# Homemade Laminate Flooring? IT CAN'T BE POSSIBLE!



## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

Homemade hardwood flooring… sure. But what homemade LAMINATE flooring?

I've been throwing an idea around in my head about making laminate flooring for the house with a hardwood veneer. I got the idea from… you guessed it, commercialy made laminate flooring. They make that stuff out of a stable material with a photograph of wood printed on it. It's usually not real wood at all.

My idea is to come up with a material for that base (*which I need ideas for*) and attach a thick hardwood veneer- perhaps 1/8" so it can be sanded and refinished a time or two. I want it to be floatable flooring, just like the commercial stuff, not nailed or glued to the floor.

*So, what can be used for the base material?* Hardboard? Luan? 1/8" plywood? 1/4" plywood?

It would have to be tough enough to make some sort of tongue and groove edge, or at least a half lap.

*Any ideas? Will it even work?*


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## saddletramp (Mar 6, 2011)

For a floatable floor, wouldn't the pieces have to lock together? I don't think that a half-lap or even a standard tounge and groove would work.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

I don't think a floating floor could ever be sanded to be refinished. Your sanding machine would never be able to make consistent passes without showing grooves and ridges. The idea might work if the "boards" were stuck down with construction adhesive or something.


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

Ok- What if it was glued down? If hardboard was used as the base material and only 1/8" thick hardwood veneer, it shouldn't expand and contract much, should it?


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Maybe your floor could be good kiln dried poplar with a 1/8 walnut or cherry veneer on top. Poplar glues well and is strong.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

If you tongue-grooved the whole thing, nailed it to a subfloor with sheeting and left enough veneer to sand it a few times, why not? I looked at laminate for my log house but it seemed sacrilige of sorts. I went for the solid figured maple but once I got the bill, I wished I had gone laminate.

I'm sure you know this but your substrate needs to be dead flat. I had to install a new sub ($).


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

I have LOTS of nice figured maple and walnut cutoffs, so they are short pieces. What if I make some tiles, maybe 24X24 or something, from hardboard with the 1/8" veneer glued on top. Then I tongue and groove the edges of the tiles instead of each individual piece? it could lend itself to interesting design ideas…

The problem is it is pretty hard to get a good tongue and groove on 1/4" hardboard edges.


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

I couldn't biscuit join them, it is far too thin. (3/8" total thickness)

Would there be an expanding and contracting problem if I just glued it down?


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

I suppose the key issue is I want it to be thin, like laminate flooring. 1/4" harbboard and 1/8" hardwood. I really don't want a parquet look, but I wouldn't mind a creative and complicated design that can be produced as tiles of various shapes and sizes.

My main question is: If it is all glued down, will I still need tongue and groove edges. And will I have problems with expansion and contraction? (Hardboard is pretty stable, and the hardwood will be thin)


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## higtron (Jan 26, 2011)

Back before the laminate flooring snap locked together pergo was t&g and you useed glue in the groove the floor foated but was glued intigrally together. It was like three layers glued together all three layers were the same size the middle layer was glued in stagered in from the side and from one end which created the tougue and the groove.


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## Maggiepic (Aug 26, 2010)

It seems you are trying to reinvent engineered flooring. This is a style of wood floor that is designed to be more stable and can be used in below grade applications, i.e. basements, etc.
This is one example I found with a quick search.

http://www.lumberliquidators.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=7700

There are many more out there that also use a muti layered (plywood) base.


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## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

Engineered woods floors can be beautiful but do have their drawbacks. Namely you cant sand them too much or your into the plywood.

If you have a dog you want laminate, that stuff is so tough its unreal.


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

Gary- Reinvent the wheel? That's EXACTLY what I want to do. I'm a woodworker- I try to make everything myself. What's the fun in going out to buy flooring? Where's the challange in that?


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

I have installed laminate. I would think it would be harder to make the pieces that are stable and durable than it would be with. Take the wood and install a floor or put down a substrate and veneer it to see how it works and forget the pieces.


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## bilbaggins (Sep 11, 2011)

Hope I'm not repeating anyone here…

My thoughts are : lay any commercial T 'n G structural flooring onto the existing floor, sand to level, then glue the dressed hardwood pieces to this. Oh yeah… the existing floor should be sanded level first… but you could rip it up if it's wood so the overall level isn't increased too greatly.

The structural flooring is stable so it shouldn't cause any problems with expansion. I think the joints (TnG) allow for this. Flooring adhesives as used for parquetry etc would be the go for laying down your hardwood methinks.

As Laertes advises a sub-floor vapor barrier would be advisable in northern regions.

Personally I would be making the hardwood thickness three sixteenth to one quarter inch.

This method would give you a very rugged, professional and long lasting floor.

Yes I've used this approach and it gives a great result/job.

The "old" way of doing this was to lay masonite sheets (screwed to the existing flooring) in a staggered pattern, sand level then laminate your finishing floor material to this using a latex adhesive. This method was also used for laying carpet, linoleum and "vinyl" sheeting… probably still is … to ensure a dead flat base.

Hope this helps somehow


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## bubbyboy (Jan 10, 2011)

Lumber Liquidators, I like to make my own stuff to but this kinda sounds like I am going to get a tree and make my own studs to build my house. I would think buying the flooring would be as good or better than trying to make it, but who knows maybe not.


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## bilbaggins (Sep 11, 2011)

Just to clarify my previous comment-

I was referring to structural chipboard/particleboard sheeting as commonly used in house building in lieu of floor boards.

I believe there are now water resistant varieties which may negate the use of a vapor barrier… best to refer to the manufacturer if you go this route.

all the best!


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

Your biggest problem will be getting the finish like the store-bought stuff. It has aluminum oxide in it for durability and has to be applied under conditions you can't match in your shop.


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## lashing (Sep 4, 2010)

You'll never do it yourself for the price of commerically available stuff.

The only time I'd consider doing my own floor of any kind (and I have thought about it) is solid wood thats just to nice to be available. I import mahogany and have a ton of it. However it would still cost a small fortune to mill it into flooring as I am not setup for that here. I'd have to farm the milling out and transport both ways.

As for your own engineered flooring man - thats a TON of work and you need the right equipment. I know I certainly do not have the ability to veneer flooring in my shop. I guess I could go peice by peice and be done in 3 years.

As for the alum oxide finishes yeah they are tough but look terrible in my opinion. Old school finished floors may not be as durable but they bring out the woods beauty whereas I think oxide finishes dull the natural beauty. It makes the film milky to my eyes.

My biggest questiion to the flooring industry is why all the lies about species etc? And for laminates, since its a photo why not do the uber expensive woods like Ziricote, Brazilian Rosewood, Cocobolo etc. If you're gonna go fake, fake what you otherwise cant have I say.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Either the photographers don't know the difference or there isn't enough demand for exotics. For the price and durablilty, it is hard to beat, but…........... still not wood ;-((


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