The tools of the trade: 13 tools you need to install floating floors

I'm well on my way to being able to have this floor done and the room together in time for our youth group to come over next Sunday night.  It will happen, I finally believe, and since I know you're probably tired of  update posts of my injuries or "I'm this far today", I thought I would spend some time on the details of the job. 

Today?  What tools do you need to have one hand to install a floating floor? And what the heck are these things?

First, I need a few tools specific to laying floors, although I can't imagine I won't find other uses for them at some points.  I bought these at Lowe's in a kit that had all the things I needed in one box: tapping block, spacers and pull bar. 

The tapping block is used to help push the seams tight.  You never want to hit the plank directly, so the rubber block goes against the plank, and hammer against that.  The pull bar is used against a wall when you don't have enough space to use the tapping block, like this:  The spacers go between the planks and the wall to allow for the space you need to leave for expansion.  As you pound on the planks with the tapping block, you can move en entire row of planks, and the spaces keep that from happening.

Already mentioned: the hammer, and I'm including fingers at this point since they are really important for many other jobs.  Keep those away from the hammer.

Underlayment: The underlayment (the blue part) is specific to the type of subfloor you have. For concrete, an underlayment that provided cushion as well as moisture barrier was recommended by Lowe's, and I went with their suggestion.  This added cost to the project, and even though we have never had water or moisture in this space for 8 years, better safe than sorry.

Saw: My Skil jigsaw did a fine job cutting the panels.  I bought a new blade, fine teeth, and was very happy with the clean cuts.  Workbench: We had not talked about doing this floor remodel when Brad had the idea to get me this bench as a Christmas bench; he had just seen me balance beams across almost anything I could find, and thought it would be a great safer way for me to cut. I don't know what I would have done with this little bench, and it's going to be used a lot!





Dremel: Although not necessary, this has come in handy. I've used it a few times; 1) to drill holes in a plank when I needed to make a 90 degree clean cut in the middle of a plank; and 2) using a cutting blade to trim the bottom of the vertical molding so the plank slips in underneath for a smooth finish.

Quarter round: this is quarter round: picture a dowel (a round curtain rod, hanging closet rod; now cut that into quarters, and you have quarter round.  This provides a nice finish edge between the flooring and the base molding, and cover the space you have to leave for expansion. This picture shows what it will look like when it's added to the base molding.

Square: For making straight cuts across your planks....a must.

Tape: The underlayment comes with a sticky side, you you can removed the adhesive and stick the pieces together as you go. I found I want to be very frugal with that stuff at $50/100 square feet, so I used every piece.  Each piece has to be taped together, so this tape has come in handy to reduce waste.  I also used this miter saw (to cut the vertical moldings, more on that later, and the screwdriver as a chisel).

Common sense: I wasn't tired when I had my little accident the other day, just made an error in judgement.  My rule, though, is to stop when I start to feel fatigued or distracted.  Tonight I wanted so badly to get to a certain point, but I was tired, and I knew I was not as focused as I should be.  So I quit.  Common sense also comes in handy when you have to make some funky cuts, like this:
It's hard to describe how to do it, but I will attempt it in a later post. 
I'm still very excited about how this project is coming along, and how very do-it-yourself it really is.  Like my husband said, it's really just like putting together a big puzzle!

Today: I'm hoping to finish laying the planks...yay!  Then I will need to install the quarter round and do other finish work (thresholds, doorways).  Then the steps will be next. 

I can't wait!