flooring question

[DeftwillP]

I'm laying engineered hardwood in my living room. I have a stone and mortar hearth along one wall. What should I use to undercut this and allow the 3/8" wood to slide underneath? The wood is running perpendicular to the hearth.

[srimes]

I just used 1/4 round trim around the brick hearth when I put in the laminate. I used masonary nails, which are a bitch but work OK. If I did it again I might consider something else, like screws and anchors.

[riverfever]

I just watched "Kitchen Renovations" the other day on the DIY Network and they did this exact thing. They were not running the flooring perpendicular to the hearth but that doesn't really matter. For the life of me I can't friggin' remember what they did. I do not think I would undercut that hearth though. I'm going to assume that, because of the stone, you are dealing with an uneven surface and not something flush like brick or slate that would accept a quarter round nicely? They used a piece of cork that went up against the stone to allow for expansion of the flooring and then cut the flooring accordingly but I can't remember how they finished that area. I'm sorry that's not much help but I know they didn't undercut. I will try and find a link to that particular job. If it were done on This Old House I'd have the answer for you. I LOVE that goddamn show.

[riverfever]

This is how I'd do it:

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/hi_kitchens/article/0,2037,DIY_13925_2614182,00.html

[98XJSport]

Angle Grinder, just like trimming fenders :D

In my apartment theres an old brick fireplace that comes out maybe 3 brick into the hardwood floor. They boxed it in with the hardwood much like a picture frame, which would be wasy because of the flat edges of the brick. Maybe a little work to make the stone smooth, and something similar could be another option.

[yardape]

Whatever you do, I wouldn't mess with cutting the stone. If you accidentally crack it your now into finding a replacement source which, depending on the product may or may not be too easy. Cork and molding sound like sensible ideas.