Glueless laminate floor and glue..

[Abso]

Right, now I'm confused. I've bought Screwfix's Kaindl glueless laminate floor system and the front of the instructions shows a symbol representing a tube of glue with crossing out through it. Although I'm no expert, based on the above I'd be betting that there was no glue required for the installation.

But.. step 12 on the detailed instructions shows what looks like glue being spread along the tongue of the mating section prior to jointing to the adjacent plank. Huh?

Does the "glueless" in glueless laminate floor refer to the fact that the floor isn't glued to the floorboards / slab below, but not necessarily that it isn't glued together? Seems a bit daft if that's the case, but I can't think of another explanation for the instructions involving glueing of the planks.

[Grunff]

Look at the tongues and grooves. Are they profiled so they lock together? If yes, then no glue is required.

But - if you're installing it in a kitchen or bathroom, then you'd glue it. The instructions are merely telling you when you'd apply the glue if you were going to glue.

[Abso]

Yes they are.

Oh right, cool.

So you'd only glue when you need a waterproof seal? That doesn't apply to my living room then. Ta for the reply.

[Abso]

Makes sense.

Heh, yep, but I think they're trying to keep it multilingual by having no words at all. That doesn't work too well if the pictures are as inpenetrable as they are.

[BigWallop]

I should wear me' glasses when trying to read these posts. :-)) I've just read the subject as " Clueless Laminate Floor and Glue ". Now where's me' specs' till I find out what this is all about. :-))

[Abso]

Heh, but a fair description of the original poster. On that basis I'll feel free to ask a dumb sounding question:

What's the best way to cut laminate flooring. I have a hacksaw but it's so small it wouldn't cut right through a plank even if I attack from both sides. My tenon saw might do the trick for cutting planks in half, but I think I might struggle cutting around obstructions. Therefore I think I need to invest in a thin bladed saw, but whether a powered jigsaw is the thing, or simply a larger framed hacksaw or even a coping saw, I'm undecided. Anyone?

[Grunff]

My favourite method is a sliding chopsaw, but you can do a reasonable cut with a good jigsaw.

[Gnube]

As a result of their decision, I can easily imagine this conversation is being had by a smallish group across the whole of Europe as they ALL now struggle with it's consequence! ;O)

Actually, their web site

can be helpful in a slightly abrupt manner at times. They seem to know wood pretty well, but communication seems to have them slightly banjaxed.

What did you make of the "pull iron" tool they seem to want you to use in the details? looks like a bit of bent flat bar to me - never seen one for sale anywhere so far though! Still wondering what the best equivalent might be for that. I'll maybe try and make something.

Take Care, Gnube

[Gnube]

I ended up investing in a Freud 7 1/4" circular, and a mitre board for this job and future ones, I have quite a number of cuts to make, and this can aid the consistency in making them.

With the addition of a Freud 40T pro blade, it cuts very clean, and that's even sawing with right side facing up! Overall a nice tool for the job, but I suspect it may not be an "essential" as such.

A jigsaw with a home made saw board could get you there if the JS and the selected blade are any good to start with - I'm told that straight and square is something you should not need too badly in theory (beading covers the edges), however in practice both could well give you a nicer day while doing it I'd imagine. You'd probably have an interesting time trying to clamp it to cut it with that arrangement in certain situations though.

Take Care, Gnube

[Thomas Prufer]

I know those -- bent flat bar, hook behind the last bit of flooring, step to hammer against and pull the flooring together.

The better ones have a little block of metal welded to them to hammer against. Just a Z-shaped piece of bar will be pounded out of shape eventually.

Very useful if the last bit is under a radiator or otherwise inaccessible, otherwise, any lever wedged between wall and flooring will also work.

Thomas Prufer

[BigWallop]

The only thing with levering, rather than straight pulling, is it has the tendency to lift or lower the edge being levered and put an angle one the joint your trying to put it in to.

[Gnube]

That's why I am going to make a "bash block" with an offset "bash point" I got no shame! ;O)

Take Care, Gnube