Installing Pergo...cut face up or down?

[daveswoodhauler]

Ok, picked up about 500 ft of Pergo flooring off Craiglist for $100 smackers, and am going to install this weekend.
Been hearing conflicting reports on cutting it.....going to use your basic Skilsaw and a Compound Mitre saw...should I cut it face up or face down?
Thanks.

 

[fossil]

Generally speaking, you should always cut so that the blade teeth are entering the material on the finished side, and exiting on the side that won't be visible, so if there's any tear-out, it'll be on the back. Pergo's very hard, and there isn't much tear-out either way, and wherever you're cutting the Pergo should be on an end or a side that's gonna be buried under baseboard anyway, so it probably doesn't really matter. To be safe, cut so the blade enters the finished side. BTW, Pergo will eat a nice carbide sawblade in fairly short order. I did a Pergo floor in my kitchen in Virginia, all cutting done on a table saw, so I was cutting it face-up. When I got done doing that floor, the blade on my saw was very tired of Pergo. Rick

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Thanks Rick. I have heard that the pergo is pretty tough on the blade, so I think I'll make sure I have a few extra's on hand...doing three rooms about 120 sq feet each..fun stuff will be ripping out the carpet.
Installed hard wood floors in my old house, but this PErgo stuff is a little new to me.
Many Thanks.

 

[stee6043]

This is T&G;, corrrect? If so, it really shouldn't matter since your cuts should only be around the edges and "should" be covered up by trim. That being said...typically my skill saw does more damage to the opposite face to the cutting surface. So I would cut face "UP" if I wasn't worried about scratching the surface with the base of the saw....

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Correct, it is T & G...so just cutting on the ends.
I have heard that the Pergo tends to "chip", so although the true end will be covered by very thin molding, if it flakes/chips, it might not be covered by the molding.
Thanks

 

[johnn]

You got a friend with a compound mitre saw? Thats the way to go!!

OOpps.. Re-read your OP. You have a compound, so don~t bother with the Skillsaw (hand-held radial). The compound saw will be cutting from the top down through the material which is what you want to avoid chips and flaking. Finish side up!

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Thanks Ml. You again help me out. I am going to have a beer for you tonight.

 

[seige101]

One last tip, make sure you use a fined toothed 'finish' blade, not the rough cut one you use for lopping 2x4's down to size. Like others have said, after you are done with the floor the blade will be junk. If you are worried about the finish near the end chipping or etching you can always try covering the area with masking tape, this usually does wonders.

 

[webby3650]

I have installed 1000's of square feet of laminate. You don't have to worry about the edge chipping enough to be seen, this is a problem with cheaper brands. You won't have to worry about your circ saw scratching the surface either, the stuff sparks when you cut it! Yes, you will need a circ saw and a miter saw and both blades will be junk when you are done, don't bother changing blades until you are done with the project. I often do my ripping face down because you can't make a pencil mark on the surface, never have a problem with too much chipping. Hope this helps.

 

[firefighterjake]

One last tip, make sure you use a fined toothed 'finish' blade, not the rough cut one you use for lopping 2x4's down to size. Like others have said, after you are done with the floor the blade will be junk. If you are worried about the finish near the end chipping or etching you can always try covering the area with masking tape, this usually does wonders.

Not quite the same . . . but when cutting my engineered wood floor I used a compound miter saw with laser and taped the edges with masking tape and cut face up to minimize any splintering. We opted to go this route since we were cutting some of the planks shorter to give the floor a more natural, staggered look and as a result not every cut end would be covered by molding.