Knowledge Base: Clickable flooring

[Bay Arean]

Hola: So I am embarked on a several month-long kitchen remodel with Ms. BA.
All new cabinets, some new appliances, wall demolition and finally new paint, tile and flooring.

Lots of choices, lots of questions regarding electrical, plumbing etc.

But for today, it's this: If any of you have installed clickable flooring, what did you do under your stove and refer? The cabinet contractor says, no appliances over clickable because it ultimately might misalign the planks or cause bunching.

The one we chose thus far is the Core-tec Vinyl planking made from bamboo dust or some such thing (not limestone) with the extra layer of cork underneath so we don't have to roll out underlayment. I mean, we can't even decide on color but that seems to be what tickles our individual expectations.

So what do you do instead? I don't want my refrigerator or stove to take a 1/2 inch dive to subfloor when I push them into final position. And when I want to take them out for occasional cleaning whatever,, it seems like THAT would be injurious to the line to get hit by the weight. One floor guy said get some little tracks (like a bike ramp) to use but that's fine for a wheeled refer, but not stove, or dishwasher now that I think of it. Also, though they are basically standard, what if I get an appliance that is slightly shallower than what's goin in? I mean, the guy at FLoor store wanted me to buy an extra box just in case but....

Do I fill the gap with a sheet of particle board or something? Or just cut some that are in the path of the legs and run it back to wall?

Thing is, you aren't supposed to actually butt the flooring flush with anything anyway. So I'm looking at flooring coming right up to the appliance, then somehow, maintaining a gap yet not moving. They make a special edging for the expansion joint to go up against cabinets.

BUt I can't figure out the basic issue. I mean, if I floor all the way back to wall, I am paying for flooring I'll never see. But that's the way it is now with the old vinyl sheeting and its just fine. It seems to make more sense to me....

Thoughts?

PS. Anybody want to do some electrical and plumbing tasks? I pay good and offer endlessly stimulating conversation and beers after. I can get specific. Not really big tasks but either I climb the learning curve hard or just pay someone to do it who has actual day-to-day experience. Save me from my DIYer trajectory....I spent the morning cheating the man on how to tap into my cold water to run water to new refrigerator as well as set up a dual gangbox for LED dimmer and outlet and how to run up and down finished walls with fancy long drillbits and fishing tools....and that's after I figure out what circuit I am violating as I move the outlets that aren't close by.

Thanks.

PS Internet answers are all over the map on this, I did check....

 

[250mL]

I just had click vinyl planks installed and I chose to run it under the fridge, stove, and dishwasher. Bunching shouldn’t be an issue with this flooring, since the vinyl stuff claims to be dimensionally stable...zero/minimal expansion and contraction with temperature changes.

 

[Bay Arean]

I just had click vinyl planks installed and I chose to run it under the fridge, stove, and dishwasher. Bunching shouldn’t be an issue with this flooring, since the vinyl stuff claims to be dimensionally stable...zero/minimal expansion and contraction with temperature changes.

Thanks. I did read that having a dinky kitchen like we do might make it less liekly to be an issue as well.

Weird thing about the stuff is that it is so DIY-oriented yet they want 3 bucks more PER FOOT to install it. That really surprised me. Well, I mean, not for their wallets because they probably used to do a lot more sheet stuff.

 

[mean dad]

Yeah I have never heard of that. We had the house in B'wood done and no one said anything about appliances.

 

[250mL]

Yeah, I wrestled with the idea of installing it myself, but it was for a rental house. If it was my own house and I could work on it an hour or two a night, I may have tried it, but driving back and forth to get it done myself wasn’t desirable. Took 3 guys on day one, and a single guy on day two. Removed ~500sqft carpet and ~500 sqft linoleum; installed the vinyl plank floooring in one continuos layout, no transition strips.

If your kitchen is small, I say do it yourself. It really is easy to do, especially with the attached underlayment. Rent or buy a specific laminate cutter, so much faster and easier than using miter saw.

 

[Bay Arean]

Yeah, I wrestled with the idea of installing it myself, but it was for a rental house. If it was my own house and I could work on it an hour or two a night, I may have tried it, but driving back and forth to get it done myself wasn’t desirable. Took 3 guys on day one, and a single guy on day two. Removed ~500sqft carpet and ~500 sqft linoleum; installed the vinyl plank floooring in one continuos layout, no transition strips.

If your kitchen is small, I say do it yourself. It really is easy to do, especially with the attached underlayment. Rent or buy a specific laminate cutter, so much faster and easier than using miter saw.

Huh. My concern was lengthwise cutting. I don't have a table saw. I read that saw blades get hot and melt them as they cut so that was a bit of confusion. I have never been great at lenghtwhise with the power saw. But I do realize that the cut parts are at least hidden.

Those cutters seem designed for the thinner ones. The Core-tec we are looking at is nearly 5/8 and inch thick. That's why you don't use underlayment. If you were successful with the cutter and that size, I'd like to know. Otherwise its the Hitachi chop saw....

And because I am not math-y, the bit about having it come out so that there isn't a thin piece at either side (I think it's less than 1/3) kinda skeers me.

