How can I extend a floating floor that was previously terminated at a wall?

Question

We have had an extension on our house and have bought the same laminate flooring that already exists and flows through the hallway, dining room and living room. We now have a new, 5x6m kitchen/diner extension (open plan to living room with existing laminate) which we want the same laminate to flow through into.

Obviously the existing laminate is cut off to where the wall used to be - now an archway - and we want to extend the laminate but DO NOT want a join/T-Mould.

Our builders have insisted we'd have to take up the entire floor in all three existing rooms, but does anyone know any tricks to just take up the cut-off bits? There must be some way of doing it!

It's a homebase click together laminate floor.

Answer 1

The only way this would be possible, in theory, would be for you to slide the truncated boards out of their positions lengthwise, and replace them. The trouble is that most flooring 1) has a core composed of particle or fiber composite, which has very high friction, and 2) has joint surfaces coated with a waxy material to create a water-resistant seal, and 3) requires that the end joints be tipped into place. Combined, these characteristics would make for a very difficult job of sliding along the length of the boards.

You'd then have to drive the new, full boards into position without damaging them and somehow engage (or modify or remove) the end joint fittings. All that typically proves impossible, or at least prohibitively impractical.

That said, many manufacturers offer kits and procedures for replacing individual boards if they get damaged. These sometimes involve a special joiner strip that allows you to engage the tongue or groove of the adjacent board in a manner required to fit it out of sequence. This may be one possible avenue.

Finally, most floating floors have a length or run limitation due to expansion and contraction. If your final run would exceed that number, typically somewhere around 30 feet, you shouldn't attempt this anyway.

The bottom line is that you'll need to investigate the specific product you're using for these options, make sure you understand the assembly process, assess your own skill level and the project parameters, and then either go for it or don't.