Solved: A Specific Laminate Flooring Problem - Installation and Locking Mechanism Tips -
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2012
- The pieces won't lock! We made this video to illustrate one of the details of this locking system. The angle at which you introduce each next plank turns out to be very important!
www.floorstoyourhome.com/lami...
A customer had a problem installing his laminate flooring. He sent us two of the offending planks, and the next morning we sent him this video, but it seems like it could help others too.
More resources on Laminate Flooring:
www.floorstoyourhome.com/reso...
This is the actual product we used in the video, Red Oak Harvest from Timeless Elegance:
www.floorstoyourhome.com/time...
It has a small bevel, so you will see that when we show the groove between the planks and say "...no black along the edge..."
0:31 - The angle needed to lock
0:50 - Fully engaging the locking mechanism
1:15 - Locking test
2:04 - More on the angle (close-up shots too!)
2:58 - A wrong way to lock these
Follow us!
Our blog - www.floorstoyourhome.com/blog/
Facebook - / floorstoyourhome
Pinterest - / ftyhflooring
Twitter - #!/FTYHFlooring
Google+ - plus.google.com/u/0/b/1059349...
Video thrown together by W. David Lichty at plus.google.com/u/0/108827368... 
Хобби
![Natanael Cano x Oscar Maydon - Giza [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/eXCS6-MSQ_Y/mqdefault.jpg)
I’d love to see how you do this when you’re up against a wall! That’s why I’m here. 😂
Thank you very much, the close ups and the explanation are awesome!
You saved us with this video! Thank you for posting!
Literally couldn’t figure how it flat for 30 minutes I’m subscribing
THANKS FOR THE CLOSE-UPS! This laminate looks similar to the laminate we're working with, but we still can't quite get our planks to lock in as easily--partly because the planks are prone to chipping. We ended up using this method: we are tapping them in along the edge with a mallet when they are at a 45 degree angle, then we press the plank down, then we tap the edge in again when they're at a 10 degree angle, and they drop down on their own and are locked in. So we're doing a bit of extra work, but the CLOSE-UPS in the video helped me convince someone else that the planks REALLY CAN lock in :)...I was afraid we were going to have resort to filling in the gaps with grout!
(I think the brand of laminate we have is either Eternity or Republic™ and the description says Apex/Pressed Edge/Triple Moisture Protection/Unilin-Instalation).
THANK YOU! This is so helpful!
That solved my problem, thank you!
Just wanted to say THANKS for posting the video. Your explanation was all it took to change a job what was certainly headed in the down dumper to one drop dead beautiful floor. Thanks for sharing, you made a difference,saved me a WHOLE LOT of aggravation and cussing .....and my wife still loves me...
We are pleased for you, your floor and your marriage! Honestly, thanks for the note. It really makes our day knowing we've really helped someone.
Will try and see what happens!
This video saved my life thank you
Wow! Sure, glad to hear it!
ok, but what about when you are connecting 2 sides?! we can't get the short side to lock in.
Hi, +Brittany Hudson, There are two possible issues I can think of. One is physical difficulty getting the short sides together at all. My first video links right to the spot in another video of ours which shows how the end joints connect in an angle to angle style of installation.
ruclips.net/video/ZroGpIHvJAo/видео.htmlm15s
The second issue would be the planks going together just fine, but seeming totally insecure, not locked at all. This link goes to our Drop & Lock installation video, and shows how the end joints work. They will *seem* unlocked at a certain stage of the process, but are really okay, and this video shows you why.
ruclips.net/video/aXPqItNU5H4/видео.htmlm37s
I hope that helps, Brittany!
David
+Floors To Your Home (.com) I thought we had drop and lock, but through your other videos realized we had angle lock. had been installing long side first. which was wrong, however still had difficulty getting long seem to be flush. video said to tap it in, but I just couldn't =(
+Brittany Hudson I'm glad you figured the issue out. As far as tapping the floor in, you may just need more force than you can get with the heel of your hand. The problem is that you don't want to damage the floor by banging right onto the outbound locking mechanism. There are two solutions for that. One is to use a Tapping Block, and hammer against it, rather than the flooring itself, with a 99 cent mallet. If you don't have a Tapping Block, you can use a discarded piece of your very flooring. Here's Adam again, showing how to do that. It jumps right to that part, but if you *do* have a tapping block, just rewind it to the beginning, where he shows the best ways to use those.
ruclips.net/video/Zt7N77x3k7E/видео.htmlm46s
If you go out to get a mallet though, you should be able find a laminate tapping block pretty easily as well. Ten bucks, maybe less? Most home stores should have these.
I hope this works for our floor, having the same issue with Select Surfaces Laminate purchased at Sams Club.. in Barnwood.
