ble and drive them flush to the surface.
only halfway. Along long edges, start and stop
gluing 2 in. from board ends. When gluing butt
gEtting tHE FirSt roW rigHt
ends, stop and start 1 in. from corners. If excess
glue oozes out joints, use a damp rag to wipe it
Lay the first row of floorboards along the longest, off immediately.
straightest wall, which in most cases will be an
exterior wall. Because engineered wood flooring
inStalling tHE rESt oF tHE Floor
expands and contracts slightly, there must be a
1⁄2-in. expansion gap between that first row and
As you continue adding rows, take boards from
the wall. The gap must be maintained all the way several cartons so there will be a random mix of
around the perimeter of the room.
colors and shades. Many installers spread out
enough boards for four or five rows so they can
layout tips. Use a chalkline to mark the expan-
easily choose board lengths that will stagger end
sion gap—and to note if the longest wall is, in
joints 12 in. to 24 in. between adjacent rows.
fact, straight. Hold the chalkline 1⁄2 in. from each
Ideally, end joints should never line up exactly
corner of the wall, snap it, and then move along
across a floor. As you progress, use a tapping
the line with a measuring tape, noting places
block to gently join long edges; periodically use a
where the wall is not straight—and by how
pull bar to close up end joints. If you install
much. Write measurements on the subfloor so
boards in the same direction—say, left to right—
that later you can shim out “low spots” so that
you will be less likely to loosen previous joints.
the first row of flooring will be straight even if
Periodically use a straightedge to make sure the
the wall is not.
tongues of successive rows continue to be straight.
578 Chapter 20
Cover the substrate with an approved foam underlayment. Start installing engineered wood
Floating flooring systems vary. Some are glueless, in
flooring along the longest wall, using shims to establish a 3⁄8-in. expansion gap. It’s important to
which boards snap together, whereas others use glue to
get the first row of boards straight: Place shims every 2 ft. to 3 ft. and behind end joints.
join boards to each other—but not to the substrate. If your
system requires glue, apply it sparingly to board grooves.
Half-fill grooves. Along the sides, stop glue 2 in. shy of
board ends, and when applying glue to butt ends, stop
1 in. shy of each corner.
After applying glue, use a hammer and a hard-plastic tapping block to tap
boards together. Be gentle. As the first row is installed with the groove toward
the wall, you’ll be tapping the tongue edge, which can be crushed if you strike
it too hard.
Use a pul bar to draw boards
If engineered flooring is correctly milled,
The last row of flooring must often be ripped
together end to end. As you measure
there should be no gaps between boards.
down so it will fit. Hold the board to be cut
and install the end boards in each
Installers periodically run their fingertips over
against the wall (leave a 1⁄
row, allow room for a 1⁄
2-in. gap), and mark the
2-in.
joints to make sure joints are tight because some-
amount to be removed from the tongue edge.
expansion gap along each wall.
Without expansion gaps, flooring
times your fingers can see what your eyes can’t.
Because there won’t be room for a tapping block, could buckle because of shifts in
Sawdust or debris is the most common cause of
use a pull bar to pull the last boards snug.
temperature and humidity.
slight gaps—and another reason to keep the job
Whenever a board end meets a threshold or, say,
site clean. (Cut boards in another room or out-
an obstruction such as a vent, be sure to leave
side.) If a damaged edge causes a gap, remove
room for an expansion gap.
the board.
Flooring
579
Allow at least 12 hours for the glue to dry
to that for ceramic floor tiles, as described in
before walking on the floor. Then replace base-
chapter 16, but are poorly suited to high-
boards and any other trim removed earlier.
moisture areas because of their many seams.
Resilient sheets are better for kitchens and bath-
P R O T I P
Resilient Flooring
rooms, as suggested in the kitchen installation
shown here.
Resilient flooring surfaces, such as vinyl and
the part of walls covered by
linoleum, bounce back from use and abuse that
baseboards often isn’t painted.
CHooSing an undErlaYMEnt
So before replacing baseboard,
would gouge or crush harder, less flexible materi-
note where the old trim was
als. However, vinyl and linoleum are relatively
Because resilient materials are thin—between
1
nailed to studs. lightly pencil
thin, so their durability depends on a subfloor
⁄16 in. and 3⁄16 in. thick—they will telegraph sub-
those stud locations onto the
that’s thick enough and an underlayment layer
surface irregularities, such as board joints, holes,
new baseboard and you won’t
that’s smooth, stiff, and flat.
and flooring patterns. So underlayment materials
have to search for studs.
