I have a little bit of a problem. I recently tiled my kitchen and a short hallway leading to my garage (not connected) and have now decided to install a floating wood floor in the rest of my downstairs. Based on many great reviews I chose Kahrs Builders Woodloc. This flooring is rather thick and will not fit under my existing baseboards. I know you're thinking "Then just remove and reinstall," but here lies my problem. The baseboards run all around the perimeter of the house, including the tiled areas. If I simply remove and reinstall the baseboards will not match up where the tile and wood floors meet. The wood area would be about .75" higher. It's actually only and issue in one place, but affects the height of all the baseboards.

My guess is that I have three options: 1) Remove the base boards and trim them length-wise (a pain and I don't want to repaint the walls in case of damage), 2) Find a way to trim the boards without removing them (jam saw or recipricating saw?), or 3) Install the flooring with the baseboards as-is (but I am afraid it will be difficult to get right around door jams, etc).

Part two: How do I address the moldings around the front door? I have one of those doors with the skinny windows on either side. The bottom of the skinny windows will sit lower than the installed flooring. Not sure about my options here.

You can leave the existing baseboard in place, install the floor and then install quarter round over the floor and against the base. Many people that do not want to remove the base do this. Personally I think it looks like junk but it is a common practice. If all else fails you could do that.

Thought some pictures may help. Here is a link to my webpage on flooring: http://home.comcast.net/~rtbrick/flooring_issues.htm

I have shoe molding around the tiled area and do not mind using molding. I'm not sure I can leave the baseboards in place AND be able to cut/trim the flooring such that any gaps will be hidden around door opeings (I have five openings to contend with). Kahrs states that I need to maintain about a half inch spacing around the flooring, so I am not sure how I will angle the trim when addressing the undercut door frames. Hard or not? Will it look funny or possible cause a buckle since I may not be able to get enough spacing?

Kahrs is a great product, but isn't what I would call DIY'er friendly. A Crain undercut saw is going to be your best friend there. You have a number of tricky, but not impossible things to overcome there. Most of the trouble you are going to run into comes form the way you will have to put the Kahrs together. If you intend to run the floor in the direction that you show in the picture, you'll be making things hard on yourself. I would give thought to hiring out this one.

The doorjambs must get undercut.

You can also undercut the baseboards, and then because it isn't straight, use shoe molding or ¼ round molding.

Never trim around doorjambs!!

Floorguy, I guess I showed my inexperience. I did mean to say I would undercut the doorjambs. Looks like I will have to trim that tile edge, as well, so I can fit the floor and transition piece up against the tile floor. That stinks!

I did get one estimate for just the install (time was becoming a factor). The guy quoted $2700 for 430 sq feet. That was just for labor and I think entirely too much for a click together floating floor. Looks like I may be stuck doing it myself (like eveyone else I can only afford the floor if I do the labor myself). What is the issue at the front door (that is the direction I intend to install)?

Any advice to offer on where problems lie, exactly what they are and how to get around them? I'm generally handy when I do my research/planning. Quite honestly, the baseboard decision slowed me up (not knowing whether to remove, undercut or just butt up to), but the bigger issue that has me concerned is leveling my floor. I have a few places that need leveling and I know that if I do not get it right, I will have issues later. If I just have something to get me started (like the great advice offered in this forum), I think I'll be OK.

Undercutting the base isn't going to help with this product. It has to angled in, and you can't move it after its locked. Period. It has the tightest lock of any I've worked with.
I love these, "tell me everything I need to know about installing my floor, in 5 minutes" posts. Not trying to be rude, but you'll need to be specific, and hope those that answer have some hands on with the actual product you intend to use.

??Thats over 6 dollars a foot? Where are you? I will do it for a fraction of that.

SK, just thought maybe you may have noticed something in the pictures. I did not intend to say, nor I have I ever thought, that installing this wood floor would be easy. I admire those that have the knowledge and experience to make it look that way. I'm just looking for some advice to have the best chance of installing my floor correctly. Didn't mean to sound like I was asking for the 5 minute down and dirty.

If I install the floor in the opposite direction than shown in the pictures, it would look funny. I expect none of the pros would install that way anyway. The area I will lay the flooring is crudely depicted here: http://home.comcast.net/~rtbrick/measurements.html.

The front door area in the earlier photo is at the top of the drawing where it says "Front Hall." I will start laying the floor on the left outside wall (as you look at the diagram (living room)), work my way out (three rows worth?) and then move around to the dining room (working around the short wall/double door entry) and to the back wall on the dining room side (says "SR"). Then start laying the entire length of the dining room-living room (through the double entry) and then working around the opposite side short wall and then into the hallway/entryway. Sounds complicated, but I believe it would be the straight forward way.

How do I fit the Kahrs under the baseboards at any end/wall (front door area)? Do I trim the baseboards in place and then just butt the flooring up to, but not quite under, the baseboards? Gaps would be covered by molding and expansion would carry under the baseboards. Though, that method may not work out at the front door area.

Thanks for all the advice thus far. Maybe I'll be able to maintain some of my original hair color through this project after all.

Georgia. What do you think it should cost? How much is a "fraction"?

Chuck, are you in Georgia?

Another option is to remove all the baseboard and when you reinstall it raise the tiled area base 3/4" off the floor. All your base will be the same height and you can cover the tiled area gap with a base shoe, 1" tall. End the shoe at whatever your using for a transition from the wood to the tile. It sounds like you'll need all the maneuvering room you can get to install the flooring and installing base is a lot easier than installing a floor.

By the way what's under that thinset? Is it concrete or what?

Concrete under the thinset. Grinding seems to be the best solution for removal. I tried scraping with a pole scraper and a short razor scraper, with extremely slow results. I scraped up a large linoleum floor for my tile installation and don't want to go there again.