It's always that "first time learning curve" bit.

We had our cork floors, also clickable done by a floor guy because it was quite a bit of the house and required a followup acrylic coat. We just left the country while he did it. But as it turned out, I think he went too tight and they actually have kinda seamed up here and there.

Ms BA is super afraid I will DIY, for some reason. Ha.She is incredulous that I want to start moving outlets and switches and attempt to install a water line (I have zero experience sweating joints, though the Sharkbites should help, except the one in the wall). My knowledge is observaitonal and theoretical.

But at least it will already be subfloor, the tearout having already been done a week or too earlier insofar as task.

 

[2legs2wheels]

My former house had laminate flooring under all kitchen appliances (but my new house has stone in kitchen that is far stronger / stable than vinyl). I have installed vinyl flooring in my new house in a closet. It was a pain to figure out and precisely cut the flooring pieces, but it was cakewalk once done. I recommend that you try DIYing the flooring.

 

[2legs2wheels]

Huh. My concern was lengthwise cutting. I don't have a table saw. I read that saw blades get hot and melt them as they cut so that was a bit of confusion. I have never been great at lenghtwhise with the power saw. But I do realize that the cut parts are at least hidden.

I used an utility knife and metal scale to cut. Deep gouge with the utility knife and the thing breaks like a cracker. I also tried electric saw but it was too much powdery mess and the edge was not smooth. With utility knife, the edge was straight and smooth.

 

[Bay Arean]

Thanks! With kitchen, its the cut in for those appliances and one to a doorway. That last one has to work out as the rest are hidden...

If I proceed, I am going to do what the floor guy said, which is to tell the cabinet guys to leave off the toekick and floor to cabinet (with shim space of course). Then they come back and install toekicks. Hopeuflly they'll go with the multiple visit thing. As it is, I could tell the cabinet guy wants to put everything in before floor including dishwasher. His contract (through Lowes) actualy mentions doing plumbing for sink and dishwasher so I know he's gonna want to do it all. We'll see.

 

[Sharxfan]

Huh. My concern was lengthwise cutting. I don't have a table saw. I read that saw blades get hot and melt them as they cut so that was a bit of confusion. I have never been great at lenghtwhise with the power saw. But I do realize that the cut parts are at least hidden.

Those cutters seem designed for the thinner ones. The Core-tec we are looking at is nearly 5/8 and inch thick. That's why you don't use underlayment. If you were successful with the cutter and that size, I'd like to know. Otherwise its the Hitachi chop saw....

I used some Luxury vinyl plank from Lumber Liquidators for our kitchen remodel. It is fairly thick and I used a table saw to cut it lengthwise with no issue. I don't remember seeing any melting.

It will make a mess with your miter saw but it is no big deal. I also used a jigsaw to cut the curves and irregular shapes I needed to go around some areas.

Don't do your flooring while you are tired you will make mistakes and will have to redo it and it is a pain and you will waste some planks . Also, make sure you click it all the way in on the ends and edges don't be afraid to use the hammer on it.

I have it run under my appliances and haven't had any issues with moving them aro9und after I just don't have short pieces under there either. I also put the little plastic slider do-hickeys under the appliance feet so it slides easier. I have found that vinyl plank will scuff and sometimes get scratches but it is easy to just rub out the marks but the plastic sliders pretty much eliminate this also.

 

[Bay Arean]

I used some Luxury vinyl plank from Lumber Liquidators for our kitchen remodel. It is fairly thick and I used a table saw to cut it lengthwise with no issue. I don't remember seeing any melting.

It will make a mess with your miter saw but it is no big deal. I also used a jigsaw to cut the curves and irregular shapes I needed to go around some areas.

Don't do your flooring while you are tired you will make mistakes and will have to redo it and it is a pain and you will waste some planks . Also, make sure you click it all the way in on the ends and edges don't be afraid to use the hammer on it.

I have it run under my appliances and haven't had any issues with moving them aro9und after I just don't have short pieces under there either. I also put the little plastic slider do-hickeys under the appliance feet so it slides easier. I have found that vinyl plank will scuff and sometimes get scratches but it is easy to just rub out the marks but the plastic sliders pretty much eliminate this also.

Thanks. I have all felt on the cork for chairs and stuff in rest of house.. Similar principle.

 

[auntiebling]

I put flooring under my stove because it is on stilts (prosumer 6 burner dealio) and omitting it would have looked weird. Under cabinets and the fridge I used the closest thickness of plain old plywood. The various trim options erase any obvious sign

 

[bikeama]

Looking forward to your remodel. I can’t help on the floors, I did 1200 sq ft of tile planks. Cabinets and all appliances are over the tile. I had the floors, cabinets and countertops done. I did electrical and plumbing. If you want to PM me I will give you a google link to pictures of my remodel. Wife is very happy with it.


Some pictures on this thread. https://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=530736&page=3

..

All done. 5 months from writing the first check to the Architect. Very happy how everything came out.

Yep need more wine.

