2 Easy Methods To Install Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is a great alternative when we compare it with wood flooring. Besides looking like wood, termites are not attracted by them, and the laminate flooring is easier to install. The easiest types of laminate floorboards are the type that locks in place. Here are the 2 easy methods to install the laminate flooring in your house or offices. Simply follow all the given methods and steps carefully and achieve the desired result that you are looking for:
Method 1: Preparing The Floor
Here are the five easy steps for this method:
- Acclimate: Let your laminate boards acclimate fully. Place unopened packages of laminate flooring in rooms in which they are to be installed later, leave these planks for nearly 48 hours before the laminate boards. This will minimize expansion or shrinkage when they react to room temperature & humidity.
- Moisture Levels: Also check for moisture levels because moisture can destroy a perfect laminate floor installation.
- Check sub-floor moisture content; it should be 12% but not higher than that, on a Protimeter prong test scale.
- Now check humidity levels of your room by using a hygrometer. They should be between 45-65% RH (Relative humidity).
- The sub-floor also be perfectly level. Use a spirit level & ruler to ensure that the floor does not have more than 3mm of humps or dips over a 1m length.
- Clean: Clean your floor before sweeping it. Make sure the floor is completely dry as well.
- Lay: Next step is to lay a moisture barrier. Lay plastic lining on the floor of the room that will be covered with the laminate flooring. Tape the plastic together with a moisture-resistant adhesive tape. Make sure to avoid overlapping as you do this because it may cause the floor to rise. If you have a concrete floor, run the plastic up the walls an inch or two (not extending above the baseboard).
- Padding: Finally lay down the padding. This is to prevent any residue left on your floor such as small rocks & sand from causing dimples in the flooring & to give it a cushion. It will also avoid any squeaking or creaking noises when people walk on your floor. Cut the foam lining to fit the floor & tape it down. Do not allow your foam to overlap.
Method 2: Laying Down The Boards
Here are the steps for this process:
- Place: Place your first board at the top left corner, finished side up, ridge side which is facing the wall. It is a marvelous idea to lay the boards so that they are parallel to the longest wall in your room.
- Place Spacers: Wedge a spacer between the end and edge of the board and the wall. You can buy spacers or make your own.
- Repeat: Repeat, place your next board the same way, laying it end-end, occupying the next spot along your wall. For the best results, make the entire first row parallel to the longest wall in the room.
- Move On: Use a wooden block to tap the next row of boards into the first. Hold the block securely with your hand & hit the block with a hammer. The gap betwixt the first & second boards should be closing. Keep hammering until the gap disappears.
- Trim Planks: Continue until each row is done successfully. Make sure that the gaps betwixt the boards are properly closed. Check the boards every 3rd or 4th row to make sure that they are staying parallel to your wall. Trim your planks that don't fit into the leftover spaces. When you reach the opposite wall then you will believably have to trim your boards. Measure how much you need & then cut your planks with a table saw.
- Finish: Don't forget to place spacers along all the edges of your room & remove them when the whole floor is done. Finish your floor by placing thresholds, baseboards, or other finishing touches like staining. Holes and scuffs can be covered with special crayons.