The Importance of Undercutting for Your Flooring Project

Lets Talk About Undercutting

Professional installers will already know what to do and will have the tools. Typically you would want to at least undercut your door casings and door jambs so you can tuck your flooring underneath, allowing enough room for proper expansion and contraction (I suggest allowing 1/4" each direction, so the goal would be a 1/2" or more to be cut out). Some installers may even undercut stone, metal, and/or mortar; all of which can prove to be quite diffucult for your average homeowner, do-it-yourselfer, and even a less experienced handiman.

Pictures of Undercutting for Waterproof Vinyl Flooring

As you can see in the above photo, the flooring will not fit under the door casing and jamb, many homeowners and/or handymen will cut around the casings and it will look sloppy, for a more professional look:

In the above photo the casing and jamb were both cut so the flooring can slide underneath. Here are a few more photos of cut door casings and jambs:

The Tools Needed for Undercutting for a Professional Flooring Installation

Standard tools used to undercut (cutting objects not made of wood may require different blades), some may have more versatility allowing the homeowner to not feel they bought a tool for just one job, while others are quite specialized.

For a homeowner installing their own floor, I would suggest an oscillating multi-tool because they can likely find other uses for it around their home, in fact, they may already have one if they have done other home projects themselves.

Here is an inexpensive oscillating tool that might be ideal for someone who wont use it often:

Genesis GMT15A Multi-Purpose Oscillating Tool

Here is a more expensive oscillating tool that would be better if you planned on using it more often:

DeWALT DCS355B 20V XR Oscillating Multi-Tool (Tool Only)

There are even inexpensive hand version of undercut saws. I grew up using these, they work pretty well, however if you have a lot of cutting to do it may take you a while:

Crain 336 Undercut Saw

This is a more specialized tool and it is more geared towards professionals who do a lot of undercutting, most professionals will carry the above saws with them as well, as some work better in certain situations than others:

Crain No. 835 Heavy-Duty Undercut Saw

Thanks guys for taking a look, if you guys have any questions about undercutting or installations in general please leave a comment or fill out our contact form, I love to talk flooring and emails are super easy to squeeze in. Also for more recommended tools, we have a few listed in this Installation 101 post.