Effortlessly Lay Your