Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Diy Laminate Flooring

Felidae

Recommended Posts

Felidae Enthusiast
Felidae
Posted

I'm going to install laminate flooring mostly by myself. If anyone has any tips or advise please post.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Michi8 Contributor
Michi8
Posted

It's very easy to do! I suggest getting a proper laminate blade (for circular saw) for cutting the laminate...it's very tough stuff and hard to cut through. We dulled a blade very quickly when laying floor in our basement...the final cuts were tough to do.

Michelle

DebbieInCanada Rookie
DebbieInCanada
Posted

Hi,

We have laminate in our house, and I LOVE it. My first advice would be to buy the best you can afford. We have Pergo in our foyer, hallway, and eating area. We bought another brand for the kitchen, since they had a pattern we loved, and could not get in Pergo. The Pergo has held up wonderfully for 9 years - no marks at all, with 3 kids and a dog. The kitchen has had more problems. There are several dents in the floor where things have been dropped, and I think the same things were dropped on the Pergo, but just didn't leave a mark.

We have the glue-together kind, and really like the waterproof aspect of that. Wet/snowy shoes come in the front door, and the water never seeps through the joints. We just installed the "click" together kind for my mother, and it went together very easily.

When you lay out your room, think about which way you want the grain to run - usually they say to run the grain "with" the light, or with the length of a hallway. Make sure you use spacers to leave a 1/4" gap around the walls - between changes in summer and winter humidity, there can be a lot of expansion.

Some brands have a repeating pattern, and you can pick the boards one at a time out of the box and lay them in order. Some brands have several different printed patterns, and the pieces are not well distributed through the boxes, so you have to open several boxes and make sure you select a variety as you lay them in place. Make sure you shift the joint down at least 8" for each row. Depending on the measurement of your room, the last piece you cut off at the end will usually work as the starter piece for the next row, and you will get an even shift in the layout.

Also measure and calculate how many rows you will have in your room. If your measurement ends up with less than 1/2 a board width on your last row, you might want to cut a strip off the first row, so the last row isn't a "sliver". If you have a very thin strip to fit in for your last row, it can be very difficult to get in place when you are working up against the wall. Also remember that most rooms aren't square, so don't trust your starter wall to be square with the rest of the room. Do some measurements, and decide if you need to scribe some off the first row to square it up.

Installing completely by yourself might be a bit tricky. We have always had 2 or 3 people. It helps to have someone at each end of the row to guide, or tell you when things are in place properly.

(yes, I watch a lot of home improvement TV, and I've done many of our own projects.)

Good luck!

Debbie

Felidae Enthusiast
Felidae
Posted
  • Author

Great advice girls. Thank you.

I did get buy good quality laminate. But we're laying it for the purpose of selling our condo. It will give a better first impression than the kitchen and entryway flooring that is there now.

I love home reno/decorating shows too. My dh will be helping me, but I have more patience and accuracy for these types of projects.

Now I just need inexpensive and quick backsplash ideas. Once you start something, it seems to never end. LOL

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

We did wood floor in my yoga room - bamboo, but the same basic premise applies. Check the details, to make sure you have the right kind of underlayment for the method of laying that you're using and all that. It was pretty easy, but we were very glad to have a compound miter saw and table saw for ripping the edge pieces.

Felidae Enthusiast
Felidae
Posted
  • Author

The flooring looks awesome. It will definitely have a much better impact on first impressions than the previous floor. I'm really happy with the quality of product that we chose. I was looking at other brands in Home Depot and Rona, and they were very thin and just not as nice as my pick.

It feels good to be done and I'm really glad that there were three of us laying it at the time.

I can't wait to complete all my little projects so that we can sell and buy a different place where I am looking forward to laying bamboo (if it needs any new flooring). However, if my budget is tight, I would buy the same brand of laminate again.

  • 11 months later...
Diane-K Newbie
Diane-K
Posted

When you purchase laminate flooring it usually comes with all the guideliness that you may need. So you normally shound't have any problems. This happened to me when I ordered my floor coverings from an on-line shop. The package included all the instructions and it went very well. So I thought to recommend to store to other persons too.

Open Original Shared Link

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


skyepie Newbie
skyepie
Posted

How do you clean laminate? The house we bought a year ago has it in the kitchen, dining and formal living room. It is beautiful when freshly cleaned, and I use the Swiffer Wet-Jet laminate formula. However, when we walk on the dry floor with bare feet, we leave footprints! My floor looks gross 1/2 day after I clean it!!! Suggestions please!

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

Laminate floors should be cleaned with either a product specially made for the purpose (Home Depot has a good one that you just spray on and wipe off with a dry soft mop) or very-slightly-damp mopped with warm water and a little white vinegar.