Resilient flooring is installed either as tiles or
must be uniformly flat (no holes or voids),
as sheets; both require underlayment. Tiles are
smooth, stiff, and dimensionally stable. Few
generally easier to install—their layout is similar
materials fit the bill. Note: It’s possible to adhere
As you approach the opposite wall, there won’t be room for the tapping block;
use the pull bar instead. Invariably, the last row of flooring will get ripped on a
tablesaw. So when measuring the width of that last row, don’t forget the
1⁄2-in. expansion gap along the wall.
In doorways, threshold trim covers gaps in flooring and
creates a transition between rooms. To avoid splitting thin
threshold stock, use a flexible construction adhesive
instead of nails. Note: Apply construction adhesive to one
side only where floors meet in the doorway, as shown in
the photo. In other words, one side of a threshold must be
able to move freely as flooring expands and contracts.
Use painter’s tape to hold the threshold in place until the construction
adhesive dries.
After allowing floorboard glue to dry for 12 hours, pull
shims and install baseboards to cover expansion gaps.
(Don’t toenail through flooring edges when attaching
baseboards or shoe molding!) Replace any other trim
removed during prep.
580 Chapter 20
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lOW-mAInTEnAnCE Beauty
resilient flooring seems to last forever, but it quickly dulls if you don’t mop it regu-
larly to remove grit. sponge mopping with warm water is usually enough. if water
doesn’t clean the floor, use a mild, nonabrasive cleaner recommended by the flooring
maker. avoid scrub brushes and abrasive cleansers, which do more harm than good.
P R O T I P
Except for butt edges where
zzzzzz Creating a Paper template
two flooring sheets meet, lino-
1-in. gap not
Overlap paper seams
covered by paper
at least 2 in. and
leum edges are usually cut a bit
tape together.
shy because slight gaps can be
Alignment
concealed by baseboard trim, a
notch
“Boats” cut out
finish toekick, or a threshold—or
and covered
hidden by an appliance. never
with duct tape
force the material. in general,
15-lb.
pros avoid cutting linoleum
building paper
edges proud (too generously)
because the material doesn’t
compress.
Because resilient flooring is flexible and easy to cut, you
can fit it after the cabinets are installed, no matter how
complex their shapes. Given their wide range of colors and
textures, linoleum and vinyl flooring can complement
almost any decor.
Cutout for
Alignment
Perimeter
toilet flange
notch
of room
resilient flooring directly to concrete slabs, old
resilient flooring, and wood flooring, but that
By scribing the perimeter of a room onto felt
often requires a lot of prep work to make such
building paper, you create a ful -size template
surfaces perfectly smooth. So in addition to cre-
that you can transfer to the resilient flooring.
ating a more durable, smoother resilient floor,
Taping over boat-shaped cutouts keeps the
underlayment speeds up its installation.
template from moving.
Plywood. Plywood is universally acceptable if it’s
correctly installed and is exterior-grade APA-
rated CDX underlayment. It will be stamped
Hardboard, particleboard, and OSB.
“underlayment” or “plugged crossbands.” Also, it
Hardboard, a very dense fiberboard, is generally
should be at least 1⁄4 in. thick and have a fully
an acceptable underlayment for resilient flooring
sanded face (FSF)—not plugged and touch-
in dry locations, but it should not be used in
sanded (PTS). Type 1 lauan plywood, which has
kitchens and bathrooms because its joints tend to
an exterior glue, is also specified by many resil-
swell when they get wet. Particleboard also swells
ient flooring makers; panels should be at least
1
along its edges when it absorbs moisture. OSB
⁄4 in. thick. Three face-grades of lauan are
underlayment panels are more stable, but surface
acceptable as underlayment: BB, CC, and OVL.
roughness can telegraph through resilient floor-
Type 2 lauan is not acceptable. APA Sturd-I-
ing. In dry locations, most of these materials are
Floor® plywood is another option. It’s a structur-
acceptable underlayments, but check your floor-
al plywood that serves both as subfloor and
ing manufacturer’s recommendations to be safe.
underlayment. Sturd-I-Floor panels range from
19
Those specs will also include nail lengths and
⁄32 in. to 11⁄8 in. thick; span and loads dictate the spacing, as well as acceptable filler materials.
thickness.
Flooring
581
inStalling undErlaYMEnt PanElS careful not to crimp the material, which could
crease its surface and be visible forever after.
