Fitting Laminate Flooring

Fitting laminate flooring (or laying laminate flooring) is something that you can do yourself, and depending on the size of the room, is something that can be done in a single day, assuming that you have done your prep work. The process will be made far easier if you work with someone who has experience with fitting laminate flooring because you will have someone who knows how to handle any issues that might arise.

When you are laying laminate flooring you will need to have a tape measure, a miter saw (it will help if it has a laminate blade), a t- or right angle square, a hammer and brad nails or a brad gun, a compressor, a small crowbar, a jigsaw, a utility knife, a rubber mallet, a pencil and a chalk line at your disposal. Make sure you have all of these tools ready before you begin the project.

Before doing any sort of measuring, or laying of the laminate flooring, you will need to empty the room completely (including removing the doors). This means taking the flanges and the radiator pipes out as well. If your room has any shoe molding, remove it with your crowbar. Once the room is absolutely empty, give your floor's surface a complete cleaning.

After the floor is empty and clean, the foam underlayment is the first item of laying laminate flooring to be fitted.

Once your underlayment has been fitted to the room, is to decide which of the room's walls is the most noticeable or prominent and it is that wall against which you will start fitting laminate flooring. Make sure to keep a fourth of an inch gap around the perimeter of the room to allow the flooring to contract or expand (the weather has a great influence on your floor). From your prominent wall, measure one width of flooring and one fourth of an inch away from the wall and snap a chalk line. The line is the line against which you will do your fitting of the laminate flooring.

From here you can snap in the pieces of your laminate flooring. If you run into any corners or pipes, use your jigsaw to cut around them. Use the miter saw to make sure that the laminate flooring will fit with the shoe molding and use the hammer and brad nails to nail the shoe molding back into place.

When fitting laminate flooring, take your time. There is no rule that says there is a time limit on how long it takes for laying laminate flooring. It is better to take your time and make sure that your flooring is perfect and that you are happy with it. Follow the instructions included with the flooring tiles and the underlay. A good tip is to let the flooring sit in the room for at least forty eight hours before it is installed. This will help the tiles get acclimated to the weather in the room and will keep you from having to redo your installation to allow for expanding and contracting.

Installing Laminate Flooring Tip #1

Not all house walls are perfectly straight. In order to get a good fit on your first board, you may have to cut it to match the curve in your wall.

Installing Laminate Flooring Tip #2

Unlike most hardwood flooring, laminates are virtually dent resistant, but remember you can find a good selection of matching fillers online in case of any gouges or dents.

Installing Laminate Flooring Tip #3

Make sure you clean your floor thoroughly before you start working, use either a vacuum or a stiff bristled broom. Once your floor is clean and clear of debris you will be in a good position to determine if your floor is even or not.

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