[/QUOTE

 

[250mL]

Your stuff is 5/8" thick? Yeah, probably not going to get away with the manual laminate cutter. I saw the guys use a straightedge with knife to score and snap, seemed to work well enough on small sections. A jigsaw was also used for appropriate detail. Full length rips were done with a battery operated Dewalt table saw. It threw a lot of messy dust, but no melting was observed.

All your cuts should be reasonably covered. Aren't you installing a transition strip at the doorway? The only areas not covered are the spots in the dishwasher and stove area, as the cabinets were tight and only allowed space for the appliance, no space for trim work to hide the gap. Gaps were caulked for water tightness instead.

 

[Kfxrider90]

Typically it's installed under appliances, but not under the cabinets. You need room for expansion/contraction. Cabinets will lock everything down a little too much with all the weight and surface area they take up + the fact someone may install a nailer to the floor for the cabinet bases.

 

[900ss]

Very nice indeed. I'm up for adoption! :teeth

Looking forward to your remodel. I can’t help on the floors, I did 1200 sq ft of tile planks. Cabinets and all appliances are over the tile. I had the floors, cabinets and countertops done. I did electrical and plumbing. If you want to PM me I will give you a google link to pictures of my remodel. Wife is very happy with it.


Some pictures on this thread. https://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=530736&page=3

..

All done. 5 months from writing the first check to the Architect. Very happy how everything came out.

Yep need more wine.

[/QUOTE

 

[Eldritch]

You should be able to install it under the Appliances, but make sure you leave an expansion gap for the floor. The key to not having any rise that can cause flex in your floor is to make sure the subfloor is nice and level.

If your subs are impractical to float to level, then it may make more sense to install up to the appliance.

 

[Bay Arean]

You should be able to install it under the Appliances, but make sure you leave an expansion gap for the floor. The key to not having any rise that can cause flex in your floor is to make sure the subfloor is nice and level.

If your subs are impractical to float to level, then it may make more sense to install up to the appliance.

It’s funny, The YouTube videos don’t show the finishing touches like transitions and such So do you lay floor using shims then pull em out at the end (in the hidden places)? It seems weird to leave it but it makes sense. I like the idea of the cork backing as opposed to some kind of underlayment. It just sounds like it won’t be squirrelly.

Thanks guys this is really helping! My remodel is much more humble than that beautiful project above. I think it will be nice but not that nice and we ain’t got an architect. In a San Pablo house its been kind of a don’t get too fancy kind of thing. We are getting moderate quality line of cabinets from Diamond.

We can’t quite agree on counters. Nobody wants counter backsplashes anymore meaning there is going to be a chronic possible leak and cracking spot, in my humble opinion. Doin the engineered quartz which I actually kinda like. Some are getting pretty fancy with glass and concrete and all kinds of stuff. Ms. BA is dead set of getting tile at Talavera in Berekeley but I am not even worrying about that yet. We are about six weeks from tearout assuming the cabinet company takes the longest estimated time.

 

[liveforlight]

Its not too bad.
Jig saw. Table saw, Miter saw, and flush cut saw/oscillating tool

Do not get the thin ones.
12mm+

You lay expansion shims on walls then remove after. And baseboard.

On all my jobs everything gets finished flooring AFTER cabinet install

under Dishwasher>should be subfloor.
under stove>finish floor
under refridge >finished floor

IF its finished flooring, make sure you have enough height for the dishwasher or you will have to end up spending alot more for the shorter one to fit.

I wouldnt worry much about the amount you need more to finish the areas under hidden items. It won't cost much more at all. Under a Stove? ~30x30

Have you considered tile ? they have wood look^ and are much more durable, and solid feeling, if done right will last a long time.

"The one we chose thus far is the Core-tec Vinyl planking made from bamboo dust or some such thing (not limestone) with the extra layer of cork underneath so we don't have to roll out underlayment. I mean, we can't even decide on color but that seems to be what tickles our individual expectations."
while this might seem good, its better to lay underlayment down. With the preunderlayment style, what i find it sometimes its sinks in where you do not want it to.

 

[Eldritch]

It’s funny, The YouTube videos don’t show the finishing touches like transitions and such So do you lay floor using shims then pull em out at the end (in the hidden places)? It seems weird to leave it but it makes sense. I like the idea of the cork backing as opposed to some kind of underlayment. It just sounds like it won’t be squirrelly.

Thanks guys this is really helping! My remodel is much more humble than that beautiful project above. I think it will be nice but not that nice and we ain’t got an architect. In a San Pablo house its been kind of a don’t get too fancy kind of thing. We are getting moderate quality line of cabinets from Diamond.

We can’t quite agree on counters. Nobody wants counter backsplashes anymore meaning there is going to be a chronic possible leak and cracking spot, in my humble opinion. Doin the engineered quartz which I actually kinda like. Some are getting pretty fancy with glass and concrete and all kinds of stuff. Ms. BA is dead set of getting tile at Talavera in Berekeley but I am not even worrying about that yet. We are about six weeks from tearout assuming the cabinet company takes the longest estimated time.

You can just use the material as a shim if your base boards are thick enough. You need to pull it out though, because the floor may expand or contract with humidity changes. Your baseboards should cover the gaps around the perimeter. Usually you run the boards in the longest dimension of the room.