ddzc

Hello everyone,

I just purchased a home and I would like to attempt a bit of reno on my own. The second floor is all carpeted and I would like to lay laminate flooring. Is it very difficult to perform such a job? What type of tools and equipment would I need for the removal of carpet and the insertion of laminate? Are there any good guides out there you guys recommend?

The main floor has parquet flooring, which I would like to keep. I was thinking about leaving it as is and matching the laminate with the parquet. But my second option, which I prefer a lot more (pending the additional pricing), is to purchase walnut laminate flooring and to stain the parquet, stairs and railing to match the coloring of the laminate. Would it be very difficult to stain the stairs and flooring on my own? I will probably have to rent equipment for the sanding and prep work of the parquet.

Any opinions and suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

ddzc

Anyone here?

ddzc

That's a very helpful response for a DIY forum...hire someone! smart.

oldognewtrick

ddzc,Having had parquet I'd think it would be easier and cheaper to replace rather than refinish the parquet. To many little boards, uneven boards to get a good sanding finish so you could get an even finish. We pulled out the parquet we had and replaced with the click and stick laminate, turned out really good.

Don't go to hard on no10william, he new around here.

Congrats on the purchase of your new home. Roll up your sleeves and get to work

handyguys

Removing the carpet is easy. You may need a pair of pliers to get it started. Its attached around the edges into what are called tack strips. Just use the pliers to pull it off the tack strip.

You will also need to remove the tack strip which is nailed to the floor. To do this you will want a small, flat, prybar. One brand is a "wonder bar". They are cheap and handy to have.

Installing Laminate will take a little skill - pick what you like. Read the instructions and follow them and you will be fine. You can go crazy with power tools or do the entire job with handtools.

If it were me, i would use the following tools: broom, scraper, belt sander, hammer, jigsaw, miter saw, tape measure, 18g brad nailer, jamb saw and air compressor.

Preperation - one key thing with laminates is making sure your floor is smooth, clean and flat. After removing the tack strip I scrape up any paint drips or drywall globs, I sand any uneven joints in the subfloor and then sweet up real good. Then I sweep again. Nothing ruins a laminate install like going over a lump or a stone or some piece of debris that causes the floor to rock.

You install the floor according to the directions.

You will then add shoe moldings. This will cover the intentional space left around the perimeter. Installing this I use the miter saw to cut it and the bradnailer to attach it to the baseboard.

Let me know if you want more details on the process.

Refinishing wood floors is not something I would usually recommend as a DIY project, Parquet can be even worse. You can go over it with laminate or remove it as was suggested. Refinishing stairs, balusters, risers, etc is very time consuming and tedious. I would recomending just coordinating with it and not trying to match the two.

Remember as well. Laminate isnt wood, its just a picture of wood. Make sure you walk on a laminate floor and make sure you like how it feels as well.

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ddzc

Thanks a lot guys,

I really pushed this project, but last night I kicked myself and ripped out all the carpet. Took me about 2 1/2 hours on my own.

Handyguy,

Now here is the thing I ran across...the sub flooring to the baseboards vary all over the place! This makes me confused on how thick of a laminate I should buy. I'm assuming I don't have to purchase additional plywood, correct? Basically I took a few measurements from the plywood to the baseboards and here are 3 basic numbers I came across:

1/4 inch-6.35mm
3/8 inch-9.5mm
1/2 inch-12.7mm

I need to buy the material in the next day or two. What size thickness should I be getting?

I was thinking about laying the laminate over the parquet, seems a lot easier...i'll have to rip out all of the baseboards for this project, is there any way to save them or will I have to buy new ones? Also, what thickness laminate can I get away with if I go over the parquet?

Thanks

Northwest

I recently install laminate flooring in my brother in laws house. Neither of us had any experience, we just got some advice from the people at Home Depot, and then I found a pretty good video on youtube:
I would suggest, however, that you try to find someone to help you who has some experience. It really isn't too dificult, but if you do mess something up, you are not going to be a happy camper

Any other questions, feel free to PM me. Good Luck!