Tips on installing flooring??

[Jetfire]

Right, most click flooring is meant to be a floating floor. It is neither attatched to the wall nor the floor, just laying on the floor. The quarter round should go on the wall to cover the gap and you should try to have a gap from the edges of the floor to the wall so the floor can expand and contract as it ages. The flooring you get will have instructions, follow their guidelines for how much of a gap to leave.

You should probably seriously consider replacing the baseboard too, so the floor can go right to the proper wall and the new baseboard would be on top of it. Cutting baseboard corners isn't too difficult, especially compared to crownmolding (the stuff on the ceiling)

The general rule of thumb I've heard is you measure out how much you need, and add 10%. So if your room is 10 by 10, you'd need 100 sqft, and you'd buy 110 sqft. You can usually return the leftover if you have a lot of it, otherwise it's good to keep it for fixes down the road.

Finally, if you have any transitions from the new flooring to a different type of flooring, talk to someone at the local store for how best to handle them and how big a gap to leave for the transition. You'll want something that will slightly cover both types so you don't have much of a lip or anything to trip over.

[sms001]

To the walls/current trim. Most of the 'permanent' expansion/contraction of those will have already occurred, and the minor continuing movement will be mostly along the length of the trim. The new floor's movement will be much larger and will be horizontal in both directions. I'd avoid securing it in any way to the walls, unless you have an exterior wall with a draft issue. (It would be a lot better to fix that first, then lay the floor, of course.)

And DO take the instructions that come with the floor seriously when it comes to acclimating, especially of you live in a colder area. iirc, a day seems to be the minimum; I'd give it a couple if possible, unpacked and in the final location.

(Off to look up 'Teak Cherry' )

[Seshat]

If you do have a draft issue, I'd recommend sealing the draft separately from handling the floor: and sealing it with one of the flexible thingies.

And yes, once a house is several years old, the 'permanent' changes have happened: it's just the annual/seasonal changes, plus any changes likely to happen from new stuff settling in. (eg, changing the weight of the building significantly by adding a rock feature wall ....)

That said: I am NOT an architect. I have no clue what loads your building was designed to handle, nor what loads it is handling, nor what difference a new wall or floor or anything will actually make.

I'm recommending flexible seals solely because that's what I'd use (and do use) for my place when I'm not sure, and too cheap to ask an expert.

[Sapphire Silk]

.Though when it comes to securing the quarter rounds, do I just secure to the baseboards, or to the click-lock as well?

Neither, actually. Use a nail gun to drive the brads diagonally into the sub floor.

I didn't bother to remove my baseboards. I did paint them before I laid down the new floor. You'd never know they weren't brand new looking at it. I stained the quarter round to match the floor and it looks awesome. But you can paint them as well.

If you do have a draft issue, I'd recommend sealing the draft separately from handling the floor: and sealing it with one of the flexible thingies.

A lot of repair issues can come up when do you a DIY project like this. You can find all kinds of things, from termites to water damage, and more. I found water damage and a big gap by my back door when I did the floor in my living room. The door had not been hung properly and does not have enough clearance to get over a rug (though it does not scrape the floor I can't have a mat there). It also was not sealed properly. The water damage was minimal and there was no rot or mold, so I just use foam in a can to seal the gap and laid down the new floor. It worked great; no draft there anymore, and no more water coming in.

I'm working on my guest bath now, and found old water damage under where the old vanity was (it was original to the house). Again, it was just a stain, no real damage but you do need to check and make sure if you find water stains to make sure you don't have a real problem. I didn't, thank God.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

If you prep properly and are willing to take your time you should be able to install yourself. DONT allocate a set amount of time to finish this project if you are the type to notice imperfections every day for the next 10 years, it will take what it takes to finish if properly (it could be hours or a few days, plan for it and be ok with it).

Concrete floors are unforgiving, and any locking flooring (like the wood you are looking at) won't lock and line up properly all the way through if the floor has high or low spots. Check for level before starting - self leveling cement is your friend. To some extent your tile adhesive can correct this, but if it is really out of whack you should level that area before tiling too.

You should attach baseboard and quarter round to the wall only, not the floor, but if your baseboards and quarter round are painted I like to finish on hard surfaces with paintable flexible sealant (like silicone caulking) so you don't get that small gap in certain temperatures. If anything needs removed or repaired in the future you just cut it out with a utility knife. That is strictly my asthetic preference though.

Before beginning any project put all the materials in the area you will be working in for a few days or a week or so. Sudden temperature and moisture changes can affect the materials badly, so you don't want to store your flooring, adhesives etc in your garage or shed then use them in your house that is 20 degrees warmer and 30% more humidity or whatever, they will be shifting/swelling/warping as you work and make it harder for you than it should be to keep straight lines.

Consider dry-fitting the whole tiled area before you start, use the spacers, make all the cuts and make sure you are happy with the whole thing before you start making it permanent. Marble tiles can really vary with the amount and colour of the veins so label each tile (masking tape) before you move it so when you start actually tiling you know it is going to look right.

Have fun and post pics when it is done, it is a great feeling when you get to see something you accomplished well every day.