Would like advice . wanting to do laminate to avoid linoleum ( ugly) in a cabin up north at a camp in Canada . Biggest issue is the existing floor is prob not level , might not have hills and valley's per se but maybe the cabin has sagged along the outside perimeter of the cabin - it was actually sawed into 2 sections and transported across the ice the 60s to its current location and put back together . So will laminate actually work ? I know it wont be perfect but I'm looking more for function and appearance than being " perfect" . Place is at a fly in / boat in location .. no access to buy anything once we start .
Anyone with lot of experience laying laminate flooring ?
- Thread starter ManitouDan
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Are you looking for a snap-together/LVT type floor? That's a do-it-yourself type job, I just laid about 900 SF in my house. I would look for something that has a bit of give, maybe random width planks. The more rigid the flooring, the more likely you'll run into issues with the uneven flooring. Vinyl plank will have more give than actual laminated wood. Plus it will be more waterproof. It's a floating floor system so you won't be nailing or gluing it down. if there are dips in the flooring, the planks will bridge it and you will feel the give when you walk over it. There is floor leveling compound you could get as well depending on how bad it is. if it's just a gradual sag the flooring may just kinda roll with it if your laying perpendicular to the sag.
Yes , click system . I think they are vinyl . I bought long wide sections . Its the no glue/ nail approach . Hope it isnt to big a PITA
And I think I'm going to take a bag or two of that floor leveling mix/powder . But we are hauling things up a lake 23 miles by boat . Limited space in the boat .. got a sectional couch and a bed to take up too , we have 2 boats , lol
Laminate isn't hard to lay at all. I laid it in my house as well as my sisters. I have also put hardwood in part of my house. I would prefer laminate all day. It is tougher and doesn't scratch so easy. Just make sure to get a good installation kit and you will have no problems.
even if I have an uneven floor I'm laying over ? I mean I know it will go down , but may it cause the click system to break ? How tough is the interlocking system ?Laminate isn't hard to lay at all. I laid it in my house as well as my sisters. I have also put hardwood in part of my house. I would prefer laminate all day. It is tougher and doesn't scratch so easy. Just make sure to get a good installation kit and you will have no problems.
Is it a subfloor or a slab?
My buddy is a flooring contractor and did our wood floors. Has a 6' 2x4 that they dragged all over the floor and used leveling compound on the low areas. That was on a slab. Not sure how that's done on subfloors.
There is old linoleum laid over thin wood slabs currently TIA BTW , maybe he can advise me some
I pulled up a linoleum floor to lay vinyl at an old house and it was a f'ing disaster. Should have just laid it right on top.
Be careful with floor fillers.......if not mixed exactly right they will crumble over time and then you will have a mess.....
If you are going this route, the thinner the laminate the more garbage it is and the harder it is to get the joints to click in and look good. Don't go with the thin stuff to save money you will regret it.
I once laid the 30 something divorced mother of one of my tee-ball players(coaching), on her laminate kitchen floor, when I was around 20. Sorry, I got lost in the memory.
Laminate isn't hard to lay at all. I laid it in my house as well as my sisters. I have also put hardwood in part of my house. I would prefer laminate all day. It is tougher and doesn't scratch so easy. Just make sure to get a good installation kit and you will have no problems.
This^ kit is a must.
I've put both laminate and vinyl down.
I like laminate better, however, vinyl makes life easier with a less than level floor. Also, be sure to let the boards acclimate to the temp in the house for a day or two before you install. Good luck to you.
80 - I'm going to ceramic tile a spare bathroom. I've pulled up most of the linoleum that was previously installed, but there some spots where it just wont come up. If I put down some 1/4 inch luan over all of it, do you thing that would be a sufficient surface to lay the tile on? And if so, what is good to use, re: filling the joint lines between the sections of luan?
What is the linoleum attached to? It was directly installed on the subfloor or is there a chance there is already a thin underlayment under the vinyl? Get it down to the subfloor if at all possible. Check that there isn’t a bit of underlayment.
You should be fine, maybe find some 3/8
How big is the spare bathroom?
You should be fine, maybe find some 3/8
How big is the spare bathroom?
The linoleum was on sublooring that was already there. I have enough room (depth) to lay another layer of subfloor, and the tile, and it will bring it almost flush with the hardwood just outside of the bathroom.
The room is about 6 by 5 (vanity, commode, small shower)
The room is about 6 by 5 (vanity, commode, small shower)
I was actually considering that Armstrong linoleum tile (the old school stuff, that you have to strip and wax occasionally) as well.
-if you do ceramic you need to put permabase/durock cement bd down.
-op, use vinyl plank in lieu of laminate. Quieter, easier to install...subfloor can be un-level within reason.
-op, use vinyl plank in lieu of laminate. Quieter, easier to install...subfloor can be un-level within reason.
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I'd put down cement backer board before doing tile on a wood subfloor,not luan.
What about Armstrong vinyl square (you put down with thinset and then wax)? Same thing? cement backer board?