Installing New Floor in Texas

On my first trip to Texas a few months ago, the goal was to look at the work that needed to be done, take measurements, and basically see what we could get done in a about a week. I flew in on a Tuesday afternoon and came back on Thursday evening, so there wasn’t a lot of time to work on any major projects, but I thought since I was there, I might as well get something started! I had my brother go ahead an pick up the flooring he had already ordered, as well as a saw, just in case I had time to start on the floor.

The Living Room floor was originally wood, so, of course with the water damage he had the previous winter, it had all been removed. He chose a wood look laminate for durability. The floor he chose did not require any underlayment, so the only real pre-work to do before installing was to remove some excess glue/caulk that the contractors missed when they removed the old floor.

After getting the glue off the row of tiles where the kitchen floor meets the living room floor, it was simply a process of getting the first few rows as straight and square as possible. Of course, after trying the suggested ‘score and snap with a knife’ process of trimming the flooring, I realized we needed a jig saw, so another trip to the store for a level, square, jig saw and a large chisel to remove some of the larger glue chunks left on the floor.

Since I wasn’t able to really start laying floor until Wednesday mid day, I didn’t get as far as I would’ve liked in the time I was there, but after day one, almost half the room was complete. And, I’m convinced there is no such thing as a simple click-lock floor install….it was a process of working in nearly every seam to get a good fit while making sure not to damage the board:(

On Thursday, I got up and worked until I had to get ready for my flight, so in total, just over 3/4 of the floor was finished when I left. I was also able to show my brother how to install it, and had him help a little here and there when he was finished working.

At least now he’s able to have some furniture back in the room, and can work on the remaining floor as he has time.