Help. installing quick step laminate and Scotia for expansion gap

Sam3007

Hi there all,

It is my first time doing a  "major" DIY job. I am planning to install my quick step laminate flooring and scotia myself. 

The house is a new build and from what I have been told the wall/floor line will only have skirting board already installed

My questions are:

1- Am I correct in assuming that I should leave an expansion gap between the start/end the laminate boards and the edge of the already-installed shirting board (without cutting it) and then glue the scotia to cover the gap?

2- Do I need to install scotia underneath the kitchen units, or just leave an expansion gap and seal it with the foam and silicon on top ?

3- I have bought my underlay from Amazon before coming across quick step. The type I have opted for is (acoustic gold 5mm) and it had great reviews and a reasonable price. Will using this underlay, instead of quick step underlay, cause any major issue? 

4- Do I need to do anything to prepare the floor for the underlay apart from hovering ?

thanks a lot

grumbler

1 - Yes, but this is the simplest method, not the best. The best is to remove the skirting boards and then fix them back.  Or undercut them with a multitool (or a special tool) on three sides of the room and use 'scotia' on the fourth. And if glueing, you glue it to the skirting board, not to the floor - otherwise the expansion gap makes no sense.

2 - by 'underneath' do you mean near the wall under the units?

3,4 - if the quality of the base is good you can use any underlay you want and no extra preparation is needed.

Sam3007

grumbler said:

1 - Yes, but this is the simplest method, not the best. The best is to remove the skirting boards and then fix them back.  Or undercut them with a multitool (or a special tool) on three sides of the room and use 'scotia' on the fourth. And if glueing, you glue it to the skirting board, not to the floor - otherwise the expansion gap makes no sense.

thanks for your reply. If I go for the second method, how will I be able to put and then remove the spacers or insert the foam, and why should I undercut the skirting board on only three sides of the room please? 

I think it might be much easier to just remove the skirting board but I am not sure how difficult it will be as I don't know how they were fixed to the walls. 

grumbler said:

2 - by 'underneath' do you mean near the wall under the units?

Sorry, I meant the line between the laminate flooring and the bottom part of the kitchen units such as the oven because I have seen some photos of kitchens without any skirting board or Scotia being used.

FreeBear

Sam3007 said: I think it might be much easier to just remove the skirting board but I am not sure how difficult it will be as I don't know how they were fixed to the walls.

It could be nailed to the wall, but more likely fixed with a grab adhesive.

grumbler

Sam3007 said:

grumbler said:

1 - Yes, but this is the simplest method, not the best. The best is to remove the skirting boards and then fix them back.  Or undercut them with a multitool (or a special tool) on three sides of the room and use 'scotia' on the fourth. And if glueing, you glue it to the skirting board, not to the floor - otherwise the expansion gap makes no sense.

thanks for your reply. If I go for the second method, how will I be able to put and then remove the spacers or insert the foam, and why should I undercut the skirting board on only three sides of the room please?

Not sure what sort of foam it is, but you put it under the skirting board fist, without any spacers.

With regard to the forth side, just think how the boards get assembled/connected together and you'll see that it's impossible to put the boards slightly under the fixed skirting boards on all four sides.  Even for three sides it can be not easy.

That said, IMO, for a small room it's OK not to have an expansion gap on the final side where the skirting board wasn't undercut.

I think it might be much easier to just remove the skirting board but I am not sure how difficult it will be as I don't know how they were fixed to the walls. 

So do I. Most likely they are glued (and, possibly, nailed). I'd replaced them with new ones screwed to the wall, but it's a big job for a new DIYer.

Sorry, I meant the line between the laminate flooring and the bottom part of the kitchen units such as the oven because I have seen some photos of kitchens without any skirting board or Scotia being used.

I expect the bottom part of the units (plinth) to be removable and, in this case,  the flooring planks have to go under it.

grumbler

If you go for undercutting, put the flooring plank upside down on the underlay and use it as a firm guide for the multitool blade for the exact level of undercutting.

