How to install Laminate over hardwood floors

Question

Ok, before anyone has a heart attack because I want to cover the original hardwood floors with laminate, I need to give some background. Please read the back story to get to the real question, or just skip to the bottom. ( sorry in advance for such a long post)

I purchased the home with the intent of refinishing the hardwood floors that were under the existing carpet. However, when I pulled the carpet up we found two different species of hard wood split down the middle of the space and one area where linoleum was glued to the hardwood.

I was told that because of the two species of wood you can't sand and refinish becuase they will be different colors once stained.

THE REAL QUESTION:

How do I prepare the existing hardwood floor so that laminate can be installed over it?

The conditions:

-The floor doesn't seem to be level, especially between the two types of wood.

-Where the two types of wood come together, one side is higher than the other creating a lip.

-I was told that you can't put down cement base self leveling underlayment over the hard wood because of how the hardwood moves it would just break up

-where the two woods come together the wood gives quite a bit when you step on it.

Do I rip out the existing hardwood and start over from the subfloor, where I could put down self leveling if needed. Do I sand the floor to try to get it level? What about the parts that are soft when i step on that area? Will the self leveling cement really not stand up when poured over hardwood?

Tim Kersting · Answer

If youre not married to the wood and you want to start over, AND you have "soft spots"...I would rip it out.

That way you can put in what you want and it will go in right without affecting door gaps, cove base, and the like. But what more important, you can get to the bottom of the soft spots. It could be something as simple as missing nails, but it could also be serious like termite, or wood rot.

Personally, I wouldn't go with a laminate. There are many beer options that provide various color and texture options that will bring more "pop" to the rooms. For what it's worth.

Jim Adrian · Answer

@Barrett Boone

You have a hot mess going on there! lol =)  Way to much going on.  Remember KISS? Keep It Simple and Sweet.   Not the rock band, but I like them to!  Rip it all out because you want a uniform look.  Figure out what product you want to install and start with that thickness and work down to the subfloor.  Add filler sheets of plywood where you need it.  Screw any new subfloor down. It sounds like you will have several different thicknesses. Transition at doorways where you can use a threshold to cover up directional change and height changes if needed.  The door should cover the threshold and will look natural.  The main area must "wow" people when the walk or you will send them running. I hope this helps you. Start in one area and dry test the solution before installing it.  Then move the next area and do the same thing.  This will take some hands on figuring out.  You could go with a self leveling liquid and then install the flooring but I have never worked with them.

Jim Adrian · Answer

I would not try to install the new floor over the existing.  One problem you will run into is at every door wont fit or you will have to under cut every door. What do you do at exterior doors? Order custom size doors which adds cost?  Would you consider staining the floor black that's a non-transparent stain?  This would cover up the 2 different species of wood. Maybe even painting the floors and then applying a few coats of poly over it.  These options you will loose the wood grain look.  If you don't like those options I would tear out the existing and start fresh.  I would not add a self leveling concrete over the wood.  It will crack on you. Wood expands and contracts throughout the year based on humidity where concrete is always shrinking due to hydration process. This would add the door height problem as well.  If the existing hardwood is not sealed up completely the moisture from the concrete could cause the boards to warp and buckle causing other problems.

Andrew S. · Answer

Lay LVP or laminate right over that, looks fine. Use a standard flooring transition molding between the 2 heights of floor. Use an underlayment with the planks. If they're worse than pictures show lay luan down first

Jason Robinson · Answer

You're crazy if your tear that out. That's not two different species of wood. That's 3/4" x 1-1/4" read oak. Once it's drum sanded it will all be the same color. Where your straight line is, the two floors can be blended together with new strips which will get rid of the straight line.

Once you blend the floor, drum sand, then stain and seal with a poly.

Account Closed · Answer

Get a few flooring contractors in there to look at it and give you ideas. The new laminates work well and should go over all of it nicely. Think vinyl...

Jassem A. · Answer

Laminate should go down fine over all of that from the look of it

Brendan R. · Answer

What are your plans for the house?  Is it a flip or buy and hold rental?

Barrett Boone · Answer

@Jim Adrian

I'm starting to think that tearing out the existing hardwood and starting over fresh is the way to go. Are there any new issues that doing so might cause? Would you put a new subfloor down at that point?

Thank you all for your responses and bearing with my overly wordy questions

Barrett Boone · Answer

@Jim Y.

See image below.

The area in question is basically the front entry/ living room/ breakfast nook area. They all have different flooring. The floor right as you open the front door has a stained wood. Then, that floor stops and becomes unfinished oak that is warped and has gaps etc. It wouldn't be great but it would be possible to have a transition between the two there. However, if you go the other direction when you walk in, the previous owner had installed glue down lenoleum. I was told that staining the wood where the glue was would cause it be yet another color than the other areas. I'm by no means a design expert but I'm thinking it would look bad with 3 different colors in one area, and yet another color of laminate in the adjacent room?

The line on the left between the lighter and darker wood is where it gives when you step on it and where there is a pretty good lip between the two types of wood.

How to install Laminate over hardwood floors

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