I do too. If you've finished yet, did it? It's such a peculiar problem, and it doesn't happen with all laminates.
+Floors To Your Home (.com) Yes it did THANK YOU
Brilliant! Thanks for getting back!
I have the same issue, any word on the fix? Should I just buy a different brand and return?
I thought the video was really good at describing the locking mechanism, however you never install two boards of the same length. I would like to see the same demonstration with three interlocking pieces.
Hi there, you mean we don't need hammer to tap at the edge and lock them? Thanks.
Tip....where two plank ends butt together the plank edges might not be quite in line. Look closely. A 0.25mm staggered edge is all it takes to not allow the next board to lock in. Use a piece of scrap and a mallet to gently align the two boards taking care not to hammer against the fragile tongue.
That's what I call a "pro-tip from experience, A&O." We have it in other videos, but not this one, so thank you for mentioning it here!
(readers, here's a visual of what they said)
ruclips.net/video/Zt7N77x3k7E/видео.html
- David
nice demonstration, but i"m thinking that by the time a reasonable size floor was laid, you"re hand and arm would have a nice bruise past you"re shoulder.
Still didn’t work but thanks for the demonstration
I want to slide the laminate underneath crown molding so there won’t be a gap, but if I slide it under I can’t lift up to lock in place. How can you lock laminate when it’s not possible to lift up?
Hi, Laura!
1. *The* way to handle molding and a floor installation is to remove the molding, for exactly the reason you gave. Additionally, it allows you to make sure the gap you must leave is the right size, flooring not up against the wall, and also not pulled so far out that the molding won't cover it. Then the molding is reattached to the wall (not to, nor through, the flooring).
2. Regarding gaps, when finished, you should have no _visible_ gap between molding and flooring, but there *must* be an actual gap underneath the molding between the edges of the floor and the walls, on all sides. It's usually around 1/4", with most moldings being 1/2" thick to effectively hide the gaps. I don't mean to insult with that tip, only that in installation circles, 'gap' almost always refers to the expansion gap, which is a solid must, and you said you didn't want a gap. No visible gap, of course, but a real, hidden gap is required, or your floor will buckle or distort in a few months as the weather changes.
If my answer is inadequate, please ask further, or even send a picture here! I confess that your reference to crown molding led us to think we might be mis-imagining your situation, as that's generally for ceilings. The advice would be the same - remove and replace - just the mechanics of that would be quite different if you're installing a laminate floor on your ceiling rather than the floor. I envision 3 or 4 people on ladders holding in place a final row of planks while 2 others quickly nail the trim back onto the wall. Sounds nightmarish.
.
Floors To Your Home (.com)
It won’t let me add a picture, but yes I am referring to the floor. I guess I’m talking about a door frame and not crown molding. This is my first time doing flooring. We had watched another video that said you can install laminate with out removing the molding as long as you put the required gap between the molding and the floor (which I have already done) and then attach quarter round to the wall to sit over the gap. So we followed those instructions, but are having issues installing underneath the door frames. Some I was able to lock the laminate in place and knock gently to make it slide under the door frame (we sawed the door frame so we could slide it under). Unfortunately some door frames I’m not able to lock in at all and slide it under leaving a visible gap. I wish all the videos that mentioned leaving on the molding would be visible gaps. I guess the only way around the issue is to remove the molding?
@@lauran434
OH! I see. Yeah, it sounds like you've pursued the how-to on this pretty comprehensively; good for you. It also sounds like you're right about that last door, though. Once you've passed the Slide Under point, removing the door jamb/molding is probably all that's left. I hope it's the only annoyingly difficult part of the process for you.
this video hardly illustrates the problem as is the case with long planks that will also need the ends joined. At the risk of sounding critical, what you've shown here is nothing but "how" they join up. No problems here.
You're right; that is not the problem we are addressing here. This was to cover a very specific issue a customer had with a specific make of laminate flooring. How they join up was the problem.
The only answer I am after and I can't find it anywhere is how do I click the longside in and the side at the same time?????
A reasonable question, and the answer is that you don't! One side always goes together before the other. This super quick video says which side is to be first, based on the two main installation methods:
ruclips.net/video/M4mWfJwxizQ/видео.html
We didn't _show_ the angle-to-angle method very well in that one, but this jumps right to the spot in another video where we do: ruclips.net/video/PCjLfJR33G8/видео.html
Does that help?
2 words:
Rubber mallet
Is that you Mac Lovin....
Fortunately your floor does not have more than 2 or 3 boards 🥱because the problem starts on the 4th board. Ridiculous
Adam. Good tips.
Now stop biting your fingernails.