pergo) in our family room and kitchen, and I think the locking variety is much easier to work with and looks the same when you're done. We've had ours down for a few months now and haven't noticed any problems, still looks good.

I guess one tip I'd suggest is to make sure there is no grit/dirt or anything like that in the groove when you're locking pieces together, because even tiny little pieces in there can cause visible gaps at the joint. We forgot to clean out the grooves a couple of times and had to take pieces out to re-do them. Fortunately, it wasn't the PITA it could have been because there was no glue to fight with/clean up.

[Geoffrey]

Hello,new guy here.
I install flooring for a living,so I thought I'd give you a few thoughts....

Glueless is the only way to go,glued is being phased out of the industry,for many reasons.

There are different types of "click" laminate,tap & lock is a real pain to install,as you have to hammer every piece together.Just remember to read the directions,they really tell the best installation processes;they differ from company to company....

I also recomend buying a good quality 1/4 inch rubber pad,as opposed to the foam crap that usually goes with this product.It provides good insulation as well as better sound absorption.

Good luck .

[MrKen]

Thanks for the information new guy, and thanks for bringing this up other new guy. Seriously, it is going to be the spring project around this house and we were just starting to look into options.

[Joem]

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but figured it was better than starting a new one.

So I'm thinking of doing the whole wooden click (no glue) laminate thing this weekend in my living room (and if it goes well, we're going to also do the dining room). Ikea has it for $0.99 per square foot (I can't remember the name of it, and can't find it on their website). I'd also have to buy the roll of foam insulation and all that.

Is this something a mildly (let me stress that mildly part) handy guy can do by himself in one afternoon? Or should I budget more time and get a helper? It is approximately a 200 square foot area, and will be clear of any furniture or anything like that.

Another question is what prevents it from sort of "puffing" up in the center? I know the molding holds it down around the edges, but what is anchoring it in the middle sections?

Thanks in advance.

[gmal2003]

I put one in about 2 years ago for a family friend. I dont do lots hardware (although I am industrious) but this was rather easy. Just take your time and have lots of patience and the finished product will be good. As stated, this was around 2 years ago and the floor still looks great (and just like a real wood floor). Saw it about two weeks ago.


ETA: Id suggest 4 people total (thats what we had). The 4 people dont have to be "Bob Villas" either as I did it with 3 females with no experience (which made 4 of us).

[sracer]

Trixie and I just installed solid Oak Parquet flooring last week. At $1.29 a sq. ft. it was far cheaper than Pergo and the other laminate flooring options. Between the living room and hallway, 375 sq. ft.

I've never seen a laminate flooring that has the same richness and depth as real wood. Considering that laminate costs more and is less durable than real wood, I'm puzzled as to why laminates are more popular.

[Joem]

Originally posted by sracer
I've never seen a laminate flooring that has the same richness and depth as real wood. Considering that laminate costs more and is less durable than real wood, I'm puzzled as to why laminates are more popular.

Did you have to use glue for your real wood? It's one of the reasons I'm going with the click laminate.

[cseyer]

I would argue that laminate is MUCH more durable than real wood. We have both in our house a prefinished red oak, and laminate in the bonus (kids play) room. The laminate is nice can clean up with water, tough as nails, and easy to install. Real wood is nice no argument but it is more expensive and more difficult to install. Our prefinished oak was approx $5 sq/ft and required nailing/glueing down. The laminate we bought was $2 sq/ft and was lift and lock. I have never seen prefinished real wood for $1.29 sq/ft?? Sounds like you got a bargain or there is more to that story.

[sracer]

Originally posted by Joem
Did you have to use glue for your real wood? It's one of the reasons I'm going with the click laminate.

The wood we used in the living room was indeed glue. The first day was indeed horrendous... glue everywhere. But day 2 and day 3 were much, much better.

2 years ago we put solid oak parquet in our master bedroom. These tiles (made by Bruce) have a white foam backing with a "packing tape-like" adhesive (tacky, more than sticky) covered by a plastic liner. Recessed slightly in the foam backing were about a dozen "glue dots" of industrial glue.

