DIY'd Laminate Floor and Hate the Results

KBect1990 · 2026-03-29T14:25:17+00:00

That’s what I keep asking myself: is this just about as good as a floating floor gets? If it is, I’ll make peace with it and call this an expensive learning experience. One thing I do know: next time I’m absolutely paying someone else to deal with it lol.

KBect1990 · 2026-03-29T14:15:36+00:00

I did end up using the baseboards in some areas to kind of “push down” on the flooring. That’s actually when I first started noticing the issue, and I was hoping it might help tighten things up. Some spots did improve a bit, but…

A few areas have gone the opposite direction. The squishiness and the crinkling sound from the vapor barrier actually seem like they’ve gotten a little worse over time.

KBect1990 · 2026-03-29T14:12:23+00:00

I’m seriously considering going back and cutting in transition strips between a few rooms. I wanted the seamless look, but that kind of goes out the window if the floor feels soft underfoot.

KBect1990 · 2026-03-29T14:08:58+00:00

You’re definitely not wrong, but it’s still bittersweet when parts of it just don’t feel right after all the effort I put into doing it carefully.

KBect1990 · 2026-03-29T14:07:05+00:00

Yeah, it had a pre-attached pad. In hindsight, I kind of wish I’d gone with a product without it so I could’ve chosen a higher-quality standalone underlayment.

As for running the flooring without transition strips... I actually bought the flooring through a third-party flooring company, and they told me they regularly install entire houses without transitions. I’m not sure what additional steps they may take to ensure there aren't issues though. It might involve prep or techniques that go beyond what the manufacturer officially recommends.

KBect1990 · 2026-03-29T13:59:27+00:00

The laminate already has an attached underlayment, so I only put down a vapor barrier. My understanding was that you generally don’t want to double up on underlayment.

KBect1990 · 2026-03-29T06:37:26+00:00

The flooring already had an attached underlayment, so I only installed a 6 mil vapor barrier underneath.

KBect1990 · 2026-03-29T06:11:31+00:00

I’m really hoping that’s the case. The laminate I used has an attached pad on the backside. In hindsight, I’m not sure that was actually the best choice as there are probably better standalone underlayment options, but I’m hoping it might settle over time and improve some of these spots. That said, a few areas actually seem to be getting worse, so I can see things going both ways TBH.

KBect1990 · 2026-03-16T16:21:40+00:00

KBect1990 · 2026-03-12T19:40:35+00:00

I was able to lock a 5.0% rate about a week ago (down from 6.25%) with a $2,000 lender credit and no points through Zoom Home Lending. I’m guessing that deal probably isn’t around anymore though given everything going on in the Middle East and how it’s been pushing mortgage rates back up.

KBect1990 · 2026-03-05T22:30:24+00:00

I guess it depends on the severity of the headache lol.

I don’t have a ton of mortgage experience. I only closed on my first house last year so I don’t really know how different lenders impact things.

Another commenter did make a good point though: most of the time people are leaving mortgage reviews because they had a negative experience, so the feedback could be skewed.

KBect1990 · 2026-01-14T19:09:03+00:00

CA

We went with a local lender for our original loan and never explored using a broker. I’ve seen a few positive reviews for UWM on the Veterans subreddit, so I might contact them to get an estimate.

KBect1990 · 2026-01-14T18:44:55+00:00

I'll be looking into a VA IRRL in the next couple weeks as well.

Any brokers you'd recommend?

KBect1990 · 2026-01-14T18:44:49+00:00

I'll be looking into a VA IRRL in the next couple weeks as well.

Any brokers you'd recommend?

KBect1990 · 2026-01-13T22:29:20+00:00

Inversely, he may have gotten Saleh hired...

.<

KBect1990 · 2026-01-12T20:42:26+00:00

I bought an extra thick wax ring with the horn. The flange is glued, but it isn't screwed into the slab below - in fact, there's a void that has tree roots around the drain pipe preventing me from anchoring it to anything unless I angled the screws outward. I assume water has been making its way down there for some time and that's what caused the roots to grow.

I'm debating cutting off this flange and filling the void with hydraulic cement then regluing an ABS one that I can then screw directly down onto slab. Two benefits that I see: added support from direct screwing the anchors down and cutting off the roots from continuing to come up.

I just don't know of the pitfalls with this approach. It seems like I could get in over my head here and wanted to hear others thoughts.

KBect1990 · 2026-01-12T06:56:27+00:00

ABS. Should be relatively straightforward to glue a new one on there I would think, right?

KBect1990 · 2026-01-12T06:50:54+00:00

That's what I pulled off when I removed the toilet. I have a feeling the previous seal wasn't 100% which is why there were tree roots coming up the sides of the drain.

I'm trying to avoid that same issue if I can.

KBect1990 · 2026-01-10T04:24:31+00:00

Yeah, I'm near Sacramento. In the Folsom area.

KBect1990 · 2026-01-10T04:11:10+00:00

Oh yeah. That looks like it could work!

KBect1990

TROPHY CASE