Engineered wood/click flooring installation

[wildrice]

Has anyone done this yourself? If so, are you pretty handy in general? What kind of things would you tell someone doing it for the first time?

I can't stand our floors on our main level. We have super old shitty hardwood in the living room, and dark tile with lots of hard to clean grout in the kitchen. I'd like to tear all of it up and replace it with engineered hardwood. I know refinishing the hardwood is an option, but the logistics of doing that while living there sound frustrating and it's crappy builder grade 40 year old wood anyway, plus that wouldn't solve the issue of the tile throughout the rest of the floor. My H is against getting this done until next year because his job ends in March and he wants to hoard money until he has a new job secured. I am curious if we could do it sooner if we did DIY, if it's easy enough. We have never done anything more complicated than painting before, though, so I'm not sure if it's just better to wait? 

Also, this project would extend into our half bathroom. I hate the vanity in there but could probably live with it longer. Is it better to replace it before replacing flooring, though, or would it be no big deal to do that later? 

[Susie]

Jun 7, 2021 11:43:33 GMT -5 wildrice said:

Also, this project would extend into our half bathroom. I hate the vanity in there but could probably live with it longer. Is it better to replace it before replacing flooring, though, or would it be no big deal to do that later? 

I can't speak to the other questions, but on this, the order of operations may depend on whether the existing flooring goes under the vanity or not.  

If the flooring goes under the vanity, you can replace the vanity now, at the same time as the flooring, or later.  I don't think it matters much.

If the flooring goes around the vanity, and not under, then you have a few options:

1) replace the vanity now (or later) with one with the exact same footprint as the old one
2) wait and replace the vanity at the same time as the flooring in the bathroom
3) do the flooring first, put it under the vanity, and choose a new vanity later.

If I were planning flooring in the foreseeable future, I'd probably hold off on the vanity until the flooring so I'd have maximum options for vanity, and so I'm not constantly ripping up the bathroom.

[hbomdiggity]

Not all engineered hardwood is “click” install. We installed engineered flooring and it was mostly the same process as real hardwood. The only reason we did engineered was to match original.

It was so easy even my 5yo could do it. Jk, it’s not something I would take on unless you are DIY savvy.

[wildrice]

Jun 7, 2021 14:47:33 GMT -5 hbomdiggity said:

Not all engineered hardwood is “click” install. We installed engineered flooring and it was mostly the same process as real hardwood. The only reason we did engineered was to match original.

It was so easy even my 5yo could do it. Jk, it’s not something I would take on unless you are DIY savvy.

Ha! Cute pic though!

I got some samples yesterday and the color/grain that I like the most says it's click install. I honestly didn't even know that was a thing until I looked at it That's actually what made me wonder if it could be a DIY project, though.

[winecat]

wildrice- How many square feet of tile do you have? Is the subfloor concrete or plywood/OSB? I'm in a handy woman group on FB and have seen posts about removing tile and it looks not fun. On concrete there's a tool that you can rent (kind of like a floor sander w/ a special finishing circle that chews up the mastic.) And there are other tools that you can use to get the tile up somewhat easily but it looks heavy AF. It looks like it's pretty dusty too. On plywood/OSB people used to recommend taking it up and laying down new but now that OSB/plywood is so expensive, that could add a significant cost though I'm not sure how it'll compare to labor if you pay someone to remove it. (I have a shitty tile floor too and lord only knows what's underneath it because it's higher than the wood floor so I'm going to have to remove it which is why I've been following those posts.)

How level is your floor? If it's not level, you'll need to look into what it will take to level it before you install new flooring. (My house is old and not level so this is why I know about this issue too.)

You could re-grout and paint the tile and refinish the hardwood flooring? Or you could put linoleum over the tile? There are some new, pretty linoleums not our grandma's linoleum. You'd avoid the demo by doing either of these. I've refinished hardwood floors myself and it's not terribly difficult or backbreaking, if you rent the right tools. If you use a water based finish, it is a much faster process than oil based.

[wildrice]

Jun 8, 2021 19:07:14 GMT -5 winecat said:

wildrice - How many square feet of tile do you have? Is the subfloor concrete or plywood/OSB? I'm in a handy woman group on FB and have seen posts about removing tile and it looks not fun. On concrete there's a tool that you can rent (kind of like a floor sander w/ a special finishing circle that chews up the mastic.) And there are other tools that you can use to get the tile up somewhat easily but it looks heavy AF. It looks like it's pretty dusty too. On plywood/OSB people used to recommend taking it up and laying down new but now that OSB/plywood is so expensive, that could add a significant cost though I'm not sure how it'll compare to labor if you pay someone to remove it. (I have a shitty tile floor too and lord only knows what's underneath it because it's higher than the wood floor so I'm going to have to remove it which is why I've been following those posts.)

How level is your floor? If it's not level, you'll need to look into what it will take to level it before you install new flooring. (My house is old and not level so this is why I know about this issue too.)

You could re-grout and paint the tile and refinish the hardwood flooring? Or you could put linoleum over the tile? There are some new, pretty linoleums not our grandma's linoleum. You'd avoid the demo by doing either of these. I've refinished hardwood floors myself and it's not terribly difficult or backbreaking, if you rent the right tools. If you use a water based finish, it is a much faster process than oil based.

