Lay Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is a great alternative to wood. Besides looking like wood, termites are not attracted by them, and they are easier to install. The easiest type of laminate floor boards are the type that lock in place.
Contents
Steps
Preparing the Floor
- Let the boards acclimate. Place unopened packages of laminate flooring in the room or rooms in which they are to be installed. This should be done at least 48 hours before the laminate boards are place so they have time to adjust to the temperature. This will minimize shrinkage when they cool or warm to room temperature.
- Clean the floor. You will need to clean off the surface where you will be placing the laminate. You can sweep the floor or use whatever method you prefer.
- 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. The plastic may overlap, but you must cover the entire floor. If you have a concrete floor, run the plastic up the walls an inch or two (not extending above the baseboard).
- Lay down your padding. Cover the plastic lining with a foam floor padding. This is to prevent any residue left on the floor such as small rocks and sand from causing dimples in the flooring and to give it a cushion. Cut the foam lining to fit the floor and tape it down. Do not allow the foam to overlap.
Laying Down the Boards
- Place the first board. Place a board at the top left corner, finished side up, ridge side facing the wall.
- Place spacers. Wedge a spacer between the end and edge of the board and the wall. You can buy spacers or make your own.
- If making your own, they should be 3/16" to 3/8" thick, L-shaped, and a foot long or so. You will need several, six or more for the first two rows.
- Repeat for the second board. Place the next board the same way, laying it end to end, occupying the next spot along the wall. For the best results, make the entire first row parallel to the longest wall in the room.
- Move on to the second row. Shorten the first piece of laminate flooring so the joints in this row will be offset (staggered) in relationship to the first row. Use a wooden block to tap the next row of boards into the first. Hold the block securely with your left hand and hit the block with a hammer in you right hand. The gap between the first and second boards should be closing. Keep hammering until the gap disappears.
- Continue until each row is done. Make sure that the gaps between the boards are properly closed.
- Trim planks which don't fit into the remaining spaces. When you reach the opposite wall or have to do odd shaped rooms, you will probably have to trim boards. Measure how much you need and then cut the plank with a table saw.
- Don't forget your spacers! Don't forget to place spacers along all the edges of the room and remove them when the whole floor is done.
- Finish your floor. You can finish your floor by placing baseboards, thresholds, or other finishing touches. Scuffs or holes can be covered with special crayons available at your local hardware store.
Tips
- You need to start each row with the other half of the board from the previous row because it wastes fewer planks, and because it makes the floor stronger when the boards do not start and end in a line. Also, this makes it more difficult for your eye to locate the board joints when you are done.
- Every plank that you use needs a groove and a ridge unless it goes on the perimeter of the room. If it is on the perimeter, a cut side that that is missing either a groove of a ridge can be facing the wall.
- Do not hammer on the laminate boards directly, they will break.
- A spotter, or a person that watches the gap and tells you when it is closed, is helpful.
- If you come to a difficult cut, such as the last piece in a row, you may need to cut it by hand with a hand saw.
- Corner blocks, also called pull bars, slightly resemble crowbars. You need to insert the thinner side between the wall and the last plank in the row, and hit the thicker part with a hammer.
- This is most easily done with at least three people, one to cut, one to lay and measure, and one to act as a runner between the two.
- A miter saw results in faster, safer and more accurate cuts.
- The blade of the saw should always pull out of the material on the the bottom side.
Warnings
- Use proper eye and ear protection while using a table saw.
- Use caution with saws and box cutters. They are sharp.
- Watch your fingers when you are hammering something.
Things You'll Need
- Laminate floor boards, enough to cover that floor
- Plastic floor liner, enough to cover that floor
- Floor padding
- Box cutter
- Pencil or Dry Erase marker
- Spacers
- Hammer
- Block
- Corner Block
- Table Saw
- Hand Saw
- Ear Plugs
- Safety Goggles
