What to do about floor lam glue?

[MichaelMc]

So i'm laying floating pergo this weekend, and i learned quickly that a/s originally glued the kitchen laminate. now i've got that mountain scape of glue to contend with.

as far as i know, i need a smooth surface on which to lay my vapor barrier before laying the panels. trying to chip away the glue is a royal pain, and sanding just gums up my sandpaper.

what to do? should i just sand it down until it's smooth and not get perfection, or should i literally get all that glue up to avoid headaches?

it seems to me that there's no way i'm going to be able to get a perfectly smooth surface out of this because the fiberboard chips, leaving little indentations, and the glue is the glue of the lord, virtually indestructible.

do i need to really sand to a rut-less perfect subfloor? my plan now is to just sand off the rough edges and not worry too much about the chips and extra few micrometers of glue.

what do you all think?

[BradS]

I would sand to a smooth surface, not perfect. I think you are correct in planning to get rid of the sharp edges and bumps

[vinstream]

You could also use a floor leveler compound, it will smooth out the floor and is easy to use and light weight. "Level-Best" is what I have used, and works fine. I know there is also one made by DAP (you should be able to find it at the "Big Box" home stores. It will cost about $20.00 per box, you may need 2 boxes for the entire job....

Good Luck! Todd

[65CV]

The leveling compound is good stuff in a stationary house, but it is heavy.

Can you knock off the high spots with a shurform shaper or a plane? Any small high spots that can be knocked off will save a lot of weight that will be towed for years.

John

[MichaelMc]

i sanded down as best i could and decided not to get too crazy. a dude i know who does floors said the vapor barrier would take care of any minor imperfections. i'm almost done with the living room and my knees are killing me i'm a tad concerned though, where the gap at the edges should be roughly a quarter inch, mine are well over a half. i could salvage these pieces and start over and get more flush. should i?

[Don McKelvay]

When I laid my laminate flooring, I used the heavier underpad made of rag fiber I think which also had a vapour barrier rather than the white styrofoam which was thinner and I was told it might result in 'squeeking' when one walked on the laminate.

I had a bit more than 1/4 inch gap around the edges and covered that by nailing one quarter round resulting in a good finish.

My job was my first flooring and was about 3 years ago - still good although when a knife or can drops on the floor it can chip the laminate. Also, make sure all your joints are as tight as possible.

I am sure you will love the finished job, and it makes sweeping out the trailer a real simple job.

[Rebee]

Put luan down for a subfloor over your vapour barrier. This will provide a smooth surface.

[MichaelMc]

Well, I went for it. Here's what I've got so far:



Now to tackle the rear bed and center bath where rot and leaks have me tied up. You may be wondering why I didn't just do it all at once. I'm full-timing, so my chi can't handle a fully torn apart stream. Here's my progress on that front.