Floor product review

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

Last Sunday LOML got up and declared she wouldn't sleep another night in the bedroom with carpet in it. :( It was filthy and smelled like dog. She didn't want carpet in there to begin with, but it was quick and easy, and at the time I was tired of house building and just wanted to move in...so I managed to put it off for a bit over seven years...but now she has a wood floor. :rolleyes:

http://www.kcwoodworks.net/floor1.jpg

We (she) decided we'd use Vanguard QuikLoc (Tarkett), Oak Wheat color. I've always been against laminated floor products, because it just seems wrong to me...but she was writing the check, and frankly, the directions made it sound idiot proof...a major consideration for me. I installed it over the OSB deck, with the 1/8" thick green foamy cushiony stuff underneath. Looks like maybe a bit over 1/8" of oak laminated to the plywood, and claims 'up to three refinishings'. Hmmm. This product is 'preglued', which activates when you bang it together. The fit is very, very good. Instructions say you have about 15 minutes before the glue sets up...but I was able to move things around several hours later.

I was pleasantly surpised at the quality of the product. Out of thirteen boxes, I found two pieces that I thought were 'bad' enough that I couldn't use them whole (edges dinged up a bit). Manufacturer had crayon-marked two other pieces for slight damage, but I didn't find those bad enough to not use whole. Due to the cutting that's involved anyway, I'll call the matertial 100% useable. Here's a picture of the worst 'ding' of the whole job. Not sure if it came this way or I did it, but the bed will cover it up anyway. There were several pieces with what looked like a mark from a nail set, but the touch up putty handles them nicely.

http://www.kcwoodworks.net/flaw1.jpg

Of all the pieces, only one was out of square enough to be an issue. Again, this one is under the bed, so I didn't worry about it. The rest of the joints are quite nice.

http://www.kcwoodworks.net/flaw2.jpg

Here's the 'finished' floor, waiting for new paint and baseboard (and built-in thingy we talked about the other day).

http://www.kcwoodworks.net/floor2.jpg

http://www.kcwoodworks.net/floor3.jpg

For anybody else that might be 'scared' of wood flooring, and laminates in particular, I'd highly recommend this stuff. And get some kneepads.

KC

[Ellen Benkin]

How long did it take you to do the room, and about how much did it cost? Would you do it again or try something else? Do you think it looks like a hardwood floor or plastic laminate?

[John Hulett]

Kirk,

As I read your post, and likewise as I watch those home improvement shows, I find myself wondering, why not paint first before you lay a new floor (no matter what the material)? That way you don't have to worry about getting paint on your new floor. Is there something I'm missing?

- John

[Jim Andrew]

Looks good. I have used tarkett also, even bought 2nds from a discounter.
It is amazing how smooth a floor you get considering it is oak on yellow pine
plywood.

[Steve Evans]

Kirk,

As I read your post, and likewise as I watch those home improvement shows, I find myself wondering, why not paint first before you lay a new floor (no matter what the material)? That way you don't have to worry about getting paint on your new floor. Is there something I'm missing?

- John

Catch-22. If you paint first, the paint will probably get damaged in the laying of the floor. And then you'd have to paint after laying the floor :D

[John Pollman]

Steve,
that's what I was going to say. I've been doing a lot more flooring lately. I've installed about 2100 square feet of solid oak hardwood in the past 3 months and I've got another 1200 square foot job "on the hook" right now. Even if the painting is all done and I'm being careful, there's ALWAYS going to be an oops here and there. I use a pneumatic flooring stapler and when you're out in the middle of the room there's no problem. But when you're getting near the opposite wall it gets tough not to hit the wall with the mallet now and then. Even if you're doing carpet the walls and baseboard get marred up when the installers are wrestling the carpet into place. It's just one of those things you can't avoid.

John

[Tony Falotico]

Catch-22. If you paint first, the paint will probably get damaged in the laying of the floor. And then you'd have to paint after laying the floor :D

Don't want to start a major philosophical war here; but I think I'd rather paint first and deal with the touch-ups later. :)

My daughter and SIL used a similar product (different brand I think). They have two large dogs, a seven year old and lots of neighborhood kids. I'm amazed at how well it has stood up to the traffic it takes, so amazed LOML & I plan to replace our living room carpet, dining room and kitchen linoleum with it.

[Dustin Thompson]

Ellen, the flooring goes down quite fast. My brother and I did 600 square feet or so in about 5 hours.

Dustin

[Jim Becker]

That looks like really nice stuff, KC...easy to lay like the laminates, but real wood surfaces. I'm a believer in hard floors, too, and would never go back to "wall to wall" again! Congrats on a great job.

------------

Hey, Dustin...welcome to the Creek!!

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

Room was right at 200sf...I spread it out over two days, but I was alone, not in a big hurry, and doing other things at the same time. It's real wood, and looks like it. I'm very pleased. This cost right at $4 sf...buut we didn't shop around. Flooring plus underlay and install 'kit' was $1,017, tax included. Labor was free.

As to why I didn't paint first...I had some sheetrock repair to do before painting and didn't want to wait. I don't like the bed being in the living room.

I'll get to do another 700' or so shortly.

KC

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I have laid that flooring as well. My uncle has had it in his cabin for about 5 years now. The only thing that I would have to say as a warning is do NOT let water sit on it. The water will get under the laminate and into the substrate. The substrate will swell and look bad. It happened at the front door of his cabin, from snowy boots not going on a rug.

Shouldn't be a problem in a bedroom, but if you use it elsewhere, just watch for the water :)

[Kevin Beck]

That looks really good and I'm sure you scored some brownie points with your LOML. We decided to go "carpet-free" about a year ago and replaced all the carpet in our house with ceramic tile. The only carpet in our entire home is on the stairs. I would replace that with hardwood but I have 3 kids who seem to make a habit of falling on the stairs.

I second your kneepad recommendation. After my 2 months worth of tiling (with knee pads) I still had pain in my knees and eventually had to have an MRI. Just tendonitis but still hurt pretty bad. I can't imagine working on my knees without pads, I'm sure I'd need a walker after a few days of it.

Kevin

[John Pollman]

I've also got to agree with the knee pad recommendation. I've had knee troubles on and off for years. A couple of years ago just after I'd accepted a job for installing quite a bit of hardwood flooring I blew out my knee. I was scared ! The material had been ordered and was scheduled for delivery in about 10 days. It was bad enough that I thought I may be facing surgery. :eek: I was worried about being able to do the job. After a few days I was still in a lot of pain but it was getting better a little at a time. I started doing some research on knee pads and such. I ended up finding the "Patella T" knee pads. They're not cheap but it's one of the best "tool" investments that I've made. I think I paid about $60-$70 with shipping for them. They are the best thing since sliced bread. They've got wide comfortable velcro straps and once you've had them on for a little while you don't even know you're wearing them. If you spend a lot of time on your knees I'd highly recommend them. Here's a link to just one site that they're available but I think you can get them through amazon.com too.

http://www.safety.com/products/fluid-forms-1003f--patella-t-advanced-knee-protection-for-carpet-and-tile-installers/

Do a google search of "Patella T" if you want more info. If you get a pair you won't be sorry !

Oh yeah, I almost forgot...
I only had to put off the job for a couple of days and by then my Patella T's showed up. I was able to wear them and get the job done with no problems.

John