Thanks so much for the great explanation and great video. Which is the brand name/model of the laminate flooring you used for this project? it looks very good and real wood looking
Thanks you are the reason my wife wants me to do this (dam you). I am not looking forward to this, but thanks to you now at least I know what I am doing thanks to your video.
Is there a reason you did not find the high point in the floor and draw a level line 1/4" + plank width for the first row? OR, conversely, measure down from the ceiling in at least three places and snap a chalk line to make sure the last row was parallel to the ceiling? Also, is there are reason you did not start with tongue up and nail at an angle down throw the tongue to help avoid splitting the grove? Otherwise nice video and good explanation!
We may not have done it on camera, but we did confirm before affixing anything to the wall that we were square with the walls. This wall is in an office building with a suspended ceiling that has a slight curve, so we went with being square with the floor and walls instead. If you are installing up to a finished drywall ceiling, it would be good to verify the measure as you mention and snap a chalk line. For your other question, this flooring is click lock profiled, so the “tongue” is not ideal to try and nail into, as you would with an standard T&G hardwood floor. The lower “groove profile juts out and provides a much easier surface to nail into with the finishing nail gun. The finishing nails are really just there to hold the planks tight to the wall while the adhesive sets up, we do not recommend just using finishing nails, as the weight of the wall can become significant with a larger and higher install area. Thank you!
Love the look, BUT when you tire of it you would be replacing drywall. What if you put up a very thin wood panel and then glue to it? Then all you would need to do it patch nail holes in the wall.
Hi Tod, We have installed it the way you described as well and it works fine. We recommend you add a few screws to secure your plywood to the wall studs however. A bit more to patch up if you do remove everything later on but well worth it. The weight of the flooring adds up, and on a larger wall especially it is a good idea to have some extra strength to keep the plywood from letting go. Also we still recommend nailing/stapling the flooring to the plywood along with the glue fo the installation of the flooring. Good Luck! -TeamPD
Hi Christian, this one has many good reviews www.homedepot.ca/product/ryobi-18v-one-airstrike-18-gauge-cordless-brad-nailer-tool-only-/1000681783 Good luck! -TeamPD
At the right, left, and top of the wall...did you do anything to "finish" or does the product just end? I'm thinking I might not have perfect cuts...any suggestions?
Hi Tracy, we did not use any trim pieces for the edges of the wall. Just some careful measuring for planks on ends and it came out straight enough. If you are concerned about the edge you could also finish it off with a quarter round moulding, that would work too. Good luck👍 Team PD
Instead of nails can I use double-sided vinyl flooring tape on the back? I would think this would make it easier to remove without damaging the drywall if I want to change it. I plan on using laminate planks with no backing.
Hi Jason, Our experience with any two sided tape products that would be strong enough to hold a wall up is that it would damage your drywall worse than the brad nails (and as bad as most adhesive). Consider that a 10’ x 10’, is 100 square feet of flooring installed vertically, if that tape lets go, you risk having 200 lbs of flooring falling off the wall (risking injury or damage). For these reasons we recommend the use of adhesive and brad nails. To minimize the potential damage to the drywall from using an aggressive adhesive, you could use a silicone based adhesive with the nails (up to 10’ in height, otherwise use a standard contractors adhesive for maximum holding power. Good luck with your installation! Team PD
So serious question, is it really necessary to leave room for expansion or contraction when this is inside, climate controlled and basically moisture controlled, glued and nailed to the wall? I can see the reasoning on the floor as those have a tendency to change quite a bit but on a wall? I love the look and plan on doing this in a small section.
Though we have not officially tested this, the extra layer applied to the wall may reduce some of the exterior noises. Of course if there is a window on the exterior wall you would likely have the same level of sound penetration.
If you are using adhesive/silicone to adhere it to the wall, it would probably be OK, but to keep the planks flat on the wall while the adhesive sets up, doing every row is recommended. Thanks!
Can I install laminate flooring on unfinished wall? the basement wall is insulated and plastic covered, but not drywalled. Can I use the laminate instead of drywall?
Hi Donal, This is not recommended. Installing directly on the studs would mean that there would be end-joints between with no support. It is recommended to install sheathing on the wall before installing the flooring panels. TeamPD
Hi Katherine, In this case we are running the planks horizontally across the studs so that the brad nails have something to grab. You could install the planks vertically, however we would recommend that you install strips of strapping across the studs to create anchor points for the flooring planks. Thanks! Team PD
Now my wife and I are having a son in 6 months. And I'd like to do this accent wall in the nursery as a surprise for her...how do I locate the studs in the wall? I want it to be perfect I've only lived in the home for little over a year now and I'm not to sure where the are.
Hello Christine, the easiest way would be to use a stud finder. They can be purchased at The Home Depot for $15-20. Great surprise by the way!👍 -TeamPD
Does the flooring have the same fire resistance as the drywall underneath? I ask because the wall I'm considering has a wall mounted propane heater on it?
Looks great, but why did you glue it? it would have been fine to just brad nail it by it's self. Now if you want to remove the wood , it will be a mess and ruin the wall.
We actually had metal beams behind this wall so glueing was the only option as the nails would not be completely securing the planks. If you have wooden beams you could just nail the planks.
Would this be the same process with armstrong pryzm rigid core? I'm reading installers have to have experience installing rigid core and it seems finicky.
You could yes, but it would be harder working against gravity. An alternative would be to measure your total height and calculate the plank width required for last ripped plank and start with that one at the bottom👍 -TeamPD
The brad nails are used just to hold the planks in place while the glue sets up, All adhesive manufacturers recommend a clean surface for the adhesive to adhere to, since wallpaper can peel off the wall (not to mention, some wallpaper is textured, which will also inhibit adhesion…) we do not recommend installing over wallpaper.
If you would like to be able to remove it later on, you would need to install with Silicone and nails rather than contractor's adhesive. If it is installed with contractor's adhesive, the drywall would need to be changed as well. Thanks, Team PD
I might just nail some plywood to the wall and then forgo the glue - I hate glue. Those planks do not weigh much and I could just brad them to the plywood.
A concrete wall installation would have to be glued with a contractors adhesive compatible with concrete as you will not be able to use brad nails. Thanks!
The best would be to install a layer of 3/8” plywood attached to the wall with tap-con screws. Then put a 6 mil poly sheet behind it if the wall is below grade. After installing this “sub-wall” follow the regular install instructions. Gluing the flooring planks directly to the wall with the adhesive may work, but we cannot guarantee that there would not be any problems with adherence or moisture over time.
