The Laminate Floors are Installed (Hostages in Our Own House)

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Having new laminate flooring installed in the entire house was way beyond the time and our DIY abilities but, that doesn’t mean we didn’t work at all. In fact, preparing to have flooring removed and installed  (including fixing some floor squeeks, removing the 1/2 bath toilet and stashing electronics out of the way) was a fairly large project.

During the 2.5 days we started to feel like hostages/hoarders with everthing pushed into weird areas including the master bathroom, attic and garage.

Laminate Floor Installed by Carpets by Direct

The Columbia laminate flooring was installed by Carpets by Direct. We were extremely pleased with the entire process. The sales person we visited at their showroom was knowledgable and friendly. The 3 man installation crew were excellent. They even returned days after the flooring was installed to install some thresholds at the doorways leading to tiled floors and at our newly installed front door. The crew worked for 2.5 days and always worked without a break (except for lunch). They worked until 6:30 pm each of the first two days and without a complaint. What they accomplished in the time was far more than what we could have done. I don’t regret the decision to let someone else undercut all the door jambs, install a sound/moisture barrier, install the flooring, all transitions and all the base shoe moulding. They even installed new curved base shoe around our stair in the entry (something Big Blue wouldn’t even do).

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Pictures from the laminate floor installation in progress…

Pictures from the completed laminate floor project

Search for Columbia laminate flooring 

So, would you install 1500 sq feet of laminate yourself? Or,would you hire some professional help? Let me know in the comments below.

10 Responses

  1. Ask me in 2 months. We’re signing papers in the a.m. for the FINAL final kitchen re-do. The dining room and kitchen shall be ONE room, so all of it is in the foyer, at a consignment store, in boxes, we’re eating on a card table, and figuring out how to get the refrigerator through a door it doesn’t fit through (gonna have to take the doors off) to put it into the den. Microwave & Keurig go in my office. They told us that the “last 4 days” would be days we might want to go elsewhere (that’s when all the new & old hardwood is getting refinished) and the entire back of the first floor, where everything we want (like the bathroom) is. So…….it’s going to be a struggle. But all change, even change for the better, is painful.

    There will be a “new kitchen” party sometime in 2.5 months. Builder said, “Do you WANT a kitchen that was done in a week?”

    Nah.

    1. Sue I think your reno guy is right on when he says you don’t want to be there in the home stretch but, then again. If you have the room to be mostly out of there way. You may stay sane. Our animals got a little nutty in fact, the dog when to the groomer one day for a mental health break and she responded very well. You certainly don’t want a kitchen that was done in a week and not one that drags on for six months. Good luck with the project.

  2. I am desperately trying to decide what type of floor to buy to replace carpet, in main living area, and hallways. I am considering pergo max laminate flooring…..10mm thickness with padding from Lowes….mahogonny apple. My big concern is the tap tap…echo type noise that may or may not be heard when walking on it. Do you have this problem? We will be putting on top of cement slad in older house

  3. Thank you so much! Your condensed overview of experience helped me to organize and focus my thoughts. I’m going with Pergo Max (whatever the high end pergo is called) but having it installed by a really talented carpenter to ensure it’s done right, as there a scary message boards with LOTS of customers who had Lowe’s install their floors and had problems within a few months to a year. Furthermore, with Lowe’s (especially) but also Home Depot, every customer invariably said the stores would not honor ANY warranties, regardless of how absurd the caveat was…such as a couple who had a low humidifier in a back nursery and Lowe’s rejected the warranty because the moisture could have traveled from the baby’s crib to their livingrm, damaging the flooring. Or if you have windows, they are blamed for fading or changes in color. And pets? Give it up.

    The pergo website under “care and maintenance” specifically says it will withstand “light cleaning” (i.e. Swiffering) AS WELL AS “heavy cleaning”, which i assumed meant breaking out the swiffer wetjet or a damp cloth!!

    I have read customers who claim that as soon as ANY moisture gets between the boards, they expand and buckle. On the other hand, my carpenter put a plank of pergo max in a bucket of warm water and left it there for 24hrs; he said when he pulled it out it looked exactly the same as new…just wet.

    So, i haven’t the slightest who i an to believe. I have five german shepherds in an 800sq ft house, and one is almost 16 so there are simply going to be nightime accidents. I hope against hope, the urine sitting on the laminate all night won’t damage it before i awaken, find the accident, & quickly clean it up… Oh, Lord, please… (And i don’t even go to church…)

    I’m withya that a house full of vinyl would remind me of my granny’s linoleum kitchen on their houseboat…i can’t deal with the plastic, cheapity cheap look.

    Wish me luck–and may my laminate not swell and buckle.
    ???❤️?????❤️?

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