Hi Dale and the gang: Yes they do state that you have to acclimatize the boards for approximately 10 days. I have installed them in my basement and they can be hard to fit together. The methods you described to snap them was the same we used. There is a kit available to install the floating floors that includes the tapping block.
Cheers Guy Castonguay Ottawa, Ontario --- Dale Leavens <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > You don't work in from the edges to the middle, just a few rows. This allows > you to shift the > remaining couple of courses but keeps you away from one wall. By floating I > meant you to > understand that you don't fit the floor tight to the walls. > > Still, I am surprised to hear that you had to apply that much force to get > the laminate to > interconnect. I don't remember if they recommend acclimatizing those > composite floors to the > building for a couple of days before laying it to equalize the humidity or > not. They do with > real wood flooring. > > Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Skype DaleLeavens > Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Max Robinson > To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 2:34 PM > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Teddybear cottage, the floor. > > > Dale. If you worked in from the edges, somewhere in the middle you would > have to fit in 3 sides. That would be totally impossible not almost > impossible as it is with 2 sides. You have to tilt up the one you are > installing, lock into the one that is there and lower it down. Then you > have to slide the new one to the side to engage the one beside it. The > floor is completely floating. We screwed down the sub floor. > > Regards. > > Max. K 4 O D S. > > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net > Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net > Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com > > To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Dale Leavens" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com> > Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 8:45 PM > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Teddybear cottage, the floor. > > > Max, > > > > The pros carefully measure and center the lay-out to balance the edges so > > that there is the same partial width on both edges. They also leave a > > slight gap so that the field floats. This allows for any dimensional > > changes although those laminates tend to be pretty stable and so will the > > sawdust MDF immediately below. > > > > To keep you away from the edges like that they may lay a couple of > courses > > at the edge then fill the field up to them. You can then lift the edge > > that little bit and snap the field into it when you get there. The trim > > covers the gap at the edges. > > > > Hope this helps. > > > > Another tip, pull any nails which migrate up and replace with screws. > > Because the buildings are fairly new this may be the joists drying out > but > > I suspect they may be a little light and are bouncing just a little as > you > > move across them causing the sheeting to pull the nails up then releasing > > them until the next time you drag your big over them. If this is so you > > will be glad to have left a little gap around the edge for movement. Even > > when laid on concrete though the field is intended to float and should be > > a quarter inch or a little better shy all around. > > > > Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Skype DaleLeavens > > Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Max Robinson > > To: Blind Handyman > > Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 8:30 PM > > Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Teddybear cottage, the floor. > > > > > > Next, the floor. The floor provided by the builders was most > > unsatisfactory. First of all, some of the pieces of plywood were thicker > > than others. There were large headed nails driven in at an angle. The > > ones > > that were straight kept popping up. No matter how many times we pounded > > them down they kept rearing their ugly heads again. > > > > On the advice of the people in the flooring department at Lowe's, > > > > we put sheets of 3/4 inch MDF over the old flooring making sure not to > > use > > the same layout so seems would not coincide. It was fastened down with > > liquid nails and woodscrews in the corners. It came out nice and flat. > > > > Next, we put down laminated floor tiles with padding on the back. > > > > The tiles are approximately 4 feet by 1 foot and have edges something > > like a > > tung and groove with a catch on the tung that catches in the groove and > > holds them together once locked in place. These are on all four sides. > > The > > instructions say to alternate the short seams which gives a stair-step > > appearance. > > > > The first row was just laid down and locked together end to end working > > right to left. To start the second row the first tile had to be cut in > > half. These went down and the third row started with another whole tile. > > > > It wasn't quite as easy as the salesman said it would be. The long edges > > were fairly easy, just lift up the edge of the tile, lock it to the > > previously laid one and lay it down. It would lock in place. That was OK > > for the long edge but the second in a row, and all subsequent ones to the > > left, required that the newly added tile had to be slid to the right > > without > > being lifted up to engage the short seam. One of the half pieces was > > pressed into service for this. It was placed against the short seam which > > matched so considerable force could be put on it without damaging the > > wanted > > tile. The cut end could be pounded on with a hammer to force the good > > tile > > to move and engage the next one down. Then the "tool" could be removed > > leaving an undamaged edge for the next one in line. This piece of tile > > was > > a scrap that was of no further use. > > > > When the wall on the left was reached a tile had to be cut to fill the > > remaining space. The "tool" could not be used here because all the space > > had been filled. The tiles had to be cut short enough to allow something > > to > > be wedged in between the end of the tile and the wall to force it to the > > right. We started by prying with a large file but that wouldn't go far > > enough. Next we inserted the claws of a claw-hammer into the crack and > > pried against the wall. This resulted in some damaged paneling and also > > broken edges of the tiles. Most of the damage was covered by the base > > board > > and quarter round but there are still a couple of broken places showing > > both > > in the paneling and the floor tiles. Some well placed furniture will > > cover > > these mistakes. > > > > It seems impossible to make the last one in line lock in place without > > doing > > some damage to the wall and tiles. I wonder how the hell the pros do it. > > > > Regards. > > > > Max. K 4 O D S. > > > > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net > > Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net > > Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com > > > > To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > To listen to the show archives go to link > > http://acbradio.org/handyman.html > > or > > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > > > Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various > > List Members At The Following address: > > http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ > > > > Visit the archives page at the following address > > http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ > > > > If you would like to join the Blind Computing list, then visit the > > following address for more information: > > http://jaws-users.com/mailman/listinfo/blind-computing_jaws-users.com > > > > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > > list just send a blank message to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Yahoo! 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