Install Pergo Flooring

Pergo is a brand of health conscious laminate that's easy to construct and durable to use. The Pergo installation procedure makes a breeze of weekend projects for do-it-yourselfers. Though not recommended to be used in mobile homes or on boats and planes, Pergo flooring can be installed in your home in any room, over wood or concrete sub-floors.

Steps

Installing Pergo Over Wood

  1. Prepare the floor. Clean any debris off the floor and secure any loose floorboards before attempting to install anything over the sub-floor. Make sure the sub floor is level with a carpenter's level. Floor leveling is usually only done on concrete floors, but you can find speckling product at the store that you can apply with large putty knives, if you've got a few spaces out of alignment. You can also just install Pergo over the floor, even if it's a bit uneven, but you risk cracking or separating the tiles eventually.
    • If you're remodeling and not installing Pergo in a new installation, remove any carpet, padding and remnants from the floor. Remove baseboards, vent covers, and any other fixture that would present an obstacle to the flooring. You should clear all the way to the sub-floor.
    • If you need to undercut the baseboard, use an undercut saw with plastic spacers. Saw the bottom of the trim or chip it out using a chisel or utility knife. It should pop off easily.
  2. Install the vapor barrier. Whether you're installing Pergo over concrete or wood floors, it's common to install a vapor barrier if you're concerned about moisture. Laying a laminate vapor barrier helps to keep moisture from going into the fiberboard and causing it to warp. This should be available in the flooring section of any home repair store.
    • Lay the underlayment in strips so they are touching but not overlapping. Any overlap will cause uneven spots in the floor, so try to smooth it out as much as possible.
  3. Pick a corner to start laying the Pergo. For most projects, you want to start with the back left corner of the room and work toward the door. If you start in the middle, you'll have to make cuts when you get to the edges, to make the tiles fit.
    • To install the tiles, remove the tongue from the first piece. This side will face the wall. Place the tongue side of the second plank into the groove of the first, starting at an angle. When the tongue is in the groove, press down until the joint clicks into place. Work in rows. When you are done with the first row, move to the next.
    • Be sure to leave a consistent 1/4 inch (0.635 cm) gap around all the edges of the room to allow for expansion with temperature changes. It's also common practice to lay the planks in the direction that any light entering the room shines down the length of the plank.
  4. Continue the row. At a 30 degree angle along the long side of the two pieces, push the new piece into the groove. They should click together easily, or you can use a crowbar or a hammer to tap them into place gently.
  5. Start the next row. Stagger the length of the planks in the second and following rows so that none of the planks end at the same place. The best way to do this is to cut a 2 foot (60.96 cm) length of plank and start the second row with it. Then use a full plank for the third row and keep rotating across the room. Cut your pieces in an area away from where you are installing the floor so the dust does not get into the joints.
    • There are always unfinished pieces that stick out around two to three sides. Measure from the end of the last piece, subtract a quarter inch, and measure the finished surface to that dimension. Make your cut using a mitre sliding saw. If it's not quite straight on the edges, it'll be covered by the baseboard anyway.
  6. Continue laying rows until you've filled the room. Connect the joints of the long side of the starter piece with the groove of the last row laid. Press the plank down until it locks into place. Secure the piece into place by using a tapping block near the end of the plank and gently knocking the piece. Continue with the tapping block down the row as you place a plank.
  7. Install the baseboard. When you've completed the rows, you're done with the Pergo installation. Install the baseboard according to your plans for the roof and return any fixtures where you removed them. If you're doing new installation, it might be necessary to make a small cut out form under

Installing Pergo Over Concrete

  1. Check to make sure the concrete is level. If you're laying Pergo over concrete, remove all carpet, trim, and other things covering the sub-floor to expose the concrete underneath. Before laying Pergo, it's a good idea to smooth out the concrete to make sure that you've got the flattest surface possible for the new installation. Use the level to make sure it's smooth, and take steps to smooth it out if necessary with new concrete.
  2. Mix a batch of concrete leveler. Uneven floors need to be smoothed out with concrete leveler. This usually comes in a 40-50lb bag, which can be mixed with water to prepare. In a bucket, mix a small batch of concrete with water as directed. Don't mix more than you'll use in the next hour, or it'll dry out and become useless and hard.
    • Start at the lowest points in the room and pour a small reservoir, so you can mix water in and wet the concrete back up if necessary. Use a putty knife or a trowel to smooth out the concrete as thinly as possible, feathering out the edges of your work as you go.
  3. Install the vapor barrier when the concrete has dried. Wait at least 48 hours before installing a vapor barrier over the fresh concrete leveling job, then put down a vapor barrier as described previously. These polyurethane sheets are usually available from Pergo dealers as part of the package. Cover the entire floor with the sheets, which should be cut to completely cover the floor. Make it big enough on the sides so any vapor coming up will end up behind the baseboard. Tape the seams together before continuing with installation.
  4. Install Pergo as before. Once you've smoothed out the concrete and added the vapor barrier, installing Pergo over concrete should be exactly the same as installing over wood. Pick a corner, start clicking them together leaving the appropriate amount of space between rows, and trim them to fit on the ends.



Tips

  • Cut the Pergo flooring with the face side down to help keep edges smooth.

Things You'll Need

  • Pergo flooring
  • underlayment
  • measuring tape
  • saw
  • 1/4 inch spacers (if needed)

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