Removing cork tiles

[geoffw]

Thanks Ben.

But I've reached another break point now.

I have the floating floor, all ready to install. I'm sure it will ook fantastic when it is installed.

It supposedly all snaps in place, and keeps in place. Each panel has a tongue and a groove, and it's supposed to be able to link together without a problem.

But the damn stuff does not snap in. It still leaves a gap.

A small sample snaps together quite well. Bit the real thing does not- it only seems to fit in OK on a small length sample.

The video given is for the product of another company. But even that video, although showing the installer putting the floor down without any tools, does suggest a tool in the tool list to help push the planks together.

I cannot put the panels together without a gap.

Even MrsW, who is much more patient and more able to bear frustration than me, cannot put the panels together.

So far, I've put down three panels. 2.75 of them were against the wall- the .25 leftover was joined to the first row OK. But I could not fit in a full length panel successfully.

After those three panels, I've damaged another 5 trying to use the tool suggested to tap the panels into place. Those panels are now only usable as offcuts.

I'm not a handyman, just an IT person. But I certainly did expect the job to be only twice as difficult as described by the vendors.

WRONG!

 

[Glenn]

Hi Geoff,

Is the little tool a block that has a rebate cut into the edge?

If it is, try tapping first on one end, then moving down the board, tapping as you go until you get to the other end and then repeat the process in the other direction.

I had the tongue and groove boards though so it could be a bit different.

Glenn

 

[geoffw]

Glenn,

It sounds like the same tool.

But the tapping along the board caused chipping of the laminate in some parts. The tool may be bad, or we may have tapped too hard.

I do have tongue and grooeve boards- but they seem to vary in difficulty. My sister in law installed some recently, and had no troule at all. The brand she used was slightly more expensive than the ones I am using.

 

[Kevmeister]

Geoff,

Describe the shape of the tongues and the grooves. Are they simple square tongues and grooves, or something more exotic (like the rounded ones that "hinge" together and one both pieces are flat, cannot pull apart).

 

[geoffw]

A bit difficult to describe- a picture might suffice (very rough)

 

[Glenn]

Hi Geoff,

Going by the picture, the boards appear to be a click-lock variety.

Have you taken them back to the place you bought them for clarification??

Glenn

 

[Kevmeister]

OK. How big is the gap you are getting?

The tongue shape looks like you don't just push the two pieces together "flat".

It looks like (from your BMP) that if you had two boards lying side-by-side on the floor to push together, then the line of the tongue/groove would have to be sitting off the ground a little, to let the tongue enter the groove properly.

Could be wrong on that, though, only going by the graphic.

 

[geoffw]

Kev,

On a small sample, the tongue and groove snap in nicely, with no gap, and the pieces do not come apart easily. The grooved piece sits on the floor, the tongue piece goes in at an angle, and snaps in. I can’t get it to do this on a full size piece though. I can get no gap at one end, but the other end has a gap- and vice versa.

MrsW has checked with the store- the person who generally installs it is going to give a lesson tonight or tomorrow. So all will be revealed.

If it’s tonight, I will be having to rely on her skills, as I will be popping up to Sydney for Michael Yardney’s seminar.

 

[Kevmeister]

OK. Got it. Have you checked that the board(s) are true and straight? A long straightedge is best for this. Have you checked that there is no crap in the groove preventing the tongue from engaging properly?

 

[geoffw]

Kevin,

Thanks for your help and interest.

I will check the straightness, that's a good point.

I could not see any dirt.

This was occurring consistently in all panels- so I suspect the problem is that there is a "trick" I am not aware of- or perhaps there is a better tool than the one I am using.

 

[XBenX]

Geoff - the only trick that I know of when putting them together is to angle the boards as you go in.

Ok - now to try and desribe what i mean

One side is the flooring which you have already laid, lying flat on the floor_____

Bring the next board in at 45 degrees \ => ____ so it looks like this \_____ then push down on the LHS and it should click and lock in with no gap.

No promises though :/

 

[sbe]

The chipping is caused by tapping too hard (I know - I've done it!)

If you're having issues with gaps now, wait unit you try to get a large run done. Walls aren't straight !! Thankfully yours are the lock type, so maybe that will make that but easier.....

As for the getting no gaps on large boards, do as others have suggested, angle the board in (make sure it's all aligned), then drop the board while pushing forward to try keep the board lined up properly.

Getting the vendor out to show / help is a good idea. Some of that stuff looks so easy in the showroom.....

The guy who sold me mine commented on how good I'd done. He relayed some real horrow stories, including one person who had to trash the lot!

Tkae it slowly, listen to what they say, and periodically, step back and look at the work. It'll either show you what you've done wrong, or encourage you to keep going !!!

Best of luck.

Simon.

 

[geoffw]

OK, the pro has given the lesson.

The pointers-
.Use a piece of pine against the panels, tap that instead ofusing the metal tool. (the piece of pine I had was about 30cm by 5 by 5)
.The first piece is toungue side to the wall- but cut off the tongue (no, I was not thinking of MrsW when he said that)
The metal tool is for the last row only. But it's less likely to chip, as the groove side is likely to have been cut off
.0.7cm gap all round

I will see how I go on the weekend.

 

[Glenn]

Originally posted by sbe


The guy who sold me mine commented on how good I'd done. He relayed some real horrow stories, including one person who had to trash the lot!

