"Armstrong" Laminate flooring advice

[Rileysan]

My brother-in-law called me a few weeks ago to tell me he was going to have his dining room/kitchen flooring replaced - less than 18 months after it had been installed. The problem was that the existing floor was chosen by his (now Ex) wife and he wanted it removed as soon as possible. He knew that my wife and I wanted to install new flooring in our house but didn't have it in the budget just yet so he thought we could recycle and reuse his old flooring.

I headed over to his place and in 4 hours, I removed and loaded about 500 sq/ft of laminate flooring. Over labor day weekend, I set out to install the new flooring.

The style of flooring is Armstrong Model #: L307212D sold by Lowes here: http://www.lowes.com/pd_278282-61-L307212D_0__?productId=3799611

Even though this was my first time using the snap-together flooring, I was pretty confident about installation - esp since there are no fasteners or adhesives needed to install this floor. However, I have since heard comments about the need for this floor to "float". Can anyone elaborate on what that means?

I am also concerend about the durability of the flooring. In particular, I am worried that something heavy might fall and fracture the suface. Anyone have any experience with this kind of flooring?

I didn't quite have anough material to finish the dining room, so stopped at the living room carpet ended and dining room linoleum began. Once I pick up another 100 sq/ft of material, I will finish the project.

Brian

 

[mark11]

It's awesome stuff. Floating means no attachment to the existing floor and 1/4" away from walls, cabinets, etc. you will not hurt it unless you try and even then it's hard to hurt. I had laminate in my kitchen and did extensive remodeling. Then I added on to the kitchen, when I took the laminate out after 10 years it was still perfect. I only removed it because the kitchen was now larger and input Armstrong 12 mm laminate in. You'll tire of it long before you hurt it.

 

[mrvm]

However, I have since heard comments about the need for this floor to "float". Can anyone elaborate on what that means?

I am also concerend about the durability of the flooring. In particular, I am worried that something heavy might fall and fracture the suface. Anyone have any experience with this kind of flooring

Floating literally means as it sounds, not glued or nailed down to the existing floor or subfloor and some brands require a thin pad that is installed separately or pre-attached to each strip of laminate. Some advantages of a "floating" floor is ease in installation, repair and future replacement if you upgrade to another type of flooring. Laminate flooring has a thin non-renewable wear surface that is relatively tough against minor scratches and dents but is not as tough as many brands claim. Keep the floors clean for best results since surfaces can still be scratched/worn off and water spills need to be wiped up quickly. I installed laminate flooring in my rental unit for the advantages I listed above. My last tip is I don't recommend using your best wood working mitersaw blades to cut them because laminates can easily dull the blades. The cut ends are going to be hidden under the quarter round mouldings.

ps: i'm sure you broke a few strips during the removal process but hopefully there will be enough to complete your project