Hi, I will start preparing my kitchen / dining room floor for Pergo XP laminate in a few days and have a few questions. Is the 3/8 inch gap between flooring and wall really required ? I'm planning on removing the baseboards which are 3/8 inch thick and would like to cover up the gap with the baseboards rather than have to reinstall baseboards and have to go around the entire area with another layer of quarter round. Also, when you lay down your first coarse, what is the best way to ensure it is square with the perpendicular wall ? Thanks
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Pergo XP install questions
- Thread starter sagent
- Start date
purplezr2
Well-known member
Have you removed the baseboard? Guessing you have drywall. Typically the drywall doesn't go all the way to the floor, and can lay right up to the sheetrock and get your gap.
rlitman
Well-known member
The gap will be important for any potential expansion.
Right. If you don't have a gap, and the flood expands up to the wall, the pressure will cause it to buckle.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Yes, the gap is required.you could cut the drywallwith an oscillating tool, but i would just install new 1/2" base first. If you haven't pulled the base already, you are likely going to damage some of it anyway as 3/8 is very thin
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Tough around cabinets. You'll have to go into the toe kick, which will reduce height. No great way, unless you go under. You still need some space, unless it is a really short run
MarlynOC
Well-known member
left about 1/2' at cabinets and used 3/4 round to cover gap. You do need the gap at walls. You won't like the waves if you do not the gap.
rlitman
Well-known member
...The other problem is what to to do around the kitchen cabinets ? The other problem is if I were to fill the gap with quarter round that would extend past the door casings
I've found door casings to be a weak point for floating floor systems.
The best option would be to install an larger threshold, coped so as to cover the gap. For things like a bathroom with a marble threshold that you just want to work around, they sell color matched caulk to fill the gap.
JR 42
Well-known member
First, make sure your existing floor surface is dead flat - just about every floating floor calls for no more than 3/16" variance from flat and level over 10', scaling down over shorter distances. Level isn't critically important, but flat is. You can sand down high spots and/ or patch low spots. If your substrate is out of spec you could notice hollow- sounding springy areas in the finished floor.
If you're able to remove all your baseboard without damaging it, you can cut the drywall above the finished floor height to provide more than enough expansion gap.
You should cut the door casings and jambs back far enough to maintain the expansion gap and run the flooring into the cuts so no gap is visible. If you end up using quarter round you won't need to run it on the door casing.
If you're able to remove all your baseboard without damaging it, you can cut the drywall above the finished floor height to provide more than enough expansion gap.
You should cut the door casings and jambs back far enough to maintain the expansion gap and run the flooring into the cuts so no gap is visible. If you end up using quarter round you won't need to run it on the door casing.
You can use an oscil tool on top of a scrap piece of the same flooring and cut the door casing off about perfect height. Should let you at least around 1/4" gap under there.
Expansion issues happens when people do not make a gap on both side and the floor has absolutely nowhere to expand. You do your best to try to maintain that gap.
Expansion issues happens when people do not make a gap on both side and the floor has absolutely nowhere to expand. You do your best to try to maintain that gap.