# WTF is up it shaw laminate



## floorinstall (Sep 8, 2007)

I have a customer that bought shaw laminate from Ifloors ion the Internet. This floor is this is the hardest laminate floor I have ever tied to install. Dose anyone have any experience with this floor. In thirty years this is my first shaw laminate and my last. Not only is the laminate next to impossible to install the under lament is some kind of 1/8:" cork in 2X3 sheets that tears by just looking at it and must have a co-efficient of friction between the laminate and the cork of 0. Has any ever used either of these products and if so what is the secret?


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## Stickman (Mar 7, 2008)

I have a Shaw Laminate floor in my home which is about 3 years old. I am over top a slab and have the upgraded under lament (which is not cork). I love it, it went in super easy and has held up great. It is in my kitchen and dining room of which is also the main path through the home. I also have a 115 dog that runs around on it. No scratches , No dents, No problems. I recommend it to people all the time. May want to contact Shaw as they back there products pretty well or so i have been told.


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

The secret is that somebody priced shopped and bought crap for $.77 a sq. ft. I'm guessing that it's some end-of-the-run flooring and that it might just be because of the problem that you are encountering. 

What are you charging to install it? I bet that you were price shopped too.


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## floorinstall (Sep 8, 2007)

*wrong assumption*

the customer paid 3.00 sqft and I got out of the low bid business some where in the late 70's. They chose me because of my reputation and I can assure you I was not the low bid.


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

I noted your experience and wondered how you could get yourself into this fix. How did you formulate your install price on a product that was totally unfamiliar to you?


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## floorinstall (Sep 8, 2007)

Teetorbuilt' Are you telling me that a remodel or you throughly investigate every product that is used on your jobs before you give a bid? The customer told me it was a laminate made by shaw, a prominent player in the flooring trade. I did not require the product to be delivered and preform a trial installation before bidding the job. Is that what you would have done? At some point you have to be realistic about this situation. The product was made by a prominent payer in the field and was purchased at a price point that would indicate 1ST grade goods. I priced the install appropriately. I don't like quoting prices on the Internet but I charged 3.50 sqft to install. You are in Florida and must know that is not low bid. The original question was dose anyone have experience with either of these products. Do you? if not please quit wasting my time with your suppositions. The question was posed to people with experience with these products not someone who hires those with the experience.


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## gideond (May 17, 2007)

I sell one of the cheapest laminates Shaw makes by the pallet full all the time. I've never had any such issues as this with any of it. I've never seen the underlayment you speak of. We don't use Shaw's underlayment. Shaw's locking system is less forgiving than other brands. You have to put it in at an angle and snap it down correctly. You can't cheat it and tap it in at a very slight angle like you can with Quickstep. It has to be a true drop down to lock correctly. Outside of that though, I've never seen where is was that much more difficult to install. It really does sound like someone got a defective product if you are having that much trouble. Just because it was $3.00 a foot means nothing. It could have been a $7.00 laminate to start with.


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## Floordude (Aug 30, 2007)

If I remember right, it is all rotating lock.

A wedge as a help works great.

When Kahrs first went to a lock instead of glue, I went to a training class and they gave us a plastic wedge, and one of their tapping blocks.

Works like a charm on any rotating lock made.

Use the wedge to hold the plank at that perfect angle, while you insert the end down as low as possible. Use the tapping block(which is a solid block about 3x3 inches x 8-10 inches long, made out of heavy molded plastic) to engage the lock and as you get it into the long side further, start sliding the wedge out. Continue tapping down the row to tighten any gaps that occurred.


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## floorinstall (Sep 8, 2007)

*thanks for the help*

we got it figured out today It took awhile but we got the rhythm going and got 700sqft put in. Thank you JESUS. The customer is happy and we should complete the 1200 sqft tomorrow by noon. I still think that Shall sucks but the check will be in the bank tomorrow and it is off to the next one.


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## Angus (Jul 12, 2007)

floorinstall said:


> we got it figured out today It took awhile but we got the rhythm going and got 700sqft put in. Thank you JESUS. The customer is happy and we should complete the 1200 sqft tomorrow by noon. I still think that Shall sucks but the check will be in the bank tomorrow and it is off to the next one.


*I agree. We dumped our shaw laminate display last month. Over priced garbage. Installers hate it. The new Quick Step display has real (or close to) looking wood. Installers love it. Not sure what I think about the tile look.*


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## dayspring (Mar 4, 2006)

I got hold of some of that "NEW" Shaw crap about 2 months ago. Supplier said they changed (improved is what he said) the locking method due to their old method separating @ end joints. I like to have never figured it out, too dumb to read the directions. Once we got the hang of it it went just fine.:clap:


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

Angus said:


> *I agree. We dumped our shaw laminate display last month. Over priced garbage. Installers hate it. The new Quick Step display has real (or close to) looking wood. Installers love it. Not sure what I think about the tile look.*


Quick Step is the easiest laminate to install on the market imo. There are several manufacturers who use their patented locking system for a reason.


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## Floorwizard (Sep 24, 2003)

So far my installers are OK with Versalock.
But it's true that the entry level Quickstep must be the best....


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## Mike Costello (Aug 1, 2004)

Alot of the newer designed locking mechinisms are going to the rock and lock method. 

Too many people were slamming the edges together with tapping blocks and framing hammers.It really screws up the edges and caused many failures.

The rock and lock method works well but it reqires a little more wear and tear on the old hands


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## jtomin (Jan 8, 2008)

shaw used to have the patent unilyn locking system until a few years ago. This locking system is what quickstep currently has. That is why the current locking system in shaw products is not as easy to use. But it is still a good product.


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