Follow panel and flooring manufacturer specifi-
There are several ways to transfer a room’s
cations for the length and spacing of fasteners
dimensions to resilient flooring sheets but none
and acceptable filler materials. In the installation so accurate as creating a template, especially if
shown here, the installer attached 5⁄16-in. under-
there are refrigerator alcoves or base cabinets to
layment panels, using 11⁄8-in. staples spaced every work around. Create the template with 15-lb. felt
4 in. to 6 in. in the field and every 1 in. to 11⁄2 in.
paper, which is inexpensive and, being stiffer
along the panels’ edges. Stagger underlayment
than rosin paper, is not likely to tear as you trans-
joints so they don’t align with subfloor joints.
fer the room’s outline to the resilient flooring.
Before filling panel joints and irregularities with
Using a utility knife, rough-cut pieces of the
a patching compound, use a wide spackling knife paper so they approach within 1 in. of all walls,
or drywall-taping knife to scrape off splinters. If
cabinet bases, and the like. Beyond that, don’t
the blade clicks against a nail or staple, use a nail agonize about fitting the paper too accurately.
set to sink the fastener below the surface.
That is, the paper doesn’t need to butt against
Most resilient flooring makers specify a port-
walls and cabinets because the scribing tools will
land cement–based patching compound, which
span small gaps between the edge of the paper
may contain a latex binder. If you use any under-
and the perimeter of the room. If the jaws of the
layment other than hardboard, fill and level the
scribing tool are 11⁄2 in. wide, they will scribe a
panel joints and surface imperfections. But don’t
guideline onto the paper that is uniformly 11⁄2 in.
fill nail holes because if nails work loose, they’ll
away from the base of walls, cabinets, etc.
raise the patching compound as well, creating a
As you roll out individual pieces of paper,
bump in the flooring. Apply one or two coats of
overlap their edges about 2 in. and use duct tape
compound, feathering it out along the edges of
to join them. Once you’ve covered the floor with
the seam. If you’re careful, you won’t need to
felt paper, use a utility knife to cut small (2-in. by
sand the compound.
5-in.) boat-shaped holes in the paper every 3 ft. to
4 ft., as shown in Step 2 on the facing page. As
CrEating a tEMPlatE
you cut each boat-shaped hole, cover it with duct
Bring resilient flooring sheets onto the job site at
tape, which adheres through the holes to the sub-
least 24 hours before working with it so it has
floor. This will keep the paper from moving as
time to acclimate to room temperature (at least
you scribe the perimeter of the room.
68°F). Resilient materials are more pliable when
Many installers use a scribing tool or a com-
they have warmed and are less likely to crimp
or
pass set at about 11⁄2 in. to trace the shape of the
crease. As you roll and unroll resilient sheets, be
room and cabinets onto the paper to create a
template. But the installer shown in this photo
MAkING A PAPER TEMPLATE FOR RESILIENT FLOORING
1. In this installation overview, a
felt-paper template, to the left of the
island, is about to be scribed to record
the room and cabinet outlines. To the
right, newly cut linoleum is dry-fit to
see what adjustments need to be
made before gluing it down.
582 Chapter 20
5. To transfer the outline of the
2. Cut boat-shaped openings in the felt-paper template,
room and the shape of the cabinets to
then cover the holes with tape to anchor the template to
the flooring, align one edge of the
the underlayment. To record the perimeter accurately and
framing square to the scribed line.
ensure precise cuts on the flooring material, it’s vital that
Then use a utility knife to score along
the template stays put.
the other (outer) edge of the square.
But score only one-third the
thickness of the flooring.
4. After scribing the template, carefully lift it off the
underlayment, roll it loosely, and unroll it onto the
3.
resilient flooring. Press the taped “boats” onto the
You can use an adjustable compass or, as shown here, a flooring so the template won’t move.
pin scribe and a small framing square to trace the room’s
6. Using the scored line as a guide,
perimeter onto the template. By holding one edge of the
use a hook-blade knife to cut all the
square against walls and cabinets and scribing along the
way through the flooring.
other edge, you ensure a scribed line that is a uniform
distance from the perimeter.
7. After cutting the flooring, carefully roll it with its backing out so it will lie
flat when you unroll it onto the underlayment.
8. If the perimeter of the floor or the cabinets is complex,
have someone help unroll the flooring to avoid crimping it
as you fit it into odd nooks and crannies.
Flooring
583
sequence preferred a small framing square and a
the sheet edge should be when you lap the sheet
pin scribe. The 11⁄2-in. width of a framing square’s (roll it back on itself) to apply adhesive.
blades (legs) ensured a uniform scribing dis-
Renovation 4th Edition Page 134