Hardwood floors installation

[pud333]

So I just bought a new condo and I am going to install some hardwood floors. I was just going to do it myself, cause everyone says it's easy to do. The product is actually a bamboo and it's a click installation, no nails. I 'm gonna float it, so the only bit of glue I need is at the joints.

I've been told the hardest thing about hardwood floors is the measuring and cutting around doorways, etc.

Has anyone here done it? Is it as easy as they say? Or should I just pay the money to get it installed? the cheapest I've been quoated was $2 per square foot (The space I'm renovating is only 350 sq ft). Not a heck of a lot of money, but I want a tv and PS3 (I haven't owned a TV for five years), and that $700 would help. Plus, I think I would get some personal satisfaction out of installing it myself. I've always wanted to do renovations, but never had the chance to until now...

[Phalanx]

Are you sure it needs glue? With a lot of the click installation floors don't need glue. Floating floors are pretty easy to do. Just be sure to leave some room around the outside edges for expansion and contraction (the instructions should say how much) The baseboard will cover the gap (or some quarter round tacked on to the baseboard if you can't/don't want to remove what's there or have a workable gap).

A couple other quick notes would be to quickly plot things out in advance so all of the joints will be staggered (not really an issue with rectangular rooms - just an issue with L shaped or other oddly shaped rooms), and have a miter saw and circular saw on hand (again, not always necessary with a perfectly rectangular room without in-floor forced air ducts).

Oh, and I'm assuming you won't be putting it down on concrete...?

I've also heard that flooring should be left to acclimatize to the house for a few days before installing it. That said most engineered wood is pretty stable, so may not be necessary. Just check the instructions to be sure.

[pud333]

Originally Posted by Phalanx

Are you sure it needs glue? With a lot of the click installation floors don't need glue. Floating floors are pretty easy to do. Just be sure to leave some room around the outside edges for expansion and contraction (the instructions should say how much) The baseboard will cover the gap (or some quarter round tacked on to the baseboard if you can't/don't want to remove what's there or have a workable gap).

A couple other quick notes would be to quickly plot things out in advance so all of the joints will be staggered (not really an issue with rectangular rooms - just an issue with L shaped or other oddly shaped rooms), and have a miter saw and circular saw on hand (again, not always necessary with a perfectly rectangular room without in-floor forced air ducts).

Oh, and I'm assuming you won't be putting it down on concrete...?

I've also heard that flooring should be left to acclimatize to the house for a few days before installing it. That said most engineered wood is pretty stable, so may not be necessary. Just check the instructions to be sure.

Yeah, it'll be concrete. The whole building is concrete. If the concrete isn't level, we'll have to get it levelled (like $80 a bag I've been quoted).

I'm not removing the baseboard. gonna go the lazy route and do the quarter round along the baseboards. The two rooms I'm doing, bedroom and living /dining room are square so not a big deal, but it's the entrance where there's an odd L shape that I'm worried about.

As for the glue, I was told it would only be at each end of the boards, but yeah, generally click installation doesn't require it.

[Team Jetfire]

I have done two projects that have turned out alright. The first was my 1st condo's kitchen. It was before click together and required glue and a tightening strap system...which was a pain in the ass, but was way less finicky than the Click together.
The 2nd project was good but was a little difficult around the wall space. Because of the way that it clicks together you almost need to assemble a whole row and then click it together at one time. A few words of advice:

Measure twice (in my case thrice), cut once. It sound cliché, but is will save you time and money. especially as the wood is directional and can only be used one way.

Leave space between the floor and the wall. Do not be a perfectionist as most base boards will hide any small issues.

Remember to stagger the planks and not have any joints lining up together.

Use a Jig saw for tough cuts and a chop saw to make your straight cuts. If the flooring is wood through-out it should be ok, but if it is a laminate type the top sheet has a tendency to flake when cut and will ruin the finish, so make sure you get new blades for finer cuts.

Good luck!

[UltraMarknus]

Originally Posted by Phalanx

Are you sure it needs glue? With a lot of the click installation floors don't need glue. Floating floors are pretty easy to do. Just be sure to leave some room around the outside edges for expansion and contraction (the instructions should say how much) The baseboard will cover the gap (or some quarter round tacked on to the baseboard if you can't/don't want to remove what's there or have a workable gap).

A couple other quick notes would be to quickly plot things out in advance so all of the joints will be staggered (not really an issue with rectangular rooms - just an issue with L shaped or other oddly shaped rooms), and have a miter saw and circular saw on hand (again, not always necessary with a perfectly rectangular room without in-floor forced air ducts).

Oh, and I'm assuming you won't be putting it down on concrete...?

I've also heard that flooring should be left to acclimatize to the house for a few days before installing it. That said most engineered wood is pretty stable, so may not be necessary. Just check the instructions to be sure.

yup, what he said I installed my own nd its pretty damn straight forward. My only tip...install by yourself or with a friend...not a spouse/partner.......

[pud333]

Originally Posted by Team Jetfire

Measure twice (in my case thrice), cut once.

lol. I think the same would apply to me

Originally Posted by Team Jetfire

Do not be a perfectionist

Not a problem here!

[BadJeff]

Not sure on code out there but rule of thumb says to put down 6 mil CGSB poly vapor barrier on the concrete before you lay the polyfoam down. Polyfoam needs to be taped at the seams too.
Edit.. forgot to mention, if it is laminate, lay down a strip of masking tape where you're going to make the cut. Goes a long way in preventing the chipping/flaking. Cut through the tape.

[chans formers]

what about if it's on a upper level?i'm about to try starting my own living room but it's laminate.all i know so far is that i'm supposed to remove the carpet and underlay,then replace the underlay before installing the laminate.i know about the staggering the joints part but what kind of underlay is recommended?the last thing i would want is to have the whole living room floor able to move in one giant chunk after alls said and done?(the main hurdle i have at the moment is trying to figure out where to move everything to that's currently in the living room,but the other main thing i wondered was whether or not i had to glue both the underlay and laminate together to the subfloor?)

[Pascal]

Had the click-type floor installed in our basement and it was pretty easy. We were 4 people and we covered about 20' x 30' in an afternoon.

Unfortunately, I ruined the floor where my workspace is only a couple days later when a tube of superglue litterally exploded to my face. Glue on the glasses, glue on the face, glue in the eyes, glue on the desk, glue on the chair, glue on the floor. Impossible to remove. When you look the floor from a certain angle in daylight, it looks like someone sprayed water on the floor. Super weak.

[hugh_da_man]

Don't forget to check with the condo board before installing anything. My condo had rules on underpadding, flooring types and all that. My tile floors were not done correctly (previous owner installed them) and I got complaints. Thankfully I was on the board.