Vinyl flooring question.... (1 Viewer)

[Dave Poehlman]

The wife and I are looking into getting new flooring in our kitchen/dining area... well the place we're dealing with says we'll need to put quarter round around the perimeter. They said they don't like to remove the baseboards because sometimes they get damaged and also they are putting a 1/4" underlayment and the change in height will cause the baseboards to not line up in some areas.

I'm thinking this is bullshit... first off.. we already have vinyl flooring.. once they remove it... wont there be a gap for the new flooring? Also.. if there is a height difference... I know I've seen saws that people who lay tile and such use to cut along the floorline to create a gap in the baseboards (to fit tiles/laminate under).. without having to remove them... shouldn't a flooring place worth their meddle have something like this?

what a pain in the ass!

 

[Michael*K]

They're pulling up the old tile, but they are also laying down the 1/4" underlayment, so that will probably take up the gap and then some. From the kitchen work I've had done, they should be able to make a cut along the bottom of the baseboard to accomodate the underlayment and tile.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Do you know what kind of saw is used? I know I've seen one.. it looks like a mini-sideways-circular saw.

The reason I ask is, they want to charge me a couple extra hundred bucks to put quarterround in... I have a really open house and I think it'd look silly with quarterround in the kitchen/dining area and not in the rest of the house.

They said I could save the $ and put the quarterround in myself.. but for the money I'd spend on wood and stain.. I could probably buy one of these saws.

 

[Henry Gale]

...they don't like to remove the baseboards because sometimes they get damaged and [they may not] line up in some areas.

How about removing and replacing the baseboard yourself? As far as matching the height of baseboard where it meets a strip from another room, hall, door etc....maybe you could use an inside or outside corner moulding for those transitions.

 

[Nathan_F]

How about doing the whole thing yourself? My wife and I (actually, mainly my wife since I've been traveling) have done our kitchen/foyer/half-bath ourselves. We pulled up, cleaned off the current underlayment with adhesive remover, sealed with a primer, and layed down new 12X12 vinyl squares. We did have to use an offset hand saw for work around door frames, but we were able to slide the new tiles under most of the baseboards without any trouble since we were removing 2 layers. The new squares are about the same thickness as the previous 2 layers.

 

[Lee L]

The quarter round is the standard and best way to do this. All the things they cited are valid reasons. Also one more thing is that the vinyl will be much less likely to peel if it is held down by the trim. As far as it looking different, since it is standard to have quarter round for vinyl or hardwood floors and not for carpet, no one will notice it at all.

More than likely the baseboard was put down after the existing vinyl and that is why it overlaps, you could take the base off as you suggested but there is a high likelyhood that it and the wall will be damaged and you will have topatch and paint the walls then putty and stain/refinish the base again anyway, not to mention any pieces that break, you might as well use the quarter round.

If you were installing 12x12 tiles you might be able to slide the tiles under the existing baseboards and it might look good but with a sheet vinyl, there is really no way to cut the sheet a half inch bigger all the way around and get it to go under the baseboards, the vinyl is too likely to tear when getting forced under the edge. The amount of time with associated with doing this and the overall difficulty would definitely be an extra cost as there is no way the flooring place

One trick that makes it much easier is to stain the quarter round before it is put down, then all you have to do is putty the holes and slap a final quick coat of clear sealer on and after looking at your website, if the trim in your kitchen is the same light honey oak that the pictures show you can probably just get away with using only the putty if it is a good match.

The saw you were talking about is available here but the power saws cost more than the wood will cost and not much less than what the floor company wants.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Thanks for the info, Lee. I think I will break down and get the quarteround....

Although the Mrs and I are still kicking around the idea of putting in laminate tile ourselves. The cost would be about the same as hiring someone to put in the vinyl. (less the elbow grease, of course)

I never knew floors were so damn complicated.

 

[Henry Gale]

A few years ago I hired a local flooring company to put down plywood and then sheet vinyl in my kitchen. Considering the condition of the floor in my old house I suggested 1/2" plywood, which I of course would be paying extra for. They were sure that 1/4" would be adequate. It was not, more than one seam was quite evident. What they did, at my insistance, was to put another layer of plywood down (in the other direction) and then another new floor. Don't know what the "R" value of all those layers is but I think it stays warmer in there now.