DIY - Installing Click Laminate Floors at The Blog Cabin

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This post is sponsored by Select Surfaces.

The Blog Cabin Makeover Project is coming along! So far, the most dramatic change has been the installation of brand new laminate floors in the Living Room and Bedroom. I'm especially proud of this project, because I did 90% of the work myself. This was the first time I've ever installed flooring and I have to say that it was relatively simple and fun!

Here is a peek at the Living Room "Before"...

(Before)

As you can see, it had wall to wall carpeting that had seen better days. The first night I spent at the cabin, I had my sister come over to keep me company. We were struck with ambition and decided to pull up the carpeting. Using a razor blade, we cut the carpeting into long strips, rolled them up and carried them to the dumpster. The padding pulled up easily, there were a few areas where pet accidents had happened that required a little more attention.

The removal of the tack strips and nails around the edges took a little time, but was pretty easy.

I wasn't sure what I was going to find under the carpeting. I was lucky to uncover a nice, smooth, level concrete subfloor. Once the carpeting, padding and tack strips were removed, I gave the cement a good cleaning and it was officially prepped and ready to go. 

I wanted to apply a new flooring material that I could install myself, DIY style.  I chose laminate based on my desire for a budget friendly, durable, material that would look beautiful in the cabin for many years. I knew Select Surfaces Laminate from Sam's Club was the perfect choice. I have Select Surfaces Laminate Floors throughout my home and knew they would fit the bill at the cabin as well. They are designed to withstand "Light Commercial or Heavy Residential Use" which is perfect for my busy, high energy, life loving family!

Select Surfaces offered to sponsor this project and sent me several samples from their new  Laminate Elite Collection to choose from. I took the samples to the cabin and laid them out on the floor next to the knotty pine walls to determine which color I liked the best. 

I made the decision almost instantly to go with the sample that is on the second to left, Mocha Walnut. I loved how the color complemented the pine paneling and accentuated the dark knots. I brought in the area rug I bought for the space so I could see the how the new Living Room color palette looked with the different flooring color options. 

Doing this confirmed that Mocha Walnut was the right choice. 

Once I had my color selection locked down, I headed to my local Sams Club. I loaded up a cart with Select Surfaces Laminate in Mocha Walnut, a pizza, a pack of muffins and some snacks for the weekend.

 I stopped at home, grabbed my 14 year old son, and drove up to the cabin in a snow storm. Together he and I unloaded the boxes of laminate into the kitchen. We hung out for a few days allowing the product to rest and acclimate to the environment inside the cabin before installing it. 

While the laminate was getting used to it's new home, I studied the Step-by-Step Installation Guide and the Project Supply List  provided on the Select Surfaces website. I was happy to learn that I could gather all the tools and supplies I needed in one quick trip to a local home improvement store.

The first step was to cover the cement subfloor with a vapor barrier.  

Once that was out of the way it was time for the fun part, laying the laminate. I think the reason the project was so enjoyable was the instant gratification. As soon as the first few rows went down, you could see how beautiful the floors were going to look. 

As I worked along, I discovered that when locking the boards together, they snap together perfectly if you use a light up and down wiggling motion to put the tongue and grove edges together. A gentle motion works better than using force.

The first two or three rows took the longest. Once I got used to the process, I flew through the installation in the Bedroom and Living Room. After all the boards were down, I trimmed the access  vapor barrier around the perimeter. 

The gap left between the floating floor and the walls was intentional to allow for expansion. All of this information and more is covered in the Installation Guide. I used quarter round molding to cover the gap and finish off the look of my beautiful new floors.

The trickiest part of laying the laminate was making the cuts around the threshold area in between the Bedroom and Living Room. It took a couple of tries, but I got the cuts just right. I was prepared for this and bought a little extra material so I could make some practice cuts if needed. 

Voila!

The floors turned out beautifully and, just as I imagined, they completely transformed the space. I may or may not have laid down and rolled around on them a few times in my excitement, I'll leave that to your imagination. 

In true Designer fashion, the same day I finished the floors I brought in all of the other design elements to finish off the rooms. 

Here are some "After" shots of the Living Room...

(After)

(After)

(After)

(After)

Here's one more side-by-side comparison of the "Before and After"...

(Before) 

(After) 

Now that I know how simple the installation process is and how beautiful the results are, I can't wait to get started on the rest of the cabin! I'm using this product throughout the entire cottage (with the exception of the bathroom which will be tiled). Last weekend, I began prepping the Kitchen, Dining Room and Kids Bedroom...

When I pulled up the carpeting in these rooms, I uncovered cement subfloors that were not as smooth  as they were in Living Room and Bedroom.

Here's a closeup so you can see...

These rooms will require a little more prep work to get them level and ready for the laminate. It's an easy fix, it just requires one more step that I'm going to share with you as I work along. Stay tuned! Thank you for letting me share my Blog Cabin DIY adventures with you! To see more posts in this series, please click here:

Introducing The Blog Cabin Series

The First Project at The Blog Cabin-The Bed

The Blog Cabin Living Room Makeover

The Blog Cabin Dining Room

Installing New Laminate Floors at The Blog Cabin 

DIY Firepit In One Day For Less Than $100

Our First Campfire at The Blog Cabin 

We currently have openings for new Online Design Projects (E-Design). If you're interested in getting started on a room makeover in your home, please click here to make your reservation. 

*Select Surfaces provided me with the product and sponsored this post. 

All opinions are 100% and 100% my own. 

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Update and FAQ on My Sams Club Floors

Some of the most frequently asked questions here at The Yellow Cape Cod have to do with my Sams Club floors.  Three years ago, we installed Select Surfaces Canyon Oak laminate flooring from Sams Club in the lower level of our home (you can read about it here).  

(Before)                                                (After)

Just a few months ago, we went back to Sams for more Select Surfaces laminate (this time in Cocoa Walnut) and had it installed throughout the upstairs (you can read about that here).  

(Before)                                                (After)

Since posting about these transformations, I've received hundreds of questions from readers.  Instead of continuing to respond individually, I thought it would be more helpful to do a blog post to answer the most frequently asked questions.   Please keep in mind, the following answers are 100% honest, based my own humble opinion and experiences. 

How do I clean them?

For daily cleaning, I use a broom or a dry Swiffer.  For deeper cleanings, we use a damp cloth with a hot water/vinegar solution.  We've also used laminate flooring cleaner which works nicely as well. 

Do they have a hollow sound?

In comparison to real, solid, hardwood, floors they do have a different sound.  However, when compared to other laminate products I've experienced, they have much less of a hollow or clicking sound.  We have not had an issue with them being noticeably noisy, even after having them installed upstairs.

(Before)                                                (After)

How have they held up, am I still happy with them?

They have held up wonderfully.  After three years of use, I'm very happy with the quality.  I feel they've been a durable option for our active family.  They also have a timeless, authentic hard wood look that compliments the design style of our home. 

Which color do I like better, Canyon Oak or Cocoa Walnut?

This is a tough one to answer.  I like them both equally, though there are differences.  Canyon Oak is not as dark as Cocoa Walnut, so it shows less dirt/dust.  However, the dark rich color of Cocoa Walnut is absolutely gorgeous.  Canyon Oak has a red undertone while Cocoa Walnut is more of a true dark brown with a slight ash undertone.  In regard to the style, the Canyon Oak planks lay flush against each other while the Cocoa Walnut planks have a beveled edge that creates a slight groove between the planks.  Canyon Oak is slightly shinier has more wood grain embossing than the Cocoa Walnut which has a smoother, more matte finish.

 Cocoa Walnut

Canyon Oak

Did I have laminate installed on our stairs?

I did not use laminate on the stairs, however I did install it on the landing.  Here is a blog post all about the stairs, please click here. 

Was the product difficult to install?  

I had our floors professionally installed by our local flooring installation expert, Gordie Cook from Design Floor Covering.  Gordie followed the manufacturers instructions provided in the box.  It went quickly and Gordie and his team had no issues during the process.  

Was this project a sponsored advertising opportunity or an organic experience?

When I originally installed the Canyon Oak flooring, it was NOT a sponsored project.   After sharing my experience with you here on The Yellow Cape Cod I was amazed by the response from readers telling me they had them installed based on my review.  It didn't take long for the folks at Select Surfaces to notice either, which is how I was given the opportunity to do a sponsored review of the Cocoa Walnut product.  Although I received free product for the Cocoa Walnut post, my positive review and satisfaction with the product is the same as my original, completely organic Canyon Oak post.   

All things considered; looks, durability and price; these floors are wonderful for our lifestyle.  We love how they have transformed our home and I would install them all over again in a heartbeat.

                         (Before)                                                                   (After)

I hope this additional information is helpful!  Thanks for stopping by.

Here is a link to Sams Club Select Surfaces Canyon Oak and here is a link to Cocoa Walnut.

  

For information on my affordable online design service please click here. 

How To Transition Between Two Different Wood Floors

 A few years ago, I blogged about how much I loved the commercial grade laminate wood plank style flooring from Sam's Club that we installed throughout the main level of our home (Canyon Oak by Select Surfaces).  If you missed that post, you can catch it here. The reaction that I've received since then has been incredible.  Readers still write to me saying that after they saw my floors, they went out and purchased them and also love them just as much.  

Here is a quick peek at Canyon Oak plank laminate flooring in our living room…

A few months ago, the company that makes this flooring (Select Surfaces) contacted me and asked me if I would like to review their newest laminate floor product, Cocoa Walnut. (*Disclaimer: I received Cocoa Walnut product to facilitate the review).  The timing was perfect because the carpet in our second level was due for replacement.  I'm still so in love with our Canyon Oak flooring that I jumped at the chance to install more of their product in our home.  I went to my local Sam's Club to view it in person before having it installed. The color and style of Cocoa Walnut is similar to Canyon Oak but there are differences between the two.  

In order to maintain flow in our open concept home and create a nice transition between the two different products, I chose to have carpet installed on the stair case.  This acted as a visual divide between the two different flooring materials.  Canyon Oak downstairs, Cocoa Walnut upstairs and a thick, high quality carpeting on the staircase in between.  

Instead of carpeting the landing, I had Canyon Oak installed.  As you can see in the photo above, Gordie Cook (our awesome flooring installer from Design Floor Coverings) placed a plank vertically along the top riser (just below the landing) to enhance the look and allow more of the beautiful wood grain to be seen from the lower level.  It also gave the landing a more substantial look.  He did this again at the very top stair riser where the Cocoa Walnut floors begin. 

Carpeting on the stairs between the Canyon Oak landing and the Cocoa Walnut product used upstairs provides a nice transition between the two products. 

Cocoa Walnut

I'll be back later this week with before/after photos to show how the Cocoa Walnut floors have transformed our second level.  I will also share my thoughts on the two different products and now that  we've had our Cocoa Walnut floors for almost 6 months, I'll let you know what we think of them. 

Thanks for stopping by!

For information on my affordable online design service please click here.