Ok...now the elephant in the room would like a word: Can you source the SAME floor? I mean the IDENTICAL floor? This is first and foremost your #1 priority. Everything after that is a moot point.

Most 'man made' products (such as laminate and engineered hardwood) have a "shelf life" of 18 - 24 months. Your project was completed about 2.5 years ago. There is a greater chance that you will NOT find the original product vs. finding it.

So....therein lies the rub. If you can source the original product, you can add it to the original floor at the junction where it stops. You may have to pull that last row if it is "cut" (you always need an intact tongue/groove to continue).

The HDF core is what limits the "run" of a product - as well as the type of tongue and groove. The 31 linear feet is getting very close to "maximum" run. And the 31 linear feet would need to be the LONG EDGE of the plank...not the short edge.

Go ahead and google your floor (you will need to have the box in front of you to find the maker and the "line" of your product). Punch in the "line" and then add "installation instructions" to the search engine and see what you get.

Many HDF cores have a 30 - 35 ft maximum run....on the LONG edge. And the short edge can have a maximum run of 25 ft. These are "common" numbers we see with HDF core floors.

And just so we are clear - laminate is inappropriate for a kitchen. It has a life expectancy of 3-7 years. The 'high end' laminates can reach 7 years....but then they can die a tragic death at the hands of the dishwasher.

Good luck. First things first: find out if you can SOURCE your original floor. Without that identical floor, your question is only hypothetical.

Thanks for the reply. I have the same exact flooring already bought and in the house ready to go.

I am not afraid of using it in the kitchen; it has stood up to old dog diarrhea that sat overnight for who knows how long, stuff dropped on it and I have water sensors under every water related appliance and they will detect a very tiny leak and wake me up with an ear shattering siren. Plus if I spill something I am quick to blot it up.

I guess my main question is if it should be started with a full width piece almost butted up to the end of the old floor and a T molding put over the break? He claims you have to fit the tongue into the groove rather than groove over tongue. He has started at the far end rather than at the doorway and is just planning on putting a thin piece in to meet up with the original floor. I think that will look bad.

Doing a "reverse install" (groove into the tongue instead of tongue into the groove) is tricky, time consuming, leads to more waste and is SUPER frustrating...which leads to explosive behavior and more damage (boards being thrown across the room when the spine breaks, etc). The reverse install is possible for small things like closets, entrance ways and hallways. A continuation of the project that includes a total of 375sf would challenge even the most seasoned of laminate floor installers.

If you have a "handy man" that isn't so "handy" then be prepared to have 15% - 25% waste. Go ahead and count your square footage on hand. With 25% waste (worst case scenario), you will need (roughly) 465sf ON HAND ready to be installed. If you only have the 5% waste that most people work with, you may be pushing the not-so-handy man well past his comfort zone. As in "Get out of my HOUSE you BUM" type of event.

A T-molding will allow the not-so-handy man put your floor in with little waste without pushing past the limits of his/your patience and the limits of the square footage you have on hand.

You already know the man is falls into the "unsatisfactory" category. You are well aware of this. If you choose to "make" him install it in reverse, you choose all the possibilities this entails.

I wish you luck. If this were my floor, I would bring in a professional and pay him/her the $1.50 - $2.50/sf to lay the laminate in reverse.

Floating click-lock flooring can be rather easily installed in either direction. It would have to be. Imagine coming around a partition and having to fill in areas that don't go in the direction of the tongue.

As to the need for a trim piece for expansion, I'm not an expert. Look to the manufacturer's recommendations for an answer.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the majority of floating floors spec in the instructions that you need a t-molding in each doorway under 6' and also in any length over 30-40'.

I ended up not liking how it was going so told him to stop and I will get a professional in to lay it the correct way. I am going to tear up all the carpet, padding and tack strips myself to keep it more affordable.

Thank you all for your advice.

Did you consult the instructions regarding t-moldings?

I already knew it needs t-moldings at doorways but was not aware of lengthwise as well. The living room is 25 foot long and the 20 foot hallway goes off the long side of the living room. If the instructions and the pros who laid the kitchen and dining room say it needs one, there will be one. Thank you!