Installing Laminate Flooring
From Floor Coverings
Contents |
How to install Laminate flooring
Is laminate flooring a wood flooring product?
Laminate flooring is a wood flooring product that is much thinner than wood because only the inner layer consists of wood particles. The top layer is actually a high resolution photograph of either hardwood, stone, marble or tile floorings. It is much less expensive than its copied counterpart, but it is still a strong, durable flooring product that is easy to care for with one exception. Laminate flooring must be kept away from moisture, so installing it in the bathroom or basement is not a good idea. However, it can be installed right on top of several different types of existing flooring without requiring their removal as long as it isn’t in bad condition.
What surface can I install Laminate flooring on?
Just about any hard, flat surface, such as concrete, hardwood, vinyl, linoleum or tile can be covered with laminate flooring. It simply must be a clean, dry, smooth hard surface. Laminate is probably one of the easiest flooring products to install if you are a do-it-yourselfer. Laminate will come delivered in boxes of planks that need to be acclimated to your home’s humidity and temperature before installing. Open the boxes and spread the planks around for at least two days prior to installation. Otherwise, the planks may swell or contract after installation, causing them to warp or buckle.
Can I glue down laminate flooring?
Laminate planks used to be installed with an adhesive, but more than likely, in this day and time, you will have purchased laminate planks that are equipped with interlocking grooves that click together. You may have purchased laminate planks that require the use of a rubber mallet to tap the interlocking grooves together. Either type of laminate flooring will still be very easy to install. After the planks have acclimated and the room has been completely cleared, prepare the room to be installed by removing all base shoe moldings, T moldings at doorways to other rooms and end moldings at the initial entranceway. Remove any doors from off their hinges, so they won’t get in the way. Lay a premium quality foam underlayment to protect the floor from moisture and provide cushion and sound proofing. Use a clear plastic tape to connect the strips of foam at their seams.
How do I install laminate flooring?
Begin by examining the way the light enters the room. The planks should lay parallel to the entrance of light into the room. Start at the end of one side of the room with a full plank, leaving an 1/8 inch gap at the edge of the wall to allow for any expansion that may occur. This gap will be covered by base shoe moldings later. In order to achieve a staggered appearance of the planks, you will begin the second row with a plank that has been cut to 2/3 of its original length. The third row will start with a plank that has been cut to 1/3 of its original length. The next row will begin with a full plank again and the pattern should continue in this way until the floor is completely covered.
What type of saw do I use for cutting laminate flooring?
Cut the planks with a saber saw and while you are cutting, you should take note of any floor registers that will need to be measured, because a hole will need to be cut for them in the planks that will be going around them. When you get to the door, use a coping saw to undercut the door jams so that the underlayment and the laminate will fit snugly under the door trim. Measure their width and cut the door jam that much exactly. When your laminate flooring is completely installed, replace all base shoe moldings, T moldings and end moldings.