It's important never to saturate the floor or leave water on the surface. My parents have a Pergo floor in their kitchen, and it's held up perfectly for several years now--but she never gets it too wet...that's key.

celiac-mommy Collaborator
celiac-mommy
Posted

We clean the laminate with a diluted Murphy's Oil soap-makes the floor SOOO beautiful! Plus you can use it on all the baseboards-pretty much everything. As for installation, ours did NOT come with the tapping block-we thought we could get away with using a small remnant board--BIG mistake!! We ended up ruining a few boards. I recommend using any tools the manufacturer recommends!

debmidge Rising Star
debmidge
Posted
We did wood floor in my yoga room - bamboo, but the same basic premise applies. Check the details, to make sure you have the right kind of underlayment for the method of laying that you're using and all that. It was pretty easy, but we were very glad to have a compound miter saw and table saw for ripping the edge pieces.

RE: Bamboo flooring

How does this flooring hold up to imprints of high heels? Isn't bamboo a softer wood? Do you know if it could be used as an interior door?

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,140
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    KP009
    Newest Member
    KP009
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Tamale ingredients

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      These are labeled gluten-free: https://www.amazon.com/Corn-Husks-Tamales-Authentic-Flavorful/dp/B01MDSHUTM/
    • Wheatwacked
      GI DX celiac despite neg serology and no biopsy

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Just a gluten free diet is not enough.  Now you have to identify and replenish your malnutrition.  Celiac disease is co-morbid with malabsorption syndrome.  Low vitamin D, Low Thiamine caused Gastointeston Beriberi, low choline, low iodine are common the general population, and in newly diagnosed Celiacs in the western culture its is more likely.  It takes time to heal and you need to focus on vitamins and minerals.  Gluten free foods are not fortified like regular processed foods.  
    • Sarah Grace
      Headaches / Migraines and Hypoglycaemia

      By Sarah Grace · Posted

      Dear Kitty Since March I have been following your recommendations regarding vitamins to assist with various issues that I have been experiencing.  To recap, I am aged 68 and was late diagnosed with Celiac about 12 years ago.  I had been experiencing terrible early morning headaches which I had self diagnosed as hypoglycaemia.  I also mentioned that I had issues with insomnia, vertigo and brain fog.   It's now one year since I started on the Benfotiamine 600 mg/day.  I am still experiencing the hypoglycaemia and it's not really possible to say for sure whether the Benfotiamine is helpful.  In March this year, I added B-Complex Thiamine Hydrochloride and Magnesium L-Threonate on a daily basis, and I am now confident to report that the insomnia and vertigo and brain fog have all improved!!  So, very many thanks for your very helpful advice. I am now less confident that the early morning headaches are caused by hypoglycaemia, as even foods with a zero a GI rating (cheese, nuts, etc) can cause really server headaches, which sometimes require migraine medication in order to get rid off.  If you are able to suggest any other treatment I would definitely give it a try, as these headaches are a terrible burden.  Doctors in the UK have very limited knowledge concerning dietary issues, and I do not know how to get reliable advice from them. Best regards,
    • knitty kitty
      High DGP-A with normal IGA

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @rei.b,  I understand how frustrating starting a new way of eating can be.  I tried all sorts of gluten-free processed foods and just kept feeling worse.  My health didn't improve until I started the low histamine AIP diet.  It makes a big difference.   Gluten fits into opioid receptors in our bodies.  So, removing gluten can cause withdrawal symptoms and reveals the underlying discomfort.  SIBO can cause digestive symptoms.  SIBO can prevent vitamins from being absorbed by the intestines.  Thiamine insufficiency causes Gastrointestinal Beriberi (bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea or constipation).  Thiamine is the B vitamin that runs out first because it can only be stored for two weeks.  We need more thiamine when we're sick or under emotional stress.  Gastric Beriberi is under recognised by doctors.  An Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test is more accurate than a blood test for thiamine deficiency, but the best way to see if you're low in thiamine is to take it and look for health improvement.  Don't take Thiamine Mononitrate because the body can't utilize it well.  Try Benfotiamine.  Thiamine is water soluble, nontoxic and safe even at high doses.  I thought it was crazy, too, but simple vitamins and minerals are important.  The eight B vitamins work together, so a B Complex, Benfotiamine,  magnesium and Vitamin D really helped get my body to start healing, along with the AIP diet.  Once you heal, you add foods back in, so the AIP diet is worth doing for a few months. I do hope you'll consider the AIP diet and Benfotiamine.
    • captaincrab55
      Finding gluten free ingredients

      By captaincrab55 · Posted

      Imemsm, Most of us have experienced discontinued, not currently available or products that suddenly become seasonal.   My biggest fear about relocating from Maryland to Florida 5 years ago, was being able to find gluten-free foods that fit my restricted diet.  I soon found out that the Win Dixie and Publix supper markets actually has 99% of their gluten-free foods tagged, next to the price.  The gluten-free tags opened up a  lot of foods that aren't actually marked gluten-free by the manufacture.  Now I only need to check for my other dietary restrictions.  Where my son lives in New Hartford, New York there's a Hannaford Supermarket that also has a gluten-free tag next to the price tag.  Hopefully you can locate a Supermarket within a reasonable travel distance that you can learn what foods to check out at a Supermarket close to you.  I have dermatitis herpetiformis too and I'm very sensitive to gluten and the three stores I named were very gluten-free friendly.  Good Luck 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.