What are Tongues and Grooves?

Each plank has two kinds of edges. Tongues and grooves. Tongues stick out past the finished wood. They slip into the grooves which are notches or channels in the planks. The groove helps lock the tongue in place and that keeps the boards from coming up. You also have to staple into the tongue side. This means that your first piece should have a tongue pointing towards you when you lay it down on the floor.

I lined up the first piece with my two marks and made sure that the tongue was exposed. The planks also have tongues and grooves on the ends. Make sure the first piece is held in place and put a staple in one end. Since this is the first piece, make sure your lined up on your mark and staple the other end. Here’s the fun part. Hold the stapler on the tongue and you can slide it down the wood, pulling the trigger every 4 inches or so. You’ll get to where you almost sound like a machine gun eventually. 🙂

In this case, you can use a level to press up against your stapled piece and draw a line for the next piece. I only needed a short piece to finish out the first course of the hallway. The groove simply covers the tongue and you line things up to make sure you’re straight, then staple it down in the same way.

The Second Course of Laminate

Here is where the trick comes in. You do not want any seams to be within 8 inches of adjacent courses. This means that the next course can’t start with the same size piece as the first course did. If you want to create a random pattern, do not start each new course with a predictable piece (for example going from 36″ to 24″ to 12″). There are several sizes to choose from in the box, and if you’re starting a new course, you always have the privilege of cutting a piece (cut the side that will start at the wall though!) if you need something to fit just right.

The Stanley Bostitch gun we had came with a white block that is used to tap the laminate into place. This is a great tool that did a great job. It was also nice of Stanley to include it with the purchase of the gun. You lay the block up against the laminate and tap it into place. You have to tap on the end as well sometimes. You want a fairly snug fit at all times. Once it’s in place, staple away. You can now go from one end to the other because you do not have to worry about the board moving on you.

You basically continue on in this way staggering your seams and keeping things tight. Every once in awhile measure from one end of a course to the snapped line that you have, then measure from the other end of the course to the snapped line. This will tell you if you’re drifting and if you check often enough, you can ‘fix’ this by tapping harder on one end or relaxing the other end a bit to make up for it. You do not want to do something like that in just 5 or 6 courses though, so check often. Again, we are talking a hallway here, so there is little room for error. It’s short pieces.

Before we go much further, how do we deal with door jams?

There are many different types of floors available in the market. All these types have there own advantages and disadvantages. These are available in different sizes, colors, quality and at different locations. The main reason for having these floors in so many varieties is to accommodate us. People have different liking and disliking, a color that one person likes might be disliked by another. A floor type that one person like will not be liked by another person. In order to satisfy all the people a wide range of these floors is available in the market.

Life has become so fast these days that you can not spend much time shopping for your house. Looking for different materials for your house, looking for contractors and making designs for your house is a time consuming job. Not every one has so much time to go to the market and spend hours looking for the right material. In order to remove this hurdle the concept of online shopping has been introduced. You can now automatically buy anything form these online stores. These stores have allowed a 24 hours shopping service to us. We can access them from anywhere at any time and place our orders.

Floors are also available in these online shopping stores. You can find concrete slabs to marble floors to the latest wooden floors. These floors are available in all sizes and colors that you can expect to find in the local market. You can even receive discounts and great deals while buying online. You may receive a 10 or 15% off when buying from a specific online store. These stores even provide you the same warranty that you would have got the company. They will also provide you with the customer service. Another advantage of online stores is that they will drop the stuff at your doorstep. This also saves you time. The main problem that comes is in quality. You may have selected a different quality types but a different one arrives. If you have a good idea you will be able to judge the fault, other wise just return the stuff in its same form and the store will accept it.

You can get the floors in your desired colors. There is a wide range of colors available online. All you have to do is to select them and place your order. This is known as one click purchasing. With just a click of buttons you are purchasing the whole floor for your house . The payment method is also very simple and wont take long. All you need is an account. The store will charge you and you will pay the required amount online. If some how the transactions gets interrupted during the transfer than do not worry as your money wont be lost. As long as the money has not reached the account of the store the transaction is incomplete and your money is in your hands. Online shopping stores have allowed us to shop while staying home.

Laminate flooring is a relatively new but very popular flooring option. It has only been around for about 20 years but is by far the fastest growing segment of the flooring industry. There are very strong reasons for this incredible popularity but there are also negatives that you should be aware of if you are looking to purchase a laminate floor.

Although most laminate floor styles look like hardwood floors they are not and they are not a type of engineered wood floor either. Because the pattern in most advertisements for laminate flooring is wood grain many people get the mistaken impression that it is a real hardwood veneer laminated to a fiberboard core but that is simply not the case. They are actually paper imprinted with a high quality photographic image, usually of wood, although it can also be printed to simulate ceramic, terrazzo, marble or terra cotta. This paper is then laminated to a high density fiber board (HDF) base. The laminate surface is then sealed with a protective long lasting coating, usually a highly scratch resistant aluminum oxide finish. The idea is to get a tough and durable flooring material that is also very inexpensive and easy to care for. Like any attempt to simulate the look of wood sometimes it is very effective and at other times it is not particularly convincing. The thicker laminate floors (12 mm.) Actually sound like a hardwood floor when you walk on them. Typically, laminate floors capture the look of a hardwood floor but do not always have the warmth, character and beauty. The best way to decide if the look is acceptable for you is to request a sample from the manufacturer. Most companies offer free samples of their laminate floor patterns.

The advantages of laminate floors make it a very convincing option. Quality laminate floors are generally much more water, stain and scratch resistant and will not fade or dent when compared to hardwood floors. Hardwood floors also require more maintenance and are not as durable. Hardwood floors are porous and as such are subject to stains, water absorption and dents. The better laminate floors have water resistant cores and the edges are wax impregnated so they are suitable for use in bathrooms, kitchens and other rooms that have occasional water spills. Most of the high-end laminate floors come with a lifetime warranty and can handle heavy traffic areas. However, the buyer has to be aware of some of the cheaper laminate floors. Many can not be used in bathrooms or kitchens because the core is not protected from moisture absorption. Many warranties specifically state that the product is not intended for bathrooms or other areas subject to water spills. Also, the seal on the top of some of the cheaper laminates will start to show wear after only a few years in heavy traffic locations. Many of the less expensive laminates have only a 10 year warranty. So make sure you match the quality of the floor with the traffic requirements and water exposure of the area.

It is difficult to compete with the time tested beauty, elegance and warmth of hardwood floors. Some people are not comfortable with simulations or artificial anything and will only settle for the real thing. However, if the sticker shock of hardwood floors has you reeling laminate floors may give you what you are looking for at an acceptable price and with better durability and reduced maintenance.