We normally do not use the family room, which is strange. There is a fireplace, ceiling fan and a patio door to view our backyard. Maybe because we used the dining room as a playroom for the grandkids, we utilize the living room as our gathering place. No formal spaces in our house.
We wanted to replace the carpeting in the family room, living room, and dining room. We would start in the family room since it would not disrupt the household and it was a basic rectangular room. I good place to try out my skills on a free floating, click and lock floor.
I started the project in late October and in no hurry to rush this project. This mindset was strange for me, who hated unfinished projects on display in our home. Nonetheless, I wanted to get the flooring right.
Efiwym and I moved all the furniture to one side of the room so we could demo and lay the floor on one half of the room. Once that half was complete, we would move the furniture to finish the other side. I removed most of the baseboards. Once the carpeting and padding was removed, I screwed down the OSB (oriented strand board) to remove the squeaks. I ran into a problem by the fireplace as the concrete under the hearth extended out about one foot. When I tried to screw down the OSB, I would hit the concrete. I just needed to switch to shorter screws for that part of the floor.
I had a dilemma with the manufacturer’s requirements that there should be a 1/2” gap between the flooring and the wall. The existing oak base molding was less than 1/2” thick. I was not planning on replacing the base molding and I did not like the quarter round molding suggested to bridge the gap. So, my solution was to undercut the drywall. I now could line up the flooring with the wall and the expansion gap would be under the drywall. I purchased a cheap oscillating tool to complete this task. I am not sure why cutting drywall material would be difficult, but it was. Maybe it was the cheap oscillating tool or cheap cutting attachment, or the drywall dulls blades quickly, the job took longer than anticipated. The family room was now ready for a new floor.