:thumbsup: Has anyone used this yet? We are considering it for the master bedroom. It seems to be easy to install like laminate, but has the high quality of real wood. I'm just looking for opinions and suggestions on this. Lowes is having a 20% off sale on special order flooring. Thanks!
thanks for the replies! It is 3/8" thick. When looking at the end, it looks like plywood. We went to Lowes to get some samples last night. I guess my question was a little vague. I'm wondering about the ease of installation? Also, if the planks are laid parallell to the floor joists, will I see "ridges" when looking across the floor? I have 3/4" ply over 2x4 joists, with the "4" side being the nailing surface for the subfloor. The joist spacing is 2' and when gutting the bathroom, I noticed the subfloor sags a little between the joists.
3/8 is thin but still a wood that will be o.k.
gluing to subfloor is fine, it is an engineered (ply) so that is acceptable, but the sagging needs to be corrected before install.
I thought about using it in my basement. Bought a case and tried to lay it out on my floor as a test. Pure crap. It will not lay flat. Cups. I suspect that if I had connected the whole case, I would've ended up with a tube. It's junk.
I just used this flooring today and I did about 1/3 of my office/living room. I love it. You have to be sure to press the locking edge under the receiving edge firmly before you lay it down and some boards won't lay down as well as others but so far 90% of the boards I have laid have went in with ease and the other 10% worked elsewhere. The only point where there is any issue is the space where the two rooms meet. Laying the floor was so easy that I just picked up what I had laid in that area and did it again. As for the "cupping" comment: of course there will a little of that if you lay a few pieces without a moulding to hold the edges down. Even when I was in the store putting samples together they weren't flat but the weight of the floor and the moulding keep the floor in line. I used a spare box or two to weight the floor down while I was working. I'm actually looking forward to finishing up tommorrow.
PS - I bought at Lowe's during the 20% off sale too.
I stumbled across this board while looking for information about the Lock & Fold flooring. I'm looking at trying it late this year but it will be a big project at ~750 sqft. In the meantime I'm gonna be scouring the net looking for comments and tips.
smgray- thanks for the pic and the positive comments. I'd welcome any helpful hints you come up with based on your experiences. That goes for anyone else out there (Sedwick??)
zel- I'd love to hear your experience if you try it but I agree with Florcraft, everything I have read has stressed the need for the subfloor to be completely level.
I am on a slab so one of my questions concerns verifying the concrete moisture content. They recommend using a "Tramex concrete moisture encounter meter". Since I've never had to have my concrete moisture measured, is that something I can rent from a typical hardware store?
If this thread is still alive when I finish mine I'll be sure to post my comments.
The subfloor needs to be very flat in a newer building but the slight dips in my concrete subfloor has given the floor a sound that is authentic for a 90 year old condo. Just be sure not to leave and tiny bits of plaster, concrete, tile or anything hard under the floor. I have only cut about six pieces in laying 200+ sq. ft. The less you cut the better as any peice you cut will have limited utility once you cut off the locking edge. It takes a long time to lay it without cutting but they give you enough variations in length to fit almost any space.
smgray, that looks sharp! Is that color gunstock? Also, is underlayment recommended, and if so, what are you using?
My project will be ~1,000 sf, so I hate to to even think of 'professional' installation cost of any other hardwoods. Ease of install is a huge perk (and I'll definitely be in the market come 20% off).
We decided to go with standard 3/4" hardwood for this bedroom. We went with Brazillian Cherry from Lumber Liquidators. I am still considering the lock and fold for the basement in the near future, so any experience is great to know. Good Luck!
It took me a month to finish my 650 sq ft condo working after work and the odd Saturday (and moving really slowly to boot). The floor looks great but the subfloor needs to be really flat. I used a high mil plastic sheeting and red rosin paper over my concrete subfloor. It worked well in almost every area and was less expensive than most other methods. I took my time and I would say that my waste was less than 5% including some pieces that were warped or had seperated plys out of the box which I used some parts of in the closets. I went with the Gunstock and I ended up with about 3/4 of a box left over.
I would be interested in any updates from the April, 2007 discussion posted here.
I am currently considering Bruce lock'n'fold, available on Ebay from multiple vendors for <$2.00/sq.ft. This is awfully cheap; I'm worried whether it is any good. Does anyone have any experience with it?
I have previously put down Barlinek floating flooring, and its OK; seems to be durable, but doesn't really look like wood, although I believe it is supposed to be.
I would be interested in any updates from the April, 2007 discussion posted here.
I am currently considering Bruce lock'n'fold, available on Ebay from multiple vendors for <$2.00/sq.ft. This is awfully cheap; I'm worried whether it is any good. Does anyone have any experience with it?
I have previously put down Barlinek floating flooring, and its OK; seems to be durable, but doesn't really look like wood, although I believe it is supposed to be.