You peel the liner off, and place the tile down. The tape-type adhesive keeps the tile in place, but it can be removed to be re-positioned. THEN, when the job is all done, you walk on each tile... this "pops" those industrial glue dots and they adhere to the floor for a permanent installation.

THAT was a great install! It took us 2 hours to do then entire bedroom (140 sq ft)

Unfortunately, the local Home Depot didn't carry them anymore, we would've had to drive down to Phoenix and get them from Lowes. (They can be purchased for $2.29 a sq ft when on sale)

Originally posted by cseyer Real wood is nice no argument but it is more expensive and more difficult to install. Our prefinished oak was approx $5 sq/ft and required nailing/glueing down. The laminate we bought was $2 sq/ft and was lift and lock. I have never seen prefinished real wood for $1.29 sq/ft?? Sounds like you got a bargain or there is more to that story.

There is a significant difference in price between hardwood parquet and hardwood planking. Since planking requires large pieces of wood, it obviously needs to come from prime cuts. Because parquet consists of little strips, it can be used by the left-over pieces that are trimmed from those planks.

In our area, hardwood planking goes for about $6-7 a sq ft. locally, laminate flooring about $4-5, and hardwood parquet goes for about $2.00-$2.50. Our local Home Depot had 2 large pallets of solid oak parquet that they were selling on clearance for $1.29 a sq. ft.

[cseyer]

Gotcha I missed the "parquet" statement. How does that look once its down? I dont know that I have seen a floor done like that.

[Xme]

I have just finished installing my wood floors, my husband and I. We have bought flooring with click system, as they require no glue, so the installation is faster and less messier. The prices are indeed lower, but this doesn't affect the quality and resistance of the flooring. So there is nothing to worry about - you can install your flooring yourself.

[Edit - Removed questionable advertising link. D-]

[al_bundy]

Originally Posted by Xme

I have just finished installing my wood floors, my husband and I. We have bought flooring with click system, as they require no glue, so the installation is faster and less messier. The prices are indeed lower, but this doesn't affect the quality and resistance of the flooring. So there is nothing to worry about - you can install your flooring yourself.

[Edit - Removed questionable advertising link. D-]

maybe i'll stick with home depot?

[kneijst1]

Costco has some good options too.

[Red Dog]

Eight hundred-Five-Eight-Eight-Two-Three Hundred-Empirrrrre.

[wishbone]

Originally Posted by Red Dog

Eight hundred-Five-Eight-Eight-Two-Three Hundred-Empirrrrre.

that commercial gets around

[tbird2340]

Originally Posted by Geoffrey

I also recomend buying a good quality 1/4 inch rubber pad,as opposed to the foam crap that usually goes with this product.It provides good insulation as well as better sound absorption.

I second this.. I wish I would have before I installed mine. It isn't too hard to install and mine still looks like it did the first day I installed it (about 2-3 years ago). Only bad thing is the echoing but if you do the above you shouldn't have that issue.

[Jacoby Ellsbury]

You will need to be handy with a saw to cut the sides so they abutt against the wall and if you use molding on the walls the floor edges wont have to line up perfectly against the wall if they will be hidden under the molding being off a 1/2-1/2" wont be a big deal. Save a little tiny block, that you can hold against the laminate wood to bang with a hammer as they dont fit in perfectly and need a little force sometimes. Careful not to chip the wood when banging, but you will likely have a few extra planks.

Not that difficult of a project. We did 2 rooms over a 3-4 day period. Maybe about 15-20 hours total.

They should have a warranty and last 20+ years.

[PrincessT]

Does anyone know if the IKEA flooring comes with the rubber pad? The two reasons I'm still iffy on going with wood floors is A) echoing and B) coldness. We have carpet in Chicagoland on top of the cerakiest, squeakiest floor ever. We bought from people who weighed like 400 lbs.