NSG666

Sam3007 said:

Hi there all,

It is my first time doing a  "major" DIY job. I am planning to install my quick step laminate flooring and scotia myself. 

The house is a new build and from what I have been told the wall/floor line will only have skirting board already installed

A long shot but worth asking - can you pay the developer / builder to fit it for you then the skirtings will be fitted on top? Or can they leave the skirtings off but give you the material to do it yourself (even if you have to pay a joiner to fit them for you)? 

I only suggest this as personally I think those trims stuck to skirting look crap - especially in a new build and if you are even considering removing the skirting then they might as well not be fitted in the first place?

Sam3007

grumbler said:

If you go for undercutting, put the flooring plank upside down on the underlay and use it as a firm guide for the multitool blade for the exact level of undercutting.

thanks for the tip. Is there any special technique to do it to make sure I don't cut through the wall?

How will I be able to use the pull bar for the laminate board near the wall and the corners please? 

Sam3007

NSG666 said:

Sam3007 said:

Hi there all,

It is my first time doing a  "major" DIY job. I am planning to install my quick step laminate flooring and scotia myself. 

The house is a new build and from what I have been told the wall/floor line will only have skirting board already installed

A long shot but worth asking - can you pay the developer / builder to fit it for you then the skirtings will be fitted on top? Or can they leave the skirtings off but give you the material to do it yourself (even if you have to pay a joiner to fit them for you)? 

I only suggest this as personally I think those trims stuck to skirting look crap - especially in a new build and if you are even considering removing the skirting then they might as well not be fitted in the first place?

To be honest with you, the laminate flooring was part of the extras we did not go but I did not expect that the builder will still install the skirting boards (they have already been installed). There was a deadline for ordering extras but I will check with the developer if they can help with installation only if I buy the materials.

We have opted for the light grey laminate with gray Scotia but have not confirmed the order yet. I believe light gray Scotia will not look nice with the white skirting boards. The other option will be to buy a white coloured scotia, or cutting under the skirting boards, or remove the old skirting boards and re-installing them again or buying light gray skirting boards

I do agree with you the skirting board will look better, but is it true that the skirting board colour should follow the colour of the laminate boards, instead of being white? We will be using pink and teal colours for the walls.  

grumbler

Sam3007 said:

grumbler said:

If you go for undercutting, put the flooring plank upside down on the underlay and use it as a firm guide for the multitool blade for the exact level of undercutting.

thanks for the tip. Is there any special technique to do it to make sure I don't cut through the wall?

Usually it's a void behind the the skirting board near the floor level, but you'll feel if you reach the plasterboard. Not a big deal if you cut a little into it.

How will I be able to use the pull bar for the laminate board near the wall and the corners please?

I don't remember and it depends on the locking  mechanism of the boards, but you need the bar mainly in the middle of a room. Close to the wall you can use a chisel as lever against  the wall or the skirting board instead. IIRC, some pull bars have one side designed for doing this.

Sometimes it's worth adjusting the locking profile a little to be able to fit the final bit in the horizontal position, without having one side lifted first, and using some PVA instead.

Sam3007

grumbler said:

Sam3007 said:

grumbler said:

If you go for undercutting, put the flooring plank upside down on the underlay and use it as a firm guide for the multitool blade for the exact level of undercutting.

thanks for the tip. Is there any special technique to do it to make sure I don't cut through the wall?

Usually it's a void behind the the skirting board near the floor level, but you'll feel if you reach the plasterboard. Not a big deal if you cut a little into it.

How will I be able to use the pull bar for the laminate board near the wall and the corners please?

I don't remember and it depends on the locking  mechanism of the boards, but you need the bar mainly in the middle of a room. Close to the wall you can use a chisel as lever against  the wall or the skirting board instead. IIRC, some pull bars have one side designed for doing this.

Sometimes it's worth adjusting the locking profile a little to be able to fit the final bit in the horizontal position, without having one side lifted first, and using some PVA instead.

much appreciated