Oh gosh, these are all good questions. I'm not sure how many square feet of tile - maybe 200-250? The tiles are big - probably about 12x12 inches, maybe more like 10x10. I have no idea what is under it or if it's level. The entire floor is probably around/slightly less than 500 square feet so it's not a huge area.

The tile itself actually isn't horrible, but I don't think it was installed well - there are places where there are gaps and where it's clearly off center (like the grout line is 2 inches from the wall in some places but 1.5 or less in others). I imagine it was a DIY install or at least they hired a cheap handyman vs a true professional. This seems to be the case for most things in this house.... At least one of the tiles is also cracked, I'm guessing from something being dropped. I have a rug over it so it's not a huge deal, but it irritates me.


If you refinish your floors, do you have to leave the house? That's been my main hesitation with doing the living room - if we have to move to a hotel for a few days, we aren't going to save much by refinishing vs replacing. That's why I'm leaning toward doing engineered wood instead, we could get it done in a day or two while living here, and then they won't need refinishing in the future. I also don't particularly care for the color so I'd want to restain, not sure if that's more of a process.

I am new to all of this so the more I type the more I am guessing we need to have someone who knows what they are doing evaluate the situation, I guess. 

[winecat]

Jun 11, 2021 10:08:14 GMT -5 wildrice said:

Jun 8, 2021 19:07:14 GMT -5 winecat said:

wildrice - How many square feet of tile do you have? Is the subfloor concrete or plywood/OSB? I'm in a handy woman group on FB and have seen posts about removing tile and it looks not fun. On concrete there's a tool that you can rent (kind of like a floor sander w/ a special finishing circle that chews up the mastic.) And there are other tools that you can use to get the tile up somewhat easily but it looks heavy AF. It looks like it's pretty dusty too. On plywood/OSB people used to recommend taking it up and laying down new but now that OSB/plywood is so expensive, that could add a significant cost though I'm not sure how it'll compare to labor if you pay someone to remove it. (I have a shitty tile floor too and lord only knows what's underneath it because it's higher than the wood floor so I'm going to have to remove it which is why I've been following those posts.)

How level is your floor? If it's not level, you'll need to look into what it will take to level it before you install new flooring. (My house is old and not level so this is why I know about this issue too.)

You could re-grout and paint the tile and refinish the hardwood flooring? Or you could put linoleum over the tile? There are some new, pretty linoleums not our grandma's linoleum. You'd avoid the demo by doing either of these. I've refinished hardwood floors myself and it's not terribly difficult or backbreaking, if you rent the right tools. If you use a water based finish, it is a much faster process than oil based.

Oh gosh, these are all good questions. I'm not sure how many square feet of tile - maybe 200-250? The tiles are big - probably about 12x12 inches, maybe more like 10x10. I have no idea what is under it or if it's level. The entire floor is probably around/slightly less than 500 square feet so it's not a huge area.

The tile itself actually isn't horrible, but I don't think it was installed well - there are places where there are gaps and where it's clearly off center (like the grout line is 2 inches from the wall in some places but 1.5 or less in others). I imagine it was a DIY install or at least they hired a cheap handyman vs a true professional. This seems to be the case for most things in this house.... At least one of the tiles is also cracked, I'm guessing from something being dropped. I have a rug over it so it's not a huge deal, but it irritates me.


If you refinish your floors, do you have to leave the house? That's been my main hesitation with doing the living room - if we have to move to a hotel for a few days, we aren't going to save much by refinishing vs replacing. That's why I'm leaning toward doing engineered wood instead, we could get it done in a day or two while living here, and then they won't need refinishing in the future. I also don't particularly care for the color so I'd want to restain, not sure if that's more of a process.

I am new to all of this so the more I type the more I am guessing we need to have someone who knows what they are doing evaluate the situation, I guess. 

Do you have a basement?  If you do and it's not finished, you can see the subfloor.  I'm guessing your floors are relatively level but it's not hard to check with a carpenter's level or a laser level.  (There's lots of tutorials/videos online on how to check level.)  I know mine aren't because things roll if dropped.  (If your house is built on a slab, it'll probably be a concrete subfloor.) 

You can replace individual tiles if you can find a replacement.  Dremel multi tools have bits that cut grout and remove mastic.  I *hate* my tile floor.  It's the large, greige tiles sold by Depot for years.  And, like you, not installed well.  The ones that were under my bathroom vanity weren't actually adhered to the mastic.  I'd look at painting my tiles if they weren't so far above the wood floors.  ugh.  Looks like you could also put linoleum over tile: www.hunker.com/12003698/can-you-put-linoleum-over-tile-floors. I'm sure you can put other flooring over tile but if it's too thick then you end up in my situation.

