lamanite flooring

tamatik · #1 10/19/07, 07:01 AM

This week I tried to put down laminate flooring..The kind that locks in like tongue and groove.Total disaster.I,d tap them into each other with an offset block and go on a few rows only to look back and see 3 rows back had let go.This went on and on.I,m very frustrated but will go at it again in a couple daze.any pointers??

Thanx

vinylfloorguy · #2 10/19/07, 07:47 AM

if you bought cheap stuff you may just have to just fight it. If it is the first couple of rows that are doing this, it sounds like you might have to much movement. Try putting more spacers along the wall to stabilize it.If all else fails, you could try the straps that were used when lamanite was glued to hold them together long enough. Good luck.

tamatik · #3 10/19/07, 08:08 AM

didn,t know there was any "cheap stuff" out there..I did the whole floor..and it looks like it will hafta come up.As for spacing..I left a quarter inch from the wall but with all the pounding to get the ends in, that disapppeared.

jross · #4 10/19/07, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tamatik

didn,t know there was any "cheap stuff" out there..I did the whole floor..and it looks like it will hafta come up.As for spacing..I left a quarter inch from the wall but with all the pounding to get the ends in, that disapppeared.

It is a learned art snapping the boards together. Once you get the hang of it, they should just lock in place. Try locking from one side, then the other. One way worked for me and I did the whole house. The only tapping I had to do was certain short ends. I think Harbor Freight or Northern sells a long ratcheting strap just for laminate floors. I used a Pergo kit for our Shaw floor which was on sale at Home Depot.

Macybaby · #5 10/19/07, 09:24 AM

I also think you didn't actually get it locked. When we did ours, you had to tip it and slip in into place. If you layed it out flat, you could pound on it all you wanted, but it would never actually "lock" into place. With the "tip and slip" we did very little tapping.

Also, you have to put spacers in place as you are laying the floor, or the whole thing will shift around on you. Once the floor is down, then remove the spacers before putting down the trim. We had a pile of about 100 and just used them as we worked our way across. They didn't have to fit tight when you place them, but they do keep the boards from shifting too far in any direction.

Cathy

WayneR · #6 10/19/07, 09:35 AM

The floor may not be level. That could cause the problem you describe.

js2743 · #7 10/19/07, 10:27 AM

i have put down a ton of this stuff and never had one come apart once it snapped together. you must not be getting it together right try the tip and snap method thats how mine went together also, all i had to tap was the ends with very lil tapping.

GoldCountryGal · #8 10/19/07, 12:08 PM

This summer I put a lot of laminate floor down, as part of renovating some apartments. The first three rows are really key, once you have them down, then you can tip and snap in the rest of them pretty easily. For the first three rows, I would tap these into place using a block and hammer. After I did the first row, I would check and make sure they were still all in place, then after doing the second row, I would go back and tap any board that had moved out of position, etc, etc. After the third row was down, the floor was stable enough then to accept the rest of the rows more easily. Make sure the floor is prepped for the laminate - no staples or bumps in the floor, baseboard removed, etc. Save any odd areas (closets, insets) for the end and get the bulk of the floor down first. I found it was easier to install laminate flooring that already had the foam on the back of the boards, rather than putting foam or a moisture barrier underneath the floor. Those tend to be a bit more expensive, but well worth it.

Also, in fear of stating the obvious, make sure that you have the tongue and groove part lined up correctly. At one point, when I was very tired, I spent a long time trying to get one board into position and could not figure out why it wasn't working. After taking a break, I went back and saw that I had the board backwards and was trying to put a groove into a groove, ... it was never going to happen no matter how hard I worked at it

tamatik · #9 10/19/07, 12:24 PM

Thanx folks..I,ll give 'er another try.The tipp and slip method was what I thought I was doing ..maybe I just didnt do it rite..I did a LOT of hammering..especially the end ways.I,ll also try the spacers.
thanx again

mink · #10 10/19/07, 06:44 PM

dont pound on it , you'll break the lock off. tip it up to about a 45 degree angle then ush it down and in.......mink

mink · #11 10/19/07, 06:45 PM

dont pound it you'll break the lock. tip it at a 45 degree angle and it will go right in...mink

Rocky Fields · #12 10/19/07, 07:34 PM

Hey.

Your underlayment has to be smooth and level. If not, your going to have to live with concessions.

RF

kmaproperties · #13 10/19/07, 07:34 PM

we use this stuff all the time. whenever possible lock a full row end to end then lock the sides all at one time. needs 2 or more people on wider rooms.

rwinsouthla · #14 10/20/07, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by js2743

i have put down a ton of this stuff and never had one come apart once it snapped together. you must not be getting it together right try the tip and snap method thats how mine went together also, all i had to tap was the ends with very lil tapping.

Ditto this. SOunds like you aren't getting it locked in right. What I do is tip it up at about 35-40 degree angle, tap lightly to get it locked in. When it locks in, you'll hear the little "snap" when it's locked in. Then carefully lay it flat.

As for spacers, I ripped a sheet of 1/4" plywood into 3" strips. I nailed them to the wall as spacers. When I was finished, I pulled them out and had 1/4" space all around the wall. The nail holes from this were then covered up by the base molding.

Rockin'B · #15 10/20/07, 10:35 AM

There are plastic spacer pieces that you use between the flooring and the wall. A box of them is real cheap at any of the big box stores. The laminate pieces will work loose unless you put a solid spacer between the wall and flooring. leave them in until you are done.

Good luck

okie-steading · #16 10/22/07, 02:15 AM

it doesnt have instructions in the box? if all else fails, read them. I recently did my living room, dining and kitchen in shaw laminate. i was having a $%^$ of a time getting that stuff together. read and re-read the instructions, even found a video online. didnt help too much. i finally kinda figured it out and got it going together pretty easily. it turned out nice. just keep trying different methods. and like eveybody else said, dont do too much pounding..it shouldn't need it.