Pergo Questions???????????????

We're about to do 5 rooms of Pergo in the house and have a few questions. We have the first room about ready to go, did self leveling floor coating and all cleaned. Have the vapor barrier all ready, too. We have found hints and info on how to lock the panels together and things like that, but we were wondering if there was a good site saying how to best cut around doors and closet opening, where to start with an entrance door (don't want the locking lip left on the door opening and also don't want a very narrow piece in the door opening for sure) and things like that.

Does anyone have a good link to get info on things like that?

Reply to
infiniteMPG
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infiniteMPG wrote the following:

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Reply to
willshak

Thanks but we actually just watched that about 10 minutes before posting my question. That is a great video to show how to lock the panels together but we're looking for more of a "This is where you need to lay the first panel down" or "This is the best way to lay the transition piece in a main door entranceway" kind of info :O/

Reply to
infiniteMPG

Yes, the Pergo site.

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Pay special attention of _when_ you need to use _T_ molding at doorways, always use a _T_ molding when a doorway is under 4ft. Never start at a doorway either. Also, your layout is critical, just like with tile. Nobody can give you an answer for this, you need to figure out _your_ layout. I don't know if this is on their site, but avoid having a _sliver_ of flooring 2" or less. You _need_ to figure this out with your layout.

I did take their course in Raleigh NC, for being an endorsed installer. It's been probably 6-7 yrs.

I've seen people reply in threads b/4, they would fire a installer putting in _T_ molding at doorways. Unfortunately for them, Pergo warranty insists on it in doorways under a 4 ft opening. The reason being is different rooms have different humidity & temps. The flooring contracts/expands at different rates, same goes for closets.

Enjoy your project.

Reply to
casey

A few suggestions:

  • Measure carefully to get the planks to come out the way you want them. There's no other solution.
  • Remove the baseboard, then replace it after the floor is down. You can skip putting on quarter-round that way.
  • Consider putting an expansion joint in the middle of every doorway. You have to have expansion joints every so far anyway.
  • Undercut door jambs instead of trying to fit the planks to the molding. Put a Pergo scrap and a layer of padding down next to the jamb, then lay your hand saw flat on the Pergo. This spaces everything nicely so you can slide planks under the door jamb.
Reply to
SteveBell

The first thing I'd do is make absolutely sure Pergo is what you want to install in 5 rooms. Of course, everything depends on the house, what similar houses in the area have, your future intentions, etc. I would certainly use Pergo in certain applications, like finishing a basement office, etc. But given all the labor and that you can get some decent engineered or total wood products for not all that much more, I think in many cases going with real wood makes more sense. I've never seen anyone advertise a home for sale noting that it has Pergo flooring.

Reply to
trader4

May as well put down fake wood grain vinyl. Pergo is only a little less ugly.

Reply to
Tony

snipped-for-privacy@optonline.net wrote in news:7d0183b2-f061-440d-b4c8-f49215490a82 @g12g2000vbl.googlegroups.com:

And not sure where the OP is located but also keep in mind the floor will be colder, especially where they are unheated below.

Reply to
Red Green

It will be bragged about in new construction because the default is sheet vinyl and mid-grade carpeting. A good laminate IS a step up from that. I would only mention it when selling an existing home if the buyer had dogs. It is a great surface for that, second only to ceramic or stone.

Reply to
Rick Brandt

The home is in west central Florida, home of burning sun, salt water and scratching sand. We have shopped around heavily and the BIG point against real wood floor is scratching, staining and discoloration from sun. We have been in homes with real wood whenever anything was slid on the flooring it left it's mark, permanently. When part of the floor got direct sun, it discolored. When something was spilled on it or it got wet with salt water (yeah we fish, jet ski, swim and do lots in the salt water) it discolored.

