Laying Laminate Flooring!

[Jos66]

I have done this few times now with the click/lock flooring, but always have trouble getting it right around the door and the door frame, any ideas for overcoming this would be great.

[Clanad]

Having found this to be a problem as well, I found, at a local DIY store, an inexpensive device that solved the problem.  Not knowing the correct name, it looks somewhat like a comb used for combing hair.  It's about 10 inches long and the tines are able to move, with a little pressure, back and forth within the frame.  One puts the device agains the area to be framed by the flooring and gently pushes the tines against the door frame, etc.  When taken away, one has a perfect imprint of the design to transfer to the laminate flooring.  Good luck...

[mfewell]

Jos, what Clanad describes is called a profile gauge or contour gauge and B&Q stock them (assume you're UK). However, I bought one and have laid 3 floors recently but never used it. I found it easier either to cut a template in something like old lino, or better, get some stiff garden wire and mould it to the shape of the archetraves. Another idea is to saw away the bottoms of the archetraves completely so the planks slide underneath. I didn't do this because it looked too difficult and I have burglar alarm wiring there. Regarding the recommended 5mm clearance all round, I believe you can take this with a little pinch of salt and floor closer to the edge (B&Q agreed). Except in very large rooms expansion is not going to be a problem. Also check the door will clear the new raised floor - I had to cut a strip off the bottom of one of my bedroom doors. Finally, where it was difficult to cut and fit edging, I got a good colour match wood filler (e.g. Ronseal) and carefully filled the gap - it looks really good though I say it myself. You can get flexible fillers especially for laminate floors in Homebase. Sorry for length of reply and mentioning things you probably already know. I am about to do my hall, the door frames there are going to be murder. Good luck.

[mark180]

be careful with the expansion gap.any warranty claims wont be upheld if you do not allow an expansion gap on all sides of the room .if the flooring is against an immoverable object then if the flooring expands say in climate change then the floor will bow at the joints.im sure you can hire a special tool to cut out the door frame as it is difficult with a normal saw.

[reacher]

i sell laminate flooring for a living and i have also laid plenty of it as well for customers and at home and i would always say leave between 5 - 9mm expansion gap around all edges, i have seen plenty of floors laid without any gap that has bowed in the middle of the floor. as for round door casings if you lay a piece of flooring on top of the underlay against the casing, mark with a pencil, then saw or chisel away, and slide flooring under it.NOT LEAVING AN EXPANSION GAP CAN BE AN EXPENSIVE MISTAKE !!!!

[Jos66]

Thanks Guys, Appreciate all the advice, and ideas taken on board. I have done the easy part of the room (and have a bad back to prove it), but next the door/frame bit............

[mfewell]

Jos, my own point about the expansion gap was not that you can floor right to the edge, but not to get paranoid if sometimes the gap is slightly less. I floored my large conservatory during the peak of a heatwave, when presumably the boards would be at their most expanded (?); in a few places the gap is 3mm, others 8mm. Nowhere does it touch however. There is no evidence of bowing 3 months later and it gets to 40C+ in the afternoon.