Cutting already installed laminate floor

We had a family member cut the laminate at one point where it meets some tile and im not sure how he did it, but i dont want to consult him on this as he made a total mess of the floor at the time.

We were considering just ripping out all the laminate in the kitchen area and installing tile but we would need to cut into some as the rest of the house is laminate planks. How labor intensive is it and what tools or tips do I need to do this?

I should mention that i do have a circular saw or a dremel tool that i could use if thats possible.

 

#1, Laminate never should have been installed in a kitchen.
Got a picture? Trying to figure what the different floors are your talking about.
Laminate and laminate planks?

 

Aaahhh, reasonable change. Laminate in a kitchen should violate law, but it doesn't Are you talking about cutting a border for the tile? It can be accomplished with a circle saw to an extent, but running into cabinets, or walls, you lose the ability to make complete cuts. Your dremel may come in handy there. You will need to install 1/4" concrete backer or Ditra on the kitchen subfloor prior to the tile, so you are going to be raising the floor slightly, necessitating a transition strip where the new tile will meet the old laminate. You can purchase premade transition strips that will conform to your drop, or you can make them if you have tools and skills. Your laminate is floating so it must remain floating under your transition strip, so don't try and make it stationary after you cut it.

 

here is a photo of the whole kitchen, ill list off what the numbers are in the picture.

1- Where the cut would be made and transition from tile to laminate planks
2- Another area where the transition from tile to laminate planks would be, although its already separated there.
3- Where the cuts have been made(it was made to stop the leaking dishwasher from ruining the laminate planks.

Also i should add that everything is currently laminate planks, I kind of typed that wrong.
The picture makes the floor look nice and new as it usually does but its actually water damaged and chipping

 

i agree that it shouldnt be installed in a kitchen, just as how its not in bathrooms.
Here is a picture to kind of give an idea of what im planning.


I am planning on cutting where the 1 is, making it a tiny length to cut. The whole Kitchen would be tiled instead from that point. The 2 is where a transition for a height difference is for a strange reason and also a place where the tile and laminate would meet, although no cutting is necessary here because it is only joined by the transition strip. and lastly the 3 is where the tile is already(long story why) but it would be ripped out and replaced with new tile.

 

Thanks for the picture. Pull transition strip 2 and pull all the laminate up, stopping at a point just short of the opening 1. If you see that a cut is necessary, then that should be the only cut to be made. Is the laminate click lock or glue up? If click lock, you can remove one extra piece, rip it with a saw and click it back in place forming a smooth transition. You need to determine why the kitchen floor is raised. Is it due to linoleum and 1/4" plywood? If so, it all has to go. But no worries, as you will be installing 1/4" cbu prior to tile. Of course all your trim and quarter round has to come up.

 

The kitchen height difference is most likely due to the fact that there probably is several layers of previous flooring underneath the laminate. Most likely some 1/4" plywood underlayment and linoleum from a previous floor that is still down there. When ever I see laminate in a kitchen, I automatically assume it is there to hide issues with previous flooring and someone was too lazy to remove the old flooring. Therefore, they float over it with the laminate. These additional layers will have to be removed before you tile.

I see no issues with the opening #1 in your picture. When you get there during the tearout, simply unlock the flooring back to your desired breaking point and add a transition strip. You will need to remove the shoe molding and possible the base molding as well. The floor should be floating nicely between the two walls and easily peeled back to a desired spot.

 

The floor is the locking style, the house is built on a slab but could very well be vinyl flooring as the laundry room and closet off the hall has vinyl that is original to the house and the laminate was added in 2004 i believe by other home owners