Best of luck.

Simon.

Upon seeing me lay the boards in one flat, a neighbour has attempted the same. When he viewed the boards in the showroom the looked lovely but when he got them home and had laid half the room, the (fake) grain would not match up on any of the boards and he is now totally dissatisfied with the look. Having spent $1000 for the boards and having a half-renovated home that he is living in he is obviously not too happy.

I suppose this could be a big CAVEAT EMPTOR...it is not as easy as it looks on TV.

Glenn

 

[geoffw]

I'm about 70% through the laying, and it's looking good.

But I've got a problem.

The back door, which swings inwards, does not have enough room to swing over the new floor.

The door was open- I had to take it off its hinges just to be able to lock it.

The door is metal. So I can't easily reduce the size.

It's as high as it can go. It's scraping to the top of the frame.

The top hinge has sagged- but it's originating from inside the door frame, and removing would be messy.

I'm assuming a new door is the only option.

 

[Jas]

Try a welder, they might be able to do something.

Jas

 

[geoffw]

Jas, I described the door incorrectly. It's a metal skin door- and a workshop person will fix it for me on-site.

Jamie told me that it would not be too hard to do myself- but it's going into areas where I have little confidence in my abilities.

Somebody just sent me a reference to a how-to on floating floors- http://www.magnetmart.com.au/images/you_can2_floating_floors.pdf

I wish I'd found it 2 weeks ago!

They have a number of how-to guides- http://www.magnetmart.com.au/how/you_can.htm

 

[plainsong]

Geoff those were two really handy links - (i'm in a renovating frenzy)
Thanks for those.

 

[New Dad Soon]

Hi Guys,

A couple of tips when laying floating floors........ Hope they're not too late!

When laying planks, establish the furthest view point from the room entry, and start there. The reason for this is that it is the first point you see and if you stuff up the installation at the end it will stand out like the proverbial.

Measure the width of both ends of the room and see if the walls are parallel. Once you have worked this out, stand at the entry to the room and check the closest long wall to the door, again for parallel. The reason for this is that when you have rows of flooring running out of parallel at the entry, again it stands out.

If you are doing multiple rooms, establish the parallel and how it works against the centre line of the passage if applicable.

Lay out one full row of planks, with the groove facing the wall. This will mean that whenever you are striking the plank, you will be hitting the tongue and not causing the finished edge of the groove to 'bloom' from the impact.

To recover the parallel it depends on the location as to how you cut the boards. The simplest way when cutting the last row, is to place another plank on top of the next to last plank (in exactly the same location), then another plank on top of it, and slide the very top plank up against the wall. It will be following the contour of the wall, and you then use a pencil to mark the plank underneath.

This forms a perfect shape for the last cut. (Don't forget to allow for the expansion gap, and the extra width of the tongue when marking).

If you are setting up the first row, use a string line and mark the floor to locate the first row, and repeat the process.

The first couple of rows when assembling will usually be awkward as it tends to bounce around.

The reason gaps appear in the planks, is that when assembling, you cannot hit it in two directions at once. If you start at the top (where the plank intersects with the next plank) as you tap it together, the plank will pivot slightly around the pressure intersection (where it is not on or not off) and draw away from the top end plank.

The simple way to stop this, is to place the bottom side of the plank touching the side of its neighbour next, with about a 5mm gap at the top end side, and hard against the end plank above.

Tapping should be with a piece of 3x2 approx pine about 18 inches long. This is long enough that you can fairly bash it and still spread the impact along the plank without damage. It should be hit by sliding the block on the floor, so you get a fluid feel for the movement.

Start by tapping at the bottom of the plank and work upwards. This way you are 'closing' the plank up on to the plank above it.

You fill usually find a 1-2-1 tap going up the plank will give a good result. That being tap once at the lowest point you last hit, then twice further up, and once up further again. This gradually works the plank into place with no gaps, and reduces bouncing.

When you get to the end of the row, use the method described above to get your length, then the offcut spun around becomes you first piece of the next row.

To undercut door frames, turn a plank upside down with a piece of the underlay underneath it and cut with a flat blade saw using the plank as a guide/rest.

If metal, use as a template to mark out and grind.

As manufactured products are rarely perfect, you can still fix up the occasional gaps by using wood putty applied with the good old thumb and wiping off with a damp rag.

If you have a dip in the floor that is giving a hollow area then lay out a couple of scraps of vinyl flooring cut to shape. They are usually 2mm in thickness and are ideal for packing and eliminate the 'hollow' sound.

To get the planks packed out off the wall, trim off a couple of offcuts and pack out with laminate samples (at your friendly tile/hardware shop) so that it is touching along the wall every 1ft. This helps to eliminate bounce.

Hope this helps.........

 

[geoffw]

Hey NDS,

Where where you when I needed you? I don't accept having babies as an excuse

At least the tips are here for future reference for the next person who does the same.

Interested though about the groove facing the wall. Our person told us the toungue should face the wall. The piece of wood prevented chipping- except where I stuffed something up (which I'm sure I'll do far less the next time I do it).

He did also suggest that it's good to get spacing right across the floor- to ensure that the last plank is not so narrow that it's impossible to work with (if that happens, he suggested to make the first row half width).