Help or advice with laminate flooring


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Old 09-02-18, 07:04 AM
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Help or advice with laminate flooring

I am looking to replace my carpet and vinyl with laminate flooring. As I pull back the carpet just to see what’s underneath, I notice that there is a gap between the concrete slab and the wall. Any advice or if anybody seen this before?

 
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Old 09-02-18, 07:09 AM
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Can't see your image, but if it concerns you, caulk it. Loctite S10 or S20.
 
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Old 09-02-18, 07:12 AM
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Pics of gap between floor and wall

Here are the pictures of the gap between the wall and the floor along the perimeter of room
 
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Last edited by jjohns309; 09-02-18 at 07:19 AM. Reason: Picture did not send
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Old 09-02-18, 07:38 AM
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Your biggest concern with laminate is that the floor be flat. So if there are any bumps where the slab meets the footing, those will need to be ground down flat. Or check if the footing is higher than the slab anywhere. Use a straight edge on the floor after the carpet is up to determine if there are any dips or humps in the floor. These will need to be fixed with a floor patch, such as Feather Finish. If the floor is not nice and flat you will feel the laminate spring under your feet. Read your mfg's directions on the tolerance they recommend for the subfloor.
 
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Old 09-02-18, 07:42 AM
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Should I feel the gap in with the caulk
 
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Old 09-02-18, 07:50 AM
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No, leave that gap as it. Is this an apartment and you are not on the first floor? Looks like gypcrete to me, which is a sound barrier poured on top of a subfloor for sound proofing.

The gap has no effect on your laminate. Pull the baseboards so you can hide the expansion gap for your new floor easier, undercut the door jambs and casing to fit the floor under and then finish it off with a nice shoe molding stained to match your flooring.
 
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Old 09-02-18, 07:58 AM
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It’s a 2 story town home. That’s does makes since because the gap is almost even around the whole perimeter. I was just curious about the gap. I always had a problem with bugs on the perimeter wall and I figure the gap is why I keep seeing them only on the perimeter
 
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Old 09-02-18, 08:17 AM
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Thank you

I appreciate your help. I am definitely going to start this week
 
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Old 09-02-18, 12:01 PM
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My advice, is to rethink the laminate,

Most people who install it hate it,

It;s just a cheap imitation floor and I would really ask you to consider some type of wood product.

At a min, buy a package or two, lay it out and look at it, see how it feels, see how it sounds. It's not really a good investment!
 
 

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