Im putting in laminate flooring in my living room tomorrow and i`ve never done any type of flooring before,what are my ups and downs to tackling this job?
First open each box of flooring to acclimate it to the room’s temperature and humidity level at least 48hrs before you install the floor. Drop or remove any fasteners in the old floor that may prevent the laminate from seating properly. Remove the shoe mold along the baseboards if you have shoe mold. Starting at the longest wall in the livingroom measure out from that wall the width on your laminate. Mark this distance at each end of the longest wall and connect the two marks with a chalk line. You have just set the beginning line of your installation. Follow the directions contained with the flooring or provided by the flooring distributor and begin installing your floor. Since this appears to be the only room to have this flooring you most likely won’t have to get into undercutting the door jambs in order to ‘slide’ the laminate under it making a seamless install. This is a gutsy undertaking for a novice. Find someone who has installed laminate flooring before and treat them to Pizza and beer and ‘Pick their Brain’ as you go.
P.S. Yeah, don’t forget to leave an expansion gap between the outer laminate planks and the wall. Expansion gaps can be 1/8" or more but are usually 1/4" Your flooring manufacturer may have proprietary spaces(shims) to help maintain the gap while you lay the floor. Get a video from Home Depot showing the installation process for a Pergo Floor and most other brands of laminate follow the same process.
Best Way To Install Laminate Flooring?
April 2nd, 2010 | Install Laminate Flooring
5 comments ↓
it depends on whether you’re dealing with individual tile, or rolled. individual tiles: start in the center of the room, and work out. heating the tiles before laying them will help the adhesive stick. take your time… meausure twice, cut once.
roll/sheet. use as many large peices as possible. it’s a pain to match seams. make sure it is flat before doing any cutting.
References :
email me if you have any specific questions
Wood laminate, right? It shouldn’t be that hard. My husband and I installed hardwood floors ourselves and that was tough! Are you replacing a carpet? You may find that your subfloor may need some repair, or you may have to put another layer of subfloor because your floor may end up lower than the other rooms. But if you don’t have to do anythign with the subfloor, then you should be alright. Are you renting equiptment for cutting? Make sure you do. And follow all directions, like leaving enough space in the sides near the wall to allow for expansion. Good luck to you.
References :
First open each box of flooring to acclimate it to the room’s temperature and humidity level at least 48hrs before you install the floor. Drop or remove any fasteners in the old floor that may prevent the laminate from seating properly. Remove the shoe mold along the baseboards if you have shoe mold. Starting at the longest wall in the livingroom measure out from that wall the width on your laminate. Mark this distance at each end of the longest wall and connect the two marks with a chalk line. You have just set the beginning line of your installation. Follow the directions contained with the flooring or provided by the flooring distributor and begin installing your floor. Since this appears to be the only room to have this flooring you most likely won’t have to get into undercutting the door jambs in order to ‘slide’ the laminate under it making a seamless install. This is a gutsy undertaking for a novice. Find someone who has installed laminate flooring before and treat them to Pizza and beer and ‘Pick their Brain’ as you go.
P.S. Yeah, don’t forget to leave an expansion gap between the outer laminate planks and the wall. Expansion gaps can be 1/8" or more but are usually 1/4" Your flooring manufacturer may have proprietary spaces(shims) to help maintain the gap while you lay the floor. Get a video from Home Depot showing the installation process for a Pergo Floor and most other brands of laminate follow the same process.
References :
Problem shot floors as an adjustor and installed a plenty!
educate yourself first, go to a good bookstore and read as much as you can, go slow.
References :
Ask Someone Else To Do It For You?
References :