Laminate floor

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Pcnerd

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Hello,

I need to remove tiles in my kitchen so I can put new laminate floor. Here is the catch. Down the road I will eventually replace the kitchen cabinets.

I am planning to pull out the base board of the cabinets and put the new floor straight to the edge of the cabinet. In the future my cabinets will be standard size just like the ones I have in the kitchen right now.

If for some reason if the cabinets are short in depth, I can pull the cabinets out a little. Any feedback?

Thanks.
 
If you are planning to change the cabinets out in the near future hold off on the flooring. If not go ahead and put it down as you described. Chances are by the time you get the new cabinets you will be ready for new flooring to match.

Don’t put the flooring tight to the edge though. Floating flooring needs to float and should have a small gap. The brand you go with will recommend how much gap to leave.

The tile that’s down now does it run under the cabinets? What kind of tile is it? Some kinds of floor tiles you can go right over.
 
If you are planning to change the cabinets out in the near future hold off on the flooring. If not go ahead and put it down as you described. Chances are by the time you get the new cabinets you will be ready for new flooring to match.

Don’t put the flooring tight to the edge though. Floating flooring needs to float and should have a small gap. The brand you go with will recommend how much gap to leave.

The tile that’s down now does it run under the cabinets? What kind of tile is it? Some kinds of floor tiles you can go right over.


From the side of the dish washer, the tile looks like it goes in a few inches. I am planning to use the same tool they use to cut block concrete (chisel like). Just a regular old tile 12"x12" that is also loose. I also want to have it level with my dining room that means no tiles. Btw in my old house, we laid laminate over tiles and had no issue after 8 years.

Thanks.
 
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Yep bust em up and get em out of there.

The laminate should be about the same thickness as the tile so it should come out flush if it is now.
There are quite a few different styles of laminate now that lock together. When I did my first floor It was tongue n groove and had to be glued. That made a very nice watertight floor.
 
We just did those floating laminate diy kits from Home Depot. It worked well. We finished it in 1/2 day.
 
Laminates aren't usually recommended for wet areas. You might be changing that floor sooner than you expect (as Bud mentioned). I don't know how bad your floor is now, but if you can, spend the money on the cabinets first.
 
I went ahead and installed it. I know what you are talking about being around wet area.

Previous house, it was durable after 7 years having it in the kitchen. The current ones from Lowes at $1 per sq ft doesn't look like it will last.
 
The top surface of all of them is very water proof. It’s the same stuff they make countertops from and Formica made the first flooring I put down. Anyone that has ripped out an old Formica countertop will know the stuff wears like iron and fails at the joints. That’s why they made the rolled backsplash design to avoid a joint. When you have a L shape they are always swelled up at the miter joint. The first floor I put down didn’t click together it was a T&G and had to be glued and wedged tight. IMO when they went to the snap together stuff they made the product much less water proof. At first I heard you can still glue it for kitchens and baths etc. and then they just stopped talking about glue. I really think gluing the snap together stuff would be easy but I haven’t tried it.

It’s all about keeping water out of the substrate.
 
Water gets in those joint pretty easily, and the particle/fiber board beneath can expand like a sponge.

Have you tried vinyl "laminate"? It's basically the exact same, just wood-free and thus has no problems with water.
Plus you can cut and snap it with a razor like with drywall.
 
Water gets in those joint pretty easily, and the particle/fiber board beneath can expand like a sponge.

Have you tried vinyl "laminate"? It's basically the exact same, just wood-free and thus has no problems with water.
Plus you can cut and snap it with a razor like with drywall.


The only problem I have seen with Vinyl strip flooring is with heat of sunlight. We put one in at my nephews and it was a darker color. When the sunlight comes thru a window and warms one area and another area stays cooler they expanded at different rates and the snap together joints popped. He has taken it up and put it back at least 5 times and finally gave up and lives with the gaps.

I have no idea if that’s a common problem with all brands or if they have addressed that problem in the newer vinyl floors.
 

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