Laminate floors around doorways

[joshhudm]

Hi all, so i installed almost all of the floors and they look great.. i just have a question about putting the floor around the doors. If i am supposed to leave a 3/8th gap around walls wouldn't that leave a nice gap that wont be covered by trim around the door? Or do i cut it so its a tight fit around the doors? Also i know you are supposed to put the transition strip on the front part of the door frame, but the carpet doesnt reach that far. Can i put the strip under the door and trim my door? Lastly, can i use a circular saw to trim my door down? any help is appreciated.

[pushkins]

You should cut the bottom of the door jam so that the laminate slips under it. You can buy a "jam cutting" saw from any hardware store around $10, they look like a normal saw but the handle is attached on the face of the blade so you can cut at the floor level, just use a piece of waste laminate flooring to rest the saw blade on while cutting to give you the right cut height.


Yes technically the bedroom flooring material should not be seen when the door is closed, however your situation is a very common problem, I usually bring the laminate flooring out as far as needed to allow the transition strip to cover both flooring materials. (reality is most often the door is open anyway so no one notices).

As for trimming down the door, yes a circular saw can be used, get a 40t or more blade for it, you will want to cut from the rear side of the door so the best cut side is the exterior side, run a few strips of wide painters tape on the rear side of the door where the saw will sit so you can see the cut line easily AND it saves scratching up the paint.

[HomeI]

after you do that your going to want to make sure you can your floors are cleaned properly. Buy a kirby with the attachments and you will be complete. trust me.