How to Install Laminate DIY

laminate-flooring-installation-diy

DIY: One Room in One Day!

Set down a new floor in no time at all. Do you really think so? Laminate flooring is easy to install and can be walked on the same day. Can you believe that? You should know how to install laminate DIY to prove that!

Laminate flooring is easier to install than hardwood flooring and offers the same appearance. The planks consist of medium-density fiberboard sandwiched between plastic laminate. The top laminate looks like random-grain wood, but its plastic composition makes it scratch- and stain-resistant. It also leaves room for options like gray laminate wood flooring or dark wood laminate flooring. The precision-milled tongue-and-groove edges make accurate installation a snap. The whole floating floor assembly is glued together at the edges and floats on a thin, closed-cell polyethylene foam pad.

This is probably the main laminate advantage! How about installation?

Pro

Laminate installs fast and easy. Fast: you can install 300 square feet in one weekend. Older types of laminate flooring required you to glue pieces to each other. Today’s types of laminate flooring have a click/lock or fold/lock design that allows planks to fit together like puzzle pieces. Easy: since the planks are constructed of soft particleboard, they can be cut with a hand saw or even a utility knife.

Con

While designed to be easy, the click/lock or fold/lock design often does not work as well as it should. Sides of the boards can be especially difficult to join with adjoining sides. Also, if you force boards into place, you risk curling up the top wear layer, compromising the floor’s ability to resist moisture. That’s why you need a guide!

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WHAT YOU NEED TO INSTALL LAMINATE DIY

Tools:

Pry bar, tape measure, pencil, table saw, spacing blocks, tapping blocks, hammer

Materials:

Laminate flooring, underlayment, shoe molding, finishing nails

HOW TO INSTALL LAMINATE DIY

STEP 1

Acclimate the Flooring

Your laminate wood flooring should sit in the room for at least 48 hours prior to installation, giving it time to expand or contract in relation to the room’s temperature and humidity. It is especially needed in the cold weather. This prevents buckling and other problems after installation.

STEP 2

Remove Baseboard

Remove existing baseboard molding. Use the pry bar to remove baseboard from the wall; set the pieces aside for re-installation. Floating laminate planks should be installed over a hard, smooth surface, such as vinyl. If existing flooring is damaged, remove it to reveal the sub-floor. Don’t install laminate on the damaged basement.

STEP 3

Install Underlayment

Install the underlayment to your floating laminate floor. Clear the floor of staples, nails, and other dirt. Roll out the underlayment. Do not overlap adjoining strips. Use the utility knife to cut pieces as needed. The foam underlayment deadens sound and helps the floor feel more resilient and durable.

STEP 4

Plan the Layout

To decide which direction to lay the planks, consider which wall is the longest and straightest. Avoid a narrow strip against the focal-point wall. Planks in the last row should be at least 2 inches wide. Figure on a 1/4-inch gap at each wall. Note: If the last row will be less than 2 inches wide, add that width to the width of a full plank and divide by 2. Cut planks in the first and last rows to this width. This is the secret you should know.

STEP 5

Cut First Row

Depending on your layout, you may need to rip, or cut the first row of planks lengthwise. If using a power saw (better table saw), cut with the finished side down; if using a handsaw, cut with the finished side up. Use clamps to steady the planks as you cut them.

STEP 6

Leave a Gap

Laminate wood flooring kits come with space chips. Wedge these between the wall and the planks to leave an expansion gap of 1/4 inch. We’ve already mentioned about it. The won’t be visible once the baseboard is attached.

STEP 7

Install the First Row

Install the planks with the tongue side facing the wall (some manufacturers recommend you cut off the tongue edge of planks that face walls). Connect one plank to another by connecting the tongues and grooves. You may be able to snugly connect the planks by hand, or you may need to use a pull bar from the installation kit and a hammer to pull them together or a tapping block to tap the joints together. Cut the last plank in the row to length (save the scraps if they’re at least 12 inches long).

STEP 8

Install Additional Rows

Install additional rows. As you snap on new rows, stagger the seams at least 12 inches in adjoining rows, much like you’d see on a wood plank wall or a brick wall. You often can start a new row with the scrap from the plank you cut to end the previous row.

STEP 9

Install the Last Row

You’ll need to slide the planks into position at an angle, then gently pry them into place with the pry bar. Be sure you leave a 1/4-inch expansion gap between the last row and the wall. Don’t forget about it!

STEP 10

Cut Around Casings

Cut around door casings. Don’t try to cut planks to fit around door casings. Instead, it is better to use the jamb saw to cut the door casing about 1/16 inch above the height of the flooring, giving the plank room to slide under the casing. Rest a piece of flooring with underlayment on the floor and against the casing. Rest the jamb saw on top and cut the casing to the desired height.

STEP 11

Reinstall Trim

Reinstall the trim. After the planks are in place, reinstall the baseboard molding using the hammer and finishing nails. Then install shoe molding over the expansion joints and use transition strips to connect the laminate to adjoining surfaces, such as tile or carpet. Do not nail through the floor, just through the trim and wall.

But now…waiting for your flooring to arrive, you are pretty intimidated when this showed up in your driveway! If installing area is big, you can receive about 50 boxes or even more of brilliantly packaged and prepared laminate flooring! Don’t forget to leave it in the house for some time to acclimate the flooring! And the only thing standing between you and your new laminate is your installing skill! Read our tips again and remind how to install laminate DIY.

Please checkout full video on how to do laminate waterproof floors by Youdoit

 

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