I refinished the floors in my house ages ago.  I didn't move out of my house then and don't plan on it when I refinish them again.  You need somewhere to put the furniture that's on the wood floors and that's the biggest pain if you don't have a basement or storage area, but you'll have to do this if you get the engineered wood installed.  You have to be careful walking on them after you've sanded them and don't wear shoes (only socks) after you've sanded and as you're applying the stain and polyurethane.  If you do water based poly, the coats should be applied within a couple of hours so that you get chemical adhesion so it actually moves along pretty quickly.  If you wait, then you need to buff again.  Oil based finishes are a whole other ballgame but water based ones are relatively quick.  You do have the wait time after refinishing that you won't have with engineered flooring but you won't have the demo time.  It's a pain either way; the pain just differs.  There's dust from refinishing but you get that with demo, especially if you have to get the mastic off the subfloor.  

Flooring stuff isn't usually technically difficult.  Making sure it's level and if not, leveling it properly is key.  And that's not difficult if you're not dealing with structural issues.  Flooring is labor intensive which is why it's $$$$.  

I took a class on hardwood and tile floor installation at the local community college.  I've learned a lot in this FB group: www.facebook.com/groups/482778602305573, especially about the tile floor removal. 

[libbygrl109]

Depending on how your house is set up, you may not have to leave to have your floors refinished. Both my mom and I have single floor ranch homes. Because she and my dad had access to the basement (where their bedroom and bathroom are) from their garage, they were able to access their kitchen, so they were fine with staying home when they had theirs done. We will have to move out for a few days while they refinish ours because we aren't as lucky with our layout.

[wildrice]

Jun 11, 2021 16:25:49 GMT -5 libbygrl109 said:

Depending on how your house is set up, you may not have to leave to have your floors refinished. Both my mom and I have single floor ranch homes. Because she and my dad had access to the basement (where their bedroom and bathroom are) from their garage, they were able to access their kitchen, so they were fine with staying home when they had theirs done. We will have to move out for a few days while they refinish ours because we aren't as lucky with our layout.

Hmm, that's a thought. It's our main floor, but our basement is finished and has a full bathroom and a walkout door. I guess in theory we could set up camp down there for a few days and just come in through our back door (which I don't have a key for, but we're replacing soon anyway so maybe we'll get one then?). It would be weird but technically possible. Thanks for the idea!

[sakura]

It will probably take more than a few days to install flooring yourself. Wide open spaces go quick, but once you get into door transitions and working around cabinetry in tight spaces, the cuts can get tricky. You’ll also need to pull the toilet and any quarter round trim. Don’t forget to add in the costs of the tools you’ll need to buy. Honestly, if you’re not very handy, DIY floors might be too big of undertaking. I’d hired it out and the cost would be worth it.

[dr.girlfriend]

My experience may not be typical...we bought extra click-lock flooring when we did our t.v. room so that we could put it down in our kitchen when we renovated it a year or two later. Unfortunately, we stored it in our garage. Whether or not this was just an excuse, the kitchen reno guys said the click lock tabs kept breaking off and they had to nail it down in places. It was terrible, the planks separated over time and then dirt and flour, etc. would get stuck in the crevices. That didn't happen in the t.v. room where it had been professionally installed by the flooring guys.  We ended up just redoing the whole downstairs when we built our addition and I just lived with it in the meantime, but as a result I don't know that this is something I would DIY because a floor is SO prominent and impacts so much. I would hold off for professional installation.

[dr.girlfriend]

Jun 11, 2021 12:03:30 GMT -5 winecat said:

Jun 11, 2021 10:08:14 GMT -5 wildrice said:

snip

 You need somewhere to put the furniture that's on the wood floors and that's the biggest pain if you don't have a basement or storage area, but you'll have to do this if you get the engineered wood installed.  

IDK that this is the case.  When they did my floors downstairs they were in EVERY part of the downstairs except the tiny bathroom.  They crowded all the furniture in one spot while they refloored the other areas, and then moved it over to the installed part while they finished up.  They definitely couldn't have done that with refinishing.

[winecat]

Jun 14, 2021 14:18:42 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

Jun 11, 2021 12:03:30 GMT -5 winecat said:

 You need somewhere to put the furniture that's on the wood floors and that's the biggest pain if you don't have a basement or storage area, but you'll have to do this if you get the engineered wood installed.  

IDK that this is the case.  When they did my floors downstairs they were in EVERY part of the downstairs except the tiny bathroom.  They crowded all the furniture in one spot while they refloored the other areas, and then moved it over to the installed part while they finished up.  They definitely couldn't have done that with refinishing.

The only flooring I've had installed is carpet so I was going off pics that friends have posted on FB and mistakenly assumed that they had to put the furniture somewhere else vs scooching it around.   

[wildrice]

Jun 14, 2021 11:41:04 GMT -5 sakura said:

It will probably take more than a few days to install flooring yourself. Wide open spaces go quick, but once you get into door transitions and working around cabinetry in tight spaces, the cuts can get tricky. You’ll also need to pull the toilet and any quarter round trim. Don’t forget to add in the costs of the tools you’ll need to buy. Honestly, if you’re not very handy, DIY floors might be too big of undertaking. I’d hired it out and the cost would be worth it.

You're right, this sounds like too much for me! Not to mention my H has very little free time with his job, so I'd be mostly on my own with this. I think we'll just wait. 

Thanks everyone for your advice!!!