Hi Bob, I looked at the deals on eBay when I first started considering this. You should know that those sales are probably for 2nd quality (cabin grade) product. I even emailed one seller in particular asking if the Lock & Fold was the same type and quality as found at Lowe's. He said it was but I emailed a customer of his that I found had purchased it and they said it was cabin grade. Cabin grade come with no warranty, may be filled with small pieces or may have finish/color issues. I decided I am better off just just waiting for Lowes to run their 20% off sale and buy it then.
I am currently one of the vendors on ebay that sell the bruce Lock & Fold for under $2.00 per sq.ft. .
Many consumers have a bad outlook on lower prices....that is why they make feedback for ebay.
Bruce does carry a Value grade line and simply it is exactly what it is....a VALUE to the customer. That is true, Value grade does mean Cabin grade but w/ a warranty directly from Bruce stating that they will guarentee that it will go together and that the finish will not wear out.
To everyone's surprise, over 80% of the population buys cabin grade hardwood.....simply b/c it is much cheaper and it has beautiful characteristics instead of the same on DULL lock that the 1st quality gives.
There are some bad pieces and the distributor recommends you buying 8% overage, for culling those bad pieces that you might not want to use, but with the 8% overage that you are buying, you can build a 1st quality looking floor (if that is what you want) and depending on the job size, savings of over $1000.00 dollars.
And by the way, no one will EVER know that you went cheap on your hardwood.
Another thing that Bruce's distributors will tell you straight up that the big box store by cabin grade hardwood, and b/c they are so big...Bruce will put WHATEVER warranty that they want on the box.
I hope this helps you in making a wise financial decision in the future and stop listening to individuals who want to put Cabin grade flooring down.
I am not trying to sell you anything but trust me when I say that everyone in Dalton, GA (Carpet Capitol of the world) knows their flooring products!!
Take care
I just completed the first room with this the other day. I'm a little disappointed, I have to admit. I'm noticing a LOT of boards are warped. I ordered the recommended 10% overage but I'm wondering if that was enough. I've combatted this problem by trying to bend the boards back gently. It works most of the time unless I put too much pressure and I hear a crack. Then it basically goes to the junk pile. It's kind of a pain to do this but I really don't want to waste these if I don't have to. So, I finished the first room and noticed that the floor doesn't lay completely flat. The subfloor is plywood and was pretty flat so not sure what went wrong. It's not horrible but you definately notice as you step on it that the boards sink maybe 1/8" a bit. You can also hear a little tapping sound as you step in certain parts.
Being the first flooring project I've ever done, I pretty much decided that this particular room was going to be the practice room. I didn't weed out the bad boards when I first started and that may be part of the problem. So, now I know. However, I still have a feeling that there may still be an issue even if I weed out the bad pieces.
I should also note that I'm using the "floor muffler" underlayment. The instructions with the underlayment said to lay it parallel to the joists but the flooring instructions said to lay the underlayment in the same direction that the flooring would go. The flooring would go perpendicular. So, these are conflicting instructions. I decided to go with the underlayment instructions. Could that cause the boards not to lay flat?
One last thing. I woke up this morning and thought that maybe I could use a staple gun in the groove to solve the problem. I know this would defeat the whole lock and fold thing but I really don't want to do the whole house and have it feel like fake flooring. I figure that solid hardwood floors are nailed and glued down so how bad could it be?
I am installing this stuff for the first time, and have been documenting the process. I am not a professional flooring guy, I am just moderately handy around the house, i.e., I can fix toilets, install light fixtures/ceiling fans, etc. By day I am an attorney, so if I can do this, anyone can. You can view photos of my progress on my web album. As of the date of this post, I have prepped the room so I am ready to begin the installation. I will keep the web album up to date, so check there for updates.
I am installing this stuff for the first time, and have been documenting the process. I am not a professional flooring guy, I am just moderately handy around the house, i.e., I can fix toilets, install light fixtures/ceiling fans, etc. By day I am an attorney, so if I can do this, anyone can. You can view photos of my progress on my web album. As of the date of this post, I have prepped the room so I am ready to begin the installation. I will keep the web album up to date, so check there for updates.
I started mine first of the year and almost done. I went with the 5in width
amarratto color. It appears you do not have any door jams - lucky you. I have 5 and is the last part of the project. Funny, the last 50 sq feet will take the longest it appears.
I used T-molding in my project already - around the fireplace and dinning room to kitchen - looks good. However, the pieces are cut and being held in place by gravity only - how are you planning on Permanently attaching these pieces?
I purchased my floor at Loews. The floor was fairly easy to install and cut around floor vents, etc. I went with the 5in width and would recommend it.
I would also recommend using boxes to hold down the floor flat as you put the next row on - very helpful.
I installed about 600 square feet. The only part left are the door jams in the hallway - not looking forward to this.
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