Scotia trim or sealant for laminate flooring

[wijcc]

Hi all, all the times I have put down laminate flooring if i have used scotia trims for the edges, I have noticed in commercial properties that they don't use scotia trims but instead use wood floor sealant. Is there any disadvantages of using sealeant instead of scotia trims?
What do you guys recommend sealant or trims?
Thanks in advance

 

[Mr Joshua]

I'd recommend removing the skirting boards and lay the floor under it without and sealant if it's possible.

 

[wijcc]

I really want to avoid that, will create tons more work. It will either be scotia trims or sealant i will go down. Is there any disadvantage of using sealant?

 

[BigBoy]

I really want to avoid that, will create tons more work. It will either be scotia trims or sealant i will go down. Is there any disadvantage of using sealant?

Laminate need to have expansion and contraction space that's what the Scotia trim does, it hides the expansion space at the edge of the boards. Sealant is only used in non wood flooring.

 

[wijcc]

i know that you have to give space for the wood/laminate to expand and contract was the weather/temperature changes.
So why is sealant is used in the commercial properties, surely as the sealant is not completely solid and is flexible, it allows for movement??

 

[Mark A]

i know that you have to give space for the wood/laminate to expand and contract was the weather/temperature changes.
So why is sealant is used in the commercial properties, surely as the sealant is not completely solid and is flexible, it allows for movement??

You need to leave 10mm or so room for expansion, so sealant still wouldn't do really. I'm not sure why they used sealant in the commercial properties you saw, maybe it was some sort of vinyl rather than laminate? Or it possibly wasn't a floating floor and was some sort of engineered timber that had been glued down. Either that or they just wanted to get the job done as fast as possible and didn't care about future expansion problems...

I have seen many DIY jobs where they didn't bother with expansion gaps, or forgot to leave expansion gaps around doors etc and it feels horrible and bouncy to walk on. Not only that but it can also push the skirting boards into the wall so they come away at the top, creating gaps.

 

[Kearney_1988]

I ended up using an oscillating saw around the room I lay my flooring in.

This way I ran the flooring a couple of mm under the skirting, leaving an expansion gap hidden

I'll try to find an image

Edit - picture of what I done here https://goo.gl/photos/yyzvgevH7AdvWAmeA

 

[Maccapacca]

The reason you're seeing a mastic joint is that the boards run under the skirting and the mastic joint is to stop dust and water.

Scotia is horrible. You can buy pre finished skirting boards you grip fill on. It's a small amount if extra work that makes it look a million times better.

 

[200sols]

Take skirting off, lay flooring leaving expansion gaps. Put skirting back on hiding the gaps. Removing the skirting is a quick job really.

 

[Mark A]

Buy one of them super strong magnets with a hole in the centre to find the screws and it makes the job of removing the skirting boards a lot faster and easier if they were screwed in place.

 

[wijcc]

The skirting boards are glued and nailed in. I don't want to damage them taking them off using a crowbar or mess up the plastering on the wall above the skirting boards.
Maybe i should go for carpet instead.. it is the hallway which is long and narrow, has 5 doorways stairs going down and is "Z" shaped.

 

[Mark A]

Thats the only problem with using grip adhesives, they make the job faster to fit, but it can be a pain if you ever come to remove them. With screws it's just a case of finding the screws with a magnet, then digging out the filler to remove the screws and then the skirt comes off easy. If you have a multi tool then you could score along the top[ of the skirt as deep as the skim and that should avoid any damage. You could use a magnet to find the nails and then hammer them right through the skirting board with a nail punch. Then tap a scraper in behind the skirt and carefully work along breaking the glue joint. The skirts will be lifted up by the thickness of the laminate and underlay, so that should cover any minor damage.

I mean if you like the look of scotia bead then go for laminate. It doesn't look too bad if you do a neat job with it.

 

[wijcc]

Thanks for your advice, seeming like a lot of work.. maybe i should go for darkish colour carpet instead!!

 

[DJ85]

The skirting boards are glued and nailed in. I don't want to damage them taking them off using a crowbar or mess up the plastering on the wall above the skirting boards.
Maybe i should go for carpet instead.. it is the hallway which is long and narrow, has 5 doorways stairs going down and is "Z" shaped.

If you run a Stanley knife along the top of the skirting to break any sealant it has to the wall then gently use a flat head screwdriver and a hammer (only where the posts are on your wall) the skirtings will come off easy, then lay your laminate and then replace your skirtings. If it was carpet before the skirtings will more than likely be higher than they were before thus hiding the line where they was before. A Z shaped hallway with 5 doorways to cut round is a lot of work if you aren’t a joiner to trade. But can be just takes time cutting neat around the doorframes. or even cut through them the thickness of the flooring and slide it right under to create a perfect fit.... scotia trims in that sort of room will take a bit of cutting as well, a lot of mitres to cut.
Don’t think sealant should be used around laminate flooring to account for movement

 

[dazzerd]

Are you sure what you have seen with the scotia is not ceramic tiles? We just bought a house where the whole downstairs is ceramic floor sealed to the skirts.

 

[DJ85]

Same, we have ceramic tiles throughout our house and have them silicon sealed to the skirting

 

[MikeTheNative]

In work we apply sealant to all floors, tiled, wood, vinyl, laminate etc. customers have asked us to seal various kinds.

 

[wijcc]

What would be the tool to to cut the door frame, architrave and possible skirting board without having to take them off? something like a dremel?

 

[phrases]

I really want to avoid that, will create tons more work. It will either be scotia trims or sealant i will go down. Is there any disadvantage of using sealant?

it really doesn't if you can score along the trim and gently remove the boards (dependant on what is holding them in of course) I had no choice with mine as they had 6in nails with wedges into the walls they weren't shifting for nowt! Managed to find some that fitted the period style thought. Its honestly a job worth doing. We still fitted scotia because we had oak flooring layed and there would be gaps as it expands and shrinks during the seasons.

 

[DJ85]

What I do for the door frames is to place a piece of laminate against the door frame and mark all the way around with a pencil the using a fine toothed hand saw cut off the line and once you fit the underlay then flooring under it is a TIGHT fit and looks the part. If your underlay isn’t the foam type lay that under the laminate before you make your mark.