Floor surface requirements for XL and Drop and Done plank flooring.

[highup]

I measured up a job Friday for the local Carpet One retailer. Is the upstairs of a home in the subdivision and was probably built less than 10 years ago. Most homes these days have a single layer T&G OSB subfloor with no underlayment when things are carpeted.
There are three bedrooms, a hallway and some stairs.
The flooring mentioned in the title has no tongue and groove. You Begin by fitting it tight to the wall and push each plank tight and then finish up on the other side of the room fitting it tight also. It just lays there.
Alternate message are to glue the perimeter of the room and lay the center of the room without adhesive.
You can also full spread the floor.
I initially thought that this installation would be a click together floor and I didn't pull back the carpet to see the construction of the subfloor but I very strongly suspect OSB.
I didn't look at the stairs either. They would of course need a bullnose piece and the customer said it would be a flush mount.
What would be the best option for this type of flooring?
Sanding the subfloor seams then installing quarter inch plywood?
Sanding the seams and loose laying the material?
Currently the entire upstairs is carpeted with the exception of two bathrooms and a laundry closet which have ceramic tile. Total area including the stairs is around 700 ft.

 

[Mark Brown]

Xl can be installed on osb/subfloor materials. Sand and seams would be the norm.
Best practice is obviously underlayment and don't expect it to end well of it is loose laid especially with subfloor.

 

[C.J.]

@Kyle Nelson does a bunch of this stuff. He prolly has some first hand experience he can pass on. I’ve only heard him say good things about this product.

 

[Tile Tom]

Kyle did talk about how much he loved that stuff.

I've personally never done any. Seems kind of crazy if you think about it but I respect his opinion on it. I doubt he would rave about it if it was causing him call backs and unhappy customers.

I would at the very least perimeter glue it as recommend. But then again I would probably just full spread it to get a good night's sleep......

 

[Mark Brown]

I did one job loose laid, then I did zero job loose laid after I went back and glued it all.

It's a nice product, but it isnt magic. Its a 5mm calendared vinyl plank and they are stable and weighty but I still release adhesive every one I ever did.

 

[C.J.]

I’ve only done one job and I can’t say if it was this specific product but we loose laid it then went back and perimeter glued it after the planks started shifting. Granted, it was in a commercial space but still I think perimeter glue at the very least like others have mentioned.

 

[highup]

One concern is we don't know if the OSB was rained on for a month before the roof was installed. If it was brand new Weyerhauser Edge Gold, it would probably be pretty smooth......
.....as long as it wasn't rained on for a month.
I'm sure the floor can be skim coated, but then that can lift or puff up a flake here and there....
....and over there.
You might be chasing your tail longer than you'd want.
It's I lived in home with at least three occupants.

 

[highup]

I won't be doing the job, I'm just measuring it up. The shop just needs to be prepared for the what ifs.

 

[Mark Brown]

You asked what "can", not what "if". The list of if's is very long indeed.

 

[highup]

I said what if's.
My can is half empty.

 

[C.J.]

My can is half empty.

Beer can?

 

[highup]

For God's sake, if it was a box, I'd say box! I'm not a wino.

 

[Tile Tom]

I don't think I'd worry too much about the occasional chip in the OSB. Shit, I would say the way they make OSB these days (advantec/dryguard) is a complete 180 from what it used to be.
I have a chunk of advantec on my back porch I use for a makeshift table for my smoker. It's been exposed to the weather for probably 4-5 years. Rain,snow, humidity,heat,cold...... That shit is fine!!

 

[Kyle Nelson]

I believe it was Ken (KW) that did alot of it. I’ve done a couple of jobs of it (3) and i just troweled on adhesive as per usual. I found that there’s no floor flat enough to not have adhesive on it to pull together any minor gaps. I’ve only heard good things about the product though.

 

[highup]

I don't think I'd worry too much about the occasional chip in the OSB. Shit, I would say the way they make OSB these days (advantec/dryguard) is a complete 180 from what it used to be.
I have a chunk of advantec on my back porch I use for a makeshift table for my smoker. It's been exposed to the weather for probably 4-5 years. Rain,snow, humidity,heat,cold...... That shit is fine!!

There are different brands and different grades of OSB. I saw some in the house one time where they were puffed up pieces all over it. It would be too rough to go over.
I've also seen some pretty good looking stuff so who knows.
I passed the info onto the shop owner and in their bid, they will make note with the customer about the unknowns and possible additional charges if they run into something crazy.

 

[C.J.]

Just a FYI The new fancy stuff like advantec calls out for underlayment if you’re gonna do a glue down product. Something about the resins in it having a possible reaction to the adhesive.

 

[Tile Tom]

Just a FYI The new fancy stuff like advantec calls out for underlayment if you’re gonna do a glue down product. Something about the resins in it having a possible reaction to the adhesive.

That is 100% true. I wouldn't go gluing a piece of sheet vinyl to it.... But plank? EFFF it, I'm going for it! Lol