Laminate flooring installation is a relatively easy task. Most people would prefer to do it themselves. Here is a step by step guide in laminate wood flooring installation.
Tools and Materials that You Need
For a do-it-yourself laminate flooring installation, you will need the following:
- laminate flooring
- pull bar for laminate flooring
- mallet (rubber)
- utility knife
- nails
- underlayment pad
- tape measure
- hammer
- coping saw
- chalk (if you prefer to mark edges)
How to Prepare the Floor
The first thing you need to do is get rid of old floorings. Remove old padding and carpet from the area as well as the track strips around the room. You may also need to scrape off old padding that is stuck on the floor. Vacuum the area you just cleared and make sure there are no particles left. You may need to level out dips with thinset and other leveling compounds.
You may also need to repair the plywood subflooring if necessary. First, you need to take off the baseboards. If you are careful enough, you can still recycle this later on. With the use of a coping saw, cut off the bottom areas of case openings and door jambs.
Measure the area by square footage so you know how much underlayment pad and laminate flooring you need. To make sure you don’t run short of your measurement, add at least 5% to the original dimension.
Laminate Flooring Installation
First, you need to unroll the underlayment pad. Using a clear plastic tape, connect the laminate timber flooring piece by piece. There are laminate wood flooring brands that snap together. Other brands require you to lurch the joints.
Remember that laminate floors are connected together but not to the floor or house. This is the reason why you have to put at least ¼ inch for clearance on the walls. Snug it all up with gentle taps using a pull bar and a mallet. Finally, after you have placed the flooring planks together, you can proceed with installing the baseboards.
