Step By Step Guide to Installing Laminate Flooring
Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on laminate flooring, visit http://www.fastfloors.com/type_102/Laminate-Flooring.htm.
Laminate flooring offers many advantages to the do-it-yourself home owner. In addition to being inexpensive and available in a wide variety of designs, patterns and hues, laminate flooring is far more durable and resilient to scratches and moisture than wood flooring. It is easy to care for and resists the bleaching effects of sunlight.
Laminate flooring is also the easiest to install. Instead of requiring stapling, nailing or gluing, laminate flooring “floats” on top of your existing floor. The tools required to install your floor are minimal and do not require special training to use. As with most do-it-yourself projects, it is a good idea to start with the smallest room first to get used to the process.
Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance
The first step in installing new flooring is to gather your tools. You will need a tape measure, hammer, nails, a rubber mallet, a coping saw and a utility knife. You will be wise to invest in a laminate flooring pull bar – trust me on this one. You will also need your underlayment pad and your laminate planks. And remember the old adage, “Measure twice, cut once.”
When measuring for your flooring materials, you will take a side-to-side measurement and a front-to-back measurement and then multiply these two figures for the number of square feet needed. For example, if your room is 15 feet wide and 10 feet deep, you will need 150 square feet of flooring material and 150 square feet of your underlayment pad. Generally speaking, it is always a good idea to give yourself room for error by purchasing an additional 5% of material. In our example, that would mean an extra 7 to 8 square feet.
Once you have collected your tools and materials, you must remove the old flooring. This means ripping up old carpet, tiles or whatever has inspired your re-flooring project. Be sure to remove all residues, pad scraps, nails and the like. Vacuum thoroughly and then vacuum again. This is the perfect time to check your plywood subflooring or concrete slab for damage and make any necessary repairs. If you notice any dips or bumps, now is the time to take care of them. You may want to apply a water seal barrier at this point, as well.
Remove The Edges And Lay The Foundation
The next step is to remove the baseboards. If this is done carefully, they can be reused. Unattached to the wall, it is simple to make any repairs or modifications such as sanding or painting. To compensate for the thickness of the pad and flooring material, you must take their combined thicknesses to ensure that you have at least that much space beneath your door jams and case openings. If not, use your coping saw to make the necessary adjustments. When purchasing the underlayment pad, thicker is better.
Unroll your underlayment pad and use clear plastic tape to connect them together. Then, starting quarter-inch from the initial wall, stagger the joints of your laminate planks, snapping them together to create your floor. You will use your rubber mallet and the pulling bar to fit the flooring firmly into place. Often, you will receive spacers with your laminate flooring. Use these to create the quarter-inch space and then remove the spacers prior to reinstalling your baseboards.
Details Make The Difference
As you go through doorways and other odd-shaped areas, do not be afraid to use your utility knife to trim the snapping connectors so that they can be slid into better positions. Wood glue works fine to keep these pieces together. Finally, reinstall your baseboards. Remember that you must allow your laminate floor to float, so do not nail your baseboards to the floor. Baseboards should be nailed to the wall.
This is a simple process that should not cause too many headaches. You are sure to be delighted with the results of your newly installed laminate floor.
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