ANyone installed laminate flooring?

[The Grizz]

I have it under my 155 BF in my living room and under a 125 & 55 in my office. And mine is doing fine, I have underfloor heating as well. Use the best underlay that you can but this is the key, whether you have underfloor heating or not use the best underlay and I would suggest at least a 1/4" subfloor just to be on the safe side. As long as the room has the proper expansion on the other 3 side's of the room it will be fine, mine is. The living room is 640 sq' and so is my office.

[mike31154]

Ok, I'll be the fly in the ointment here. I'm also not a fan of carpet but dislike laminate even more. Hold out and spend a few extra bucks for hardwood and perhaps tile for under the tank. I know it's a mobile as you mentioned and you won't be in it forever and you're on a budget etc. Look around for deals, you could probably get some half decent hardwood for 2 to 3 dollars/sq ft. Might not be the best stuff for that price, but it's so much more solid than laminate and can always be refinished, a number of times if needed.

I'm in the midst of flooring renos as well and have pulled most of the carpeting in my place. I managed to score sufficient hardwood for most of the rooms at auctions held by an auction company from the coast that swings by Armstrong and Winfield from time to time. I think most of it comes from China, but I don't care, it looks fine and the price was definitely right.

My problem is, I'm slow but like to think I'm thorough. Things aren't getting done in a hurry, the living room is mostly done and I actually screwed the planks down instead of using a nailer. This meant pre-drilling and countersinking holes for every screw used to hold the flooring down. Also, since the planks I used in the LR are all the same length, I decided on a double herring bone pattern for putting them down. This meant I had to cut off the tongues and route a groove into the end of every few planks and cut plywood strips as tongues for the ends of the grooves that mated to these. A ton of work, probably anal, but the end result is worth it.

Here are a couple of photos. Actually the under floor electric heating I put in for under tile at the bay window, but you can see part of the hardwood as well.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by mike31154

Ok, I'll be the fly in the ointment here. I'm also not a fan of carpet but dislike laminate even more. Hold out and spend a few extra bucks for hardwood and perhaps tile for under the tank. I know it's a mobile as you mentioned and you won't be in it forever and you're on a budget etc.

problem with tile is no floor on a mobile is built up enough to prevent cracking over time. you need a deflection rating of 360 or higher. so now he has to add at least one layer of 3/4" toung and grouve plywood glued and screwed to the original flooring substrate and maybe another depending whats underneith. Hardwood is nice but for nice stuff your looking at 8bucks and up per sqft then you have to finnish it for a few hundred bucks to sand and varnish and the finnish you get will never be as hard as the surface of laminate so hard wood scratches way way easier. plus it has been mentioned befor that he has a moisture problem in his mobile.. installing hardwood is just asking for trouble in that case. so laminate or lyno are his best options for the practicality and price.

I would have used hardwood myself but it is not rated for below grade intalations, neither is enginered lumber so I went with laminat that was.

for upstairs I am looking for a good price on hand scraped plank which I am only going to use a oiled finnish. I have a dog so I don't want to be re-urathaining every year.. and I also want the old weathered barn floor look.

Steve