Another question(floating install) - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

Codewiz · 02-22-2005, 03:52 PM

Looking to do a floating floor installation. The instructions say to lay the boards so that you have a gap of 1/16" for every 27" of flooring. My room length wise is 32ft. So that means I need a gap on both sides of 7/8". I was planning to use quarter round to conseal the expansion gap but I think that is just too large.

How do you handle this situation? I guess one option is T-molding somewhere in the flooring so that it has an extra expansion gap.

Any ideas?

Thanks

**Floorwizard** · 02-22-2005, 03:56 PM

1/4 Expansion usually up against any immovable object (walls ect...)
What you may be talking about is a break in the room if the room is really large, and yes, a t molding would do that.

**Teetorbilt** · 02-22-2005, 06:17 PM

You don't say where you are. Humidity RANGE is important, here we have a maximum of 40% (from 60-100, average is 80). Know where you are in this range when you install and set your gaps accordingly. Watch the drywall, here most drywallers hang about 1/2" off of the floor. With laminates and basic underlay you can go right to the wall and still have 1/2" (drywall thickness) to play with. I jump to a 3/8" gap at about 40+ ft. if the humidity is low and go to 1/8" if it is maxed.

Codewiz · 02-22-2005, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teetorbilt

You don't say where you are. Humidity RANGE is important, here we have a maximum of 40% (from 60-100, average is 80). Know where you are in this range when you install and set your gaps accordingly. Watch the drywall, here most drywallers hang about 1/2" off of the floor. With laminates and basic underlay you can go right to the wall and still have 1/2" (drywall thickness) to play with. I jump to a 3/8" gap at about 40+ ft. if the humidity is low and go to 1/8" if it is maxed.

I live in Charleston, SC so the humidity is high. High pretty much year around. We don't want to move the baseboards up so I don't know how low the drywall is hung.

**Teetorbilt** · 02-22-2005, 09:30 PM

IMHO pulling the base makes for a more finished install and also gives a chance to upgrade the home with better bboard. Shoe mould looks like a tacky coverup, which it is.

Codewiz · 02-22-2005, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teetorbilt

IMHO pulling the base makes for a more finished install and also gives a chance to upgrade the home with better bboard. Shoe mould looks like a tacky coverup, which it is.

I just don't see how it is possible without making the rest of the house look bad. The flooring is going down just in one major room. If I move the baseboard up in the one room, it will look stupid in the rest of the house. If I move all my baseboards up then it will mess up the carpet in the other rooms.

**Floorwizard** · 02-23-2005, 01:23 PM

I see plenty of times where the baseboards are moved up, or if it's just going to be slight, then the baseboards are ripped down so when it's installed, it matches height with the rest of the house.

toddy · 03-05-2005, 11:43 AM

T Moulding Whithin Door Threshol, Followed By 20 Mil Hemp Rope,around Expansion Gap.its Diferent& Cheap& Very Easy To Install