A laminate floor has grown from a rarity to a finish that many a homeowner desires to have on their floors. If you belong to this club and are planning to change the configuration of your floor by opting for a laminate floor you could do with the formula suggested here. It is not only simple, but also quite easy to follow with clearly spelt out instructions.
To succeed in installing a laminate floor, you will require a set of tools and materials that will take you there.
These include:
- Tape measure
- Laminate flooring pull bar
- Hammer
- Coping saw
- Rubber mallet
- Utility knife
- Laminate flooring
- Nails
- Underlayment pad
- Wide tape
- Wood glue
Before starting the installation of the laminate flooring, it is important to assemble all the required tools as well as the materials. Furthermore, you should have measured the floor and determined the amount of laminate flooring that will cover the whole surface. The underlayment pad you will need should amount to a similar size. You can bring in some extra pieces just in case there is some damage during the installation process.
Preparation of the floor will involve cleaning the surface. If there was other flooring you should begin by removing it. Scraping the surface will help you to rid the surface of any bits and pieces that could make it difficult to install the laminate flooring. You can also think of pulling of the baseboards carefully to save them for possible reuse. After that, you can remove the case openings, door jams and anything else that could come in the way.
Installation of the laminate flooring
This process will be done following some very simple step, which are listed here.
- Roll out your underlayment pads
- Connect them using wide tape
- Move along while staggering your joints
- Put the laminate flooring while leaving some spaces between the floor and the wall
- Use spacers to make the connection easier
- Use the pull bar and rubber mallet to fix the flooring in difficult positions.
- Use the kitchen knife and wood glue to separate or trim and fit the pieces at door openings.
The last part of the job involves the replacement of the baseboards. You will need to smoothen the joints by mitering and caulking. Avoid nailing into the laminate flooring. Alternatively, you should use quarter round installed at the floor line. This should leave your laminate flooring neatly fitted giving your floor a crisp clean look.
