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What is the proper way to install laminate flooring?
Follow these steps to install new laminate floors in your home: Step 1: Acclimate Your Planks and Prep the Subfloor. Step 2: Trim Door Jambs. Step 3: Install Underlayment. Step 4: Lay Your First Row of Laminate. Step 5: Continue Laying Planks. Step 6: Add Finishing Touches.
Is it hard to install laminate flooring?
Installing laminate flooring is quite easy, and after you’ve done it once, you will wonder why anyone ever pays professional installers to do this. Unlike ceramic tile, laminate flooring is a dry installation—no grout, no mortar, no adhesives that set up while you’re working.
Can I lay my own laminate flooring?
You can easily lay DIY laminate floors in almost every room in your home, including kitchens, since it doesn’t have to be glued down and doesn’t involve grout or mortar. Planks can be cut with a hand saw, circular saw or flooring cutter, so you don’t need many tools.
Do you cut the tongue off the first row of laminate?
Place the first plank with the tongue side towards the wall, being sure to allow 1/8″ for expansion. We recommend cutting off the tongue on this first row to avoid any problem with the expansion gap. If it is too short, cut a new plank in half and use one half to start the second row.
Do you start in the middle when laying laminate flooring?
Always start hardwood flooring along the most prominent and noticeable wall in the room. In order to keep the floor straight and square, start laying the laminate away from the wall because the wall may not be straight.
Do you glue or nail laminate flooring?
Since laminate flooring is a floating floor, it is not meant to be attached to the subfloor by nails or glue. The floor needs to be able to expand and contract with temperature changes and therefore must freely lay on the underlayment or subfloor.
How soon can you walk on laminate flooring?
wait for the floor to cure Before you use your new floor or move into the room, make sure the floor is completely cured. Do not walk on the floor for 24 hours after installation. If you do, it will damage the installation, resulting in an uneven floor.
What goes underneath laminate flooring?
What Is Laminate Underlayment? Laminate underlayment is a soft pad that is installed under laminate flooring. The underlayment helps the laminate planks lay smoother, connect better, and for the flooring to feel slightly softer underfoot.
Which direction should I lay flooring?
The most common way to lay hardwood flooring is by aligning the planks parallel to the longest wall. Apart from a few exceptions like sagging joists, this is the preferred direction to lay wood floors because it aesthetically provides the best result.
Does the tongue or groove go against the wall?
Which to Install First. Which side is the tongue, which the groove, and which goes first during installation? The tongue is the side that you will want to place against the wall as you start your laminate-flooring installation.
Do you have to stagger laminate flooring?
Laminate flooring manufacturers often require their floors to be staggered anywhere between 6 to 12 inches, some manufacturers even want more. Don’t ever short-stagger your flooring, it is both not aesthetically pleasing, and can also bring up some of the same issues as not staggering the floor at all.
Can you use carpet underlay for laminate?
Although re-using your underlay may be appealing, using a carpet underlay with laminate flooring will cause problems in the long run. If you install laminate on top of a carpet underlay, the floor will be too bouncy and spongy, which can damage the locking system and provide an uncomfortable feel.
Do I need to remove skirting boards to lay laminate?
You dont need new skirting if you want your laminate under it unless the existing skirting is damaged. The people should have just taken your skirting off, laid the laminate, then replaced your skirtings on top. Its not a big job and its not difficult to do.
Is it cheaper to carpet or laminate floor?
The cost of carpet is generally much cheaper than the cost of laminate flooring, but laminate flooring has the advantage of being longer-lasting, easier to clean, and less likely to suffer weather damage.
Which way should you lay laminate flooring in Long room?
In general, laminate manufacturers recommend laying laminate flooring perpendicular to the longest wall in a long, narrow room to avoid a bowling alley effect. When the boards are laid across the room, the lines between the boards and the wood pattern visually widen the room.
How do you start the first row of laminate floor if the wall is not straight?
How to Start the First Row on Laminate Floor if the Wall is Not Straight Step 1: Mark the Expansion Gap. Step 2: Determine Out-of-Square Measurement. Step 3: Begin at the Starting Wall. Step 4: Mark Half of Out-of-Square Measurement. Step 5: Angle and Intersect Chalk Lines. Step 6: Cut Boards at Markings.
How do I make sure my first row of floor is straight?
Tie one end of a chalk line to one of the nails. Stretch the line across the room and loop the other side of it around the other nail. You should now have a chalk line running parallel to your starting wall. Snap the chalk line, leaving a straight chalk mark on the subfloor.
How much space should be between laminate and wall?
How wide should the gap be between the laminate flooring and the walls? You should leave a 10mm gap between the laminate flooring and the walls on all sides.
Do you staple laminate underlay?
Installers usually lay the underlayment on the floor and start installing the laminate flooring on top. If your choose this route, staples are a good choice to fasten the underlayment. Staples usually have a coating which help increase the holding power.