Even when shopping we walked by the real wood, I reached up to the sample pieces and in most I could make a pretty deep mark with my fingernail. With pets and kids around and all that comes with having an active home, Pergo might not be "prime" but it's looks a boatload better then real wood that is scratched and marred by every day living here in the sunshine state. We're not remodeling a show home, we're remodeling a functional home that will more likely have a mountain bike run thru the house into the back yard then a cocktail party. We want a floor that will last with low maintenance, easy install and good resilience to life (scratches, spills, stains, sun, sand, etc).

Oh yeah, we put diving boards on basements in Florida and call them pools :O)

Thanks for the help!

Reply to
infiniteMPG

Older homes in Florida had Terrazzo floors finished on the slab. You couldn't tear that stuff up. Too late now, but staining the concrete slab would cover all the things you mentioned , basically, an occasional sealing of the stain.

If you find a product brand you like, ask to open the box for instructions and check them out.

Happy fishing!

Reply to
Oren

I wonder if anyone these days puts terrazzo in new homes. We have it in our kitchen, baths and hallway. After I stripped, sealed and shined it, it is beautiful....redo that about every 2-3 years, if I'm in the mood. Tile in other rooms....I wouldn't have wood or pergo right now, esp. near beach. The other units in our condo have tiled over their terrazzo because it looks like crap if it isn't decently maintained. The only thing that might harm our tile is dropping red wine or maybe some oily stuff on the grout....damp mop once in a while. Tile on a slab might be brutal with small children or elderly people subject to falls. Terrazzo is very slippery if it gets wet.

Reply to
norminn

You don't cut around doors - you undercut the door frames and slide the solid flooring in the gap. You can get an undercut saw at the box store for about ten dollars. Much better is a multifunction tool. Fein makes one for about $350 or you can get the Harbor Freight model for less than forty dollars.

You WILL end up with bizzare widths somewhere and a doorway is probably the best place since you'll usually have a transition piece between the doorway and the hall. The alternative is a narrow strip on the far wall from the door. This makes the room look like it was set on top of an existing floor and the far wall merely a portable divider.

You say you have the first room about ready; did you remove the baseboards? If not, I strongly recommend it. The flooring job will be easier, you can repair and repaint the baseboards more easily, and, best of all, you can avoid those hideous quarter-round trim pieces.

Reply to
HeyBub

"HeyBub" wrote in news:c5SdnZKs-9HBV63WnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.com:

A few yeas back I put a laminate floor in 3 rooms. Used an undercut saw. Overall, it came out awesome. Looking back and now having used a HF multifunction tool, I would have killed for even a HF one.

Hint to OP: If you don't already know how, you need to learn to "scribe" if ("if", HA!) your wall lengths are not straight.

Reply to
Red Green

One can also undercut baseboards if needed...we had it done when our liv. and din. rooms were tiled...so glad we did it. There is no quarter-round, just the baseboard, and no sign that they have been cut (done just after they had been painted :o). Probably different issues with Pergo as to evenness of the cut and how to conceal it. If a quarter round is installed, then it is easier. I had proposed tearing off all of our baseboards because I had seen neighbors condos with same layout and who had tiled up to the bb and grouted around door frames...not pretty.

The guy who did the undercuts was a sub to the flooring contractor who installed the tile....it is all the guy does.

Reply to
norminn

Undercut BASEBOARDS! Jeeze!

An 11 x 14 room translates into about FIFTY LINEAR FEET of undercutting!

Did he use some sort of tool or did he pull a beaver and just gnaw the stuff?

Reply to
HeyBub

"HeyBub" wrote in news:LK6dnehbUbDqoq_WnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.com:

Ditto.

Or mark on the wall, above the baseboard height, with like painters tape that is not overly sticky. Probably don't want it ripping paint off when done.

Reply to
Red Green

"HeyBub" wrote in news:LK6dnehbUbDqoq_WnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.com:

A pro would have an undercut saw:

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Job would justify the cost. Not cheap!

Reply to
Red Green

I use a pair of diagonal pliers. From the backside of the BB - grasp and pry them out. If they happen to snap off, then a snip with the pliers cutting the nail off.

Often you never see any damage of the front, no "real" holes to fill.

Reply to
Oren

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