abunch of laminate questions

Fastforward999

appreciate all the help guys. can i install laminate flooring on a pier and beam floor? house was built in the 50"s. its going over hardwood flooring with some cupping to it. floor looks level though. if possible, will it need a vapor barrier or is the padding sufficient? also, what thickness of laminate flooring would you recommend? and the last and final two questions, would i run the laminate the same direction as the hardwood or opposite? and uh would i buy a miter saw or a compound saw for the job. whew. thanks again

joecaption

There has to be a reason this hard wood cupped. Moisture from below the floor is the most likly reason, has this been addressed?
Is there a crawl space under the house, if so is there a 6 mil. moisture barrier on the ground?
Your going to need to install a foam pad made just for laminite flooring to make up for the highs and lows in the floor below, and act as a vaper barrier. I would not run it in the same direction as the old floor, if you do it may rock on the high points.
It will be a whole lot faster to cut it with a mitre saw, your suppost to use an 80 tooth carbide blade to cut it but I've found it works fine to use one with less teeth.
Make sure to buy a tapping block and Z bar to install it. Do not buy the cheap one Buy the Roberts brand. The block is longer, has a handle on it, the Z bar is twice as thick and longer.
Make sure to leave a gap when you come to a wall, pre under cut all the jams before you start working on the floor or there will be chips and saw dust under the flooring.
When your trying to set a piece in place do not try and do it in one pass, as your lowing it kind of wiggle it up and down some to work it into the grove. Once the piece is tapped into to plase use a soft dead blow hammer to tap accross the face to make sure it's not slightly curved up from the floor. Do not use a black rubber mallet it will leave black marks on the floor and walls.

Fastforward999

thanks for the extra info joe, i can crawl underneath the house, not much room,just enough for water piping and such. another question is how thick of laminate should i buy. is thicker better? and would it be ok to rent one of them belt sanders to reduce the cupping in the hardwood? Thanks for all your help!