When you lower the raised end, the boards lock together. You then have to tap the boards together end-to-end using a special tapping block and a hammer. If you perform the operation carefully enough to avoid damaging the HDF locking mechanisms, the boards will be reusable if you decide to take them apart. If you chip the HDF, though, the boards may not lock together a second time. Taking a Pergo floor apart is essentially the reverse of putting it together, with one important difference.
Since the boards are locked together end-to-end as well as on the sides, you can't raise a board to disengage the locking mechanism on the side until you disengage the end. Use the lift-and-pull technique to separate all the planks in that row as a unit, then separate them end-from-end with the same procedure.
Work carefully. The locking mechanisms are often made from medium density fiberboard, which breaks easily. The rubber float may make a black mark on the surfaces of some of the planks. This comes off easily with mineral spirits, which won't damage the hard plastic coating.
If the boards are glued together, the easiest way to separate them is to heat the joints with a heat gun. That may soften the glue enough to separate them. If not, you may just have to pull the boards apart. Home owners who intend to remove the laminate flooring just might discover the process is an easy task to do. The following paragraph describes briefly the delicate but simple process-. The removal and replacement of a laminate floor requires a rubber mallet and a crow bar with a 90 degree angle.
The plank that is situated nearest to a wall must be removed first and this is absolutely necessary. With the crowbar, gently pry the plank up off the floor. If the floor happens to be glued, remove it with extreme caution, and be prepared to use new planks. As the planks are at a 45 degree angle, make sure you slide the plank away from its neighbouring ones without damaging the tongue. Number each plank as during the removal to ensure a painless replacement process.
Don't try to match the pattern. A slight mismatch will just look weird. Instead go bold and get a very different look. Consider what alternating 3 planks of old laminate with 2 rows of faux stone laminate. Or a semi-random pattern of 3 different colours of faux wood. As you take up the floor number the pieces on the back with felt marker, with row number and sequence. You will find that pieces that were in the darker end of the room are nearly the same colour as when new, while ones by the patio door will be bleached lighter from the UV.
This may be critical in laying out your new floor. While there are manufacturers that produce multiple brands, you will find that the locking mechanisms aren't the same. Even the same nominal lock system like uniclic may be different from year to year, or from factory to factory.
You will need to bring some pieces with you when shopping. You have to match the thickness too. If one has a glued on underlay, then both have to have it, and it has to be the same compressibility.
Otherwise, I expect that the tongues will break off with time. Thickness is really critical. Cheap laminate isn't even, and you will have lippage where one piece is a few thousands above the adjacent piece. This lip wears faster, and is very good at catching on socks.
It's worth taking a dial caliper with you. One of the reasons that edge grooved flooring where the edges are either slighly rounded, or V-grooved is popular: The lippage isn't sharp.
0コメント