Installing laminate flooring is something that you will want to do correctly the first time. While the flooring itself is very durable, it is important that you make sure that you or somebody working with you knows how to install laminate flooring, otherwise your laminate flooring installation could become a considerably more time consuming procedure.
When installing laminate flooring, you will need the following tools: a tape measure, a miter saw that has a laminate blade, a right angle square, a brad gun or a hammer and brad nails, a compressor, a hammer, a small and flat crowbar, a chalk line, a jigsaw, a utility knife, a rubber mallet and a pencil.
The first step of your laminate flooring installation should be to clear everything from the room. If you have shoe molding, use your small crowbar to remove it. Take special care to not damage the wall or molding when you remove it. You might also need to remove flanges and radiator pipes that are in the room. After everything has been taken out, clean the floor thoroughly.
The next step when installing laminate flooring is to, if applicable, lay out the foam underlayment. The manufacturer should have included instructions on how to do this (some kinds of laminate flooring already have an underlayment attached).
The next step in our how to install laminate flooring tutorial is to make sure to start your flooring along the wall that is the most prominent as well as the most noticeable. You will want to start laying the floor away from the wall to make sure it stays straight and square (not all walls are square and straight). Start laying the flooring one width of flooring away from the wall plus a fourth of an inch. Put a chalk line here and line up everything after it. The entire room needs to have a fourth of an inch gap to allow the flooring to expand and contract as humidity changes with the weather.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions to install the laminate flooring and use your jigsaw to cut around any odd corners or pipes. If you have shoe molding, you should cut it to fit the flooring with your miter saw and then use your brad gun (or hammer and brad nails) to nail the molding to the baseboards of the room. You can install the rubber base instead of the shoe molding. The rubber base is relatively easy to install.
Finally, you will want to put in transition strips where the flooring meets carpet, tile or other floors. They can be installed by nails or glue.
When installing laminate flooring it is important to take your time. It might not seem like a complicated process but you will want to take your time and allow for changes in the flooring due to the weather. Laminate floor installation goes best when you have let the tiles stand for forty eight hours in the room where they will be installed. Now you know how to install laminate flooring!
Tips When Installing Laminate Flooring Tip #1
If you are on a tight budget, laminate flooring is the most cost effective way to redo the floors in your home. With laminate flooring you can get the look of an expensive hard wood, marble or tile floor, at a small fraction of the cost of actual hard wood, marble and tile floors. This is because the materials and treatment processes that are used to make laminate flooring are not nearly as expensive as the materials and treatment processes that are needed to make and install "authentic" floors. |
Tips When Installing Laminate Flooring Tip #2
Laminate flooring is more durable and lasts longer than "authentic" floors. Most laminate flooring is treated to be resistant to stains, scuffs, and scratches and fading. Laminate flooring can last for more than a decade before it will need any serious attention. |
Tips When Installing Laminate Flooring Tip #3
Laminate flooring is a lot easier to keep clean than regular floors. All you need for your laminate flooring is a damp rag or a simple solution of mostly water and a little bit of vinegar. Even hard to remove stains are usually easy to get up with a simple cleaning solution and a clean rag. |
