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Renovation 4th Edition

Page 134

by Michael Litchfield


  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-

 

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