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installing laminate flooring - few questions, expansion gap, etc.

14 years ago

I have installed interlocking glueless flooring before. I am about to embark on another one.

We're probably using the tile-style Swift Lock Armstrong flooring from Lowe's...

First question is this:

I know we're supposed to leave a 1/4" gap for expansion and then use trim pieces and/or baseboard trim to "clean up" the install. Two sides will mostly be up against our cabinets in the kitchen, or between them (under the refrigerator...) - so do I need the gaps there as well? I am worried about the area the refrigerator sets in. One side is cabinets, the other side is a wall.The fridge is so tight that I never put baseboard on the wall side of the refrigerator...so if I "trim it in," the refrigerator might not slide back in there - especially if I do it on the cabinet side AND the wall side. Also - when installing a floating floor in a kitchen with existing cabinets, is it normal to put a quarter-round against the toekick? I can't recall ever seeing such an install, and if it doesn't match the cabs I'd imagine it would look bad. Advice/personal experience?? Removing the cabinets is NOT happening...

Second question:

On the wall opposite the refrigerator, 80% of it is a floor-to-ceiling vinyl window. Same issue here...if I leave the gap, I can't figure out how to fasten the quarter-round to the window frame, being vinyl, since I can't nail it...unless I use an epoxy - has anyone here dealt with this?

Comments (2)

boxers
14 years ago
I'm not an installer but laminate mfctrs make a T or an L molding that fits on a track. You glue the track to subfloor then the T part of the transition 'finishes' the laminate and still allows for expansion. I may be explaining it wrong but think you can understand the concept. You cant really nail down quarter round unless its not nailed to the floor. That would be the same idea as the transition and most likely much much cheaper to do.
hairmetal4ever
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the info - I'll keep that in mind. To add insult to injury we also have a concrete subfloor...
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I have seen these recommendations for all floating floors i.e. Engineered wood, laminates on MDF core(Pergo, Harmonics, etc.) I realize the principle is for the heavy furniture to float with the floors, but if you have adjacent sections with and without a heavy load on them, it appears that one might still see some strain from non-uniform expansion.
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If it moved anything approaching 3/4 of an inch it would tear the nails out. There is still some skill to installing strip flooring. Let it acclimate for multiple days out of its bundles and spread out where it will be installed. Tighter in high humidity (it is going to shrink), looser in low humidity (it is going to expand). Strip floors that are to tight for the moisture content at install can buckle up and pull fasteners part way out. The humps then decrease when the humidity falls. Most of the hump will disappear. Trying to face nail (or even screw) the area will not usually work. The forces generated are larger than the fasteners and/or wood can take. Splitting is not uncommon. You have to remember that if you have 5 inch wide strips 10 feet wide you have 24 strips of wood. If each one move 1/32 inch from damp to dry, the total movement you have distributed is 3/4 inch. It only sows as the joints between the strips opening and closing by 1/32 inch though (and yes it is probbaly off by 1/32 since 24 strips only have 23 joints).
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I can't imagine that you wouldn't run the laminate under the refrigerator. What happens when you need to put your refrigerator out? You'd ruin the flooring trying to get it over the sides of the floor. I'm sure others with laminate will chime in. If you don't get any answers here, try posting on the kitchen forum. There are quite a few with laminate flooring there.
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Expansion gaps are non-negotiable. As a rule of thumb, the thickness of the PLANK is the width the expansion gap MUST BE. This rule is not set in stone. Some engineered wood products have a narrower width simply because the structure is more stable, but EVERYTHING moves. Everything expands and contracts. It is a simple law of physics that no one can work around. A flush transition is only possible if you have the same floor throughout. The expansion gaps at vertical surfaces (like a door or a wall, or a peninsula, or a staircase, etc) must be allowed. If you want it flush, you are welcome to write up a waiver form that you and the installer will sign. The waiver will state that you, the homeowner, fully understand that your decision to remove the expansion gap will void all warranties (both material and labour warranties). You the homeowner will own all issues with the floor AND the install from that moment forward. Neither the installer nor the manufacturer will be responsible for any/all concerns at a later date. A waiver such as the one I mention should get you the flush transition you want. But you will then "own" any problems it creates. Personally I would simply live with the transition. Voiding warranties is an expensive habit I don't like to get into.
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