How much extra engineered wood should I order?

susanlynn2012

14 years ago

I ordered on Friday after 5:00 PM (via the telephone) BR-111 Triangulo Engineered Brazilian Cherry Floor in the 5" wide widths. I am going to float the floor using a professional installer. I was told the order will not go out until Monday so I can call Monday morning if I have any changes to make.

An installer calls me today that wants the job and says I should have ordered 21 boxes of the BR-111 floor and not 20 boxes since I have no closets that I am putting the wood in and there are cuts besides waste. But I have so many filing cabinets we can put the shorter boards under if I we have to so I do not understand why I need over 13% extra.

Various installers and me all seem to get 573 square feet or 567 sq. feet depending on fractions rounded. I thought 20 Boxes X 31.02 sq. feet per box would be enough since 7% on a rounded 575 sq. feet comes to 615 and 20 Boxes X 31.02 sq. feet comes to 620.40 sq. feet while 21 boxes comes to 651.42 sq. feet which is 13.29% extra.

How much extra should I order?

Truehardwoods.com where I bought my flooring from had told me 7% extra for waste but some installers are telling me at least 10%.

Also the installer that called me back told me to order 4 reducers and 1 T-molding. I ordered 3 reducers since I need 18 feet and 88" X 3 I thought was more than enough since it is 22 feet long but one of my floor separations is 7 feet 4 inches long and I will have to use part of another reducer.

None of my floors are the same level (tile in foyers that are 3/8th thick, Linoleum in kitchen, and flat commercial type of builder grade tile in closet while the wood is 1/2" thick and being floated on a pad) so I do not understand why I would need a T-Molding? Also if they feel I need a T-Molding for the tile areas, then I need two or we will be short

Hence, do I need three reducers at 88" long or 4 reducers. Should I order a T-molding just in case that I do not see why I need it. Or maybe I need 2 T-Moldings if I use it for the tile since both areas add up to almost the 88" long.

I have narrowed it down to two installers but one of the two feels I have more than enough wood and the other feels I should order more.

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Comments (3)

floorguy
14 years ago
As long as there is no staircases or multiple angled walls, 5% overage is standard. With 5" wide flooring there can be more waste, than with a 2Â¼" wide board, where rip cuts are involved.
susanlynn2012
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you Floorguy. What is a rip cut? I had thought the 5" boards would be less waste since there were longer boards than the 3.25" boards I was at first going to order. So the standard is 5% overage on ordering but I need to order more since I went with the 5" wide board? So is 7% enough.

After this experience, I do not think I will order flooring on the Internet but instead spend the time finding an installer that I am very comfortable with and trust that would order with me on the Internet if we can't get a much better price from his or her wholesaler.

I slept so bad and I am getting more behind in my work. A client just called and I have to finish his work today so I need to get this decision over with.

This is so stressful not having samples of the 5" boards (I know I am starting to worry about the width.. wish it was 4" wide and not 5" wide and keep thinking 3.25" board samples I have here are nice... I don't like not seeing the floor down in person in the width I ordered) and not sure if I am ordering enough as well as now wondering since more plastic on my floor after nonstop rain over main weeks is still 100% dry if I should just have glued it so I could put my furniture back right away and not worried about the flooring being so hard to walk on. This way the floor will not be raised with the pad. But I loved the way my neighbor's floor felt that was floated and it felt secure with no popping noises. I just walked on my neighbor's floor again and it is hard but not so hard like I keep thinking and her floor is glued down with no sealer since her installer told her the floor was dry.

I think I will call TrueHardwoods.com and ask if I can order one more reducer and 2 T-Molding pieces (I just measured pulling up the pad and rug and putting a skinny catalogue under the 1/2" wood to see how close in height the 3/8th thick tile was with the wood since the tile has thinset under it and the wood will have padding under it and it seems that they are so close in height with only a 1/8th inch difference so now I am thinking maybe I need 2 T-Moldings. One of the installers (the one I am thinking of using that picked up the phone last night) said I need 1 T-Molding. I think I need to find the length of the T-Molding since if it is the length of the reducer at 88", I need two or I will be short. I guess I need to call and find out the length. I will find out the return policy. I have just enough Reducers if I need it for all the areas, unless one cracks while cutting it.

I wonder if I should order 1 extra reducer to have 4 and 2 T-Moldings so I have everything?

Also the floating glue I want it to be flexible and waterproof or it is better to go with water resistant and flexible?

I do not know what I would do without this forum. This has been so much stress for me and thank you for all holding my hand. Thank you Floorguy.
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susanlynn2012
Original Author
14 years ago
The installer I originally wanted to hire but was too busy to come by to let me know what I needed to order is going to stop by tomorrow and let me know what I need. But after my my friend ripped the carpet out from the tack-less and removed the tack-less (cement nails) near the tiles and pulling up the pad that seems to be glued in that area and then vacuumed, we both were able to see that a 5" wide 1/2" thick board will be the same height as my 3/8th inch tile over the thinset. Hence, the padding will add 1/8th inch which may make the heights so close that maybe I do need two T-Moldings and then either 2 or 3 reducers. I will let the installer confirm what I need tomorrow.

He is also going to bring a floating pad and a longer 5" wide board for me to stand on over the pad and then by itself to make a decision if I want to still float the floor.

All this writing notes and measurements has my neck and arms in unbearable pain from that car accident I had almost 2 years ago. If it wasn't for the accident, I would be able to really help out with the wood job. Now I have learned what a reducer is and what a T-molding is in case I do the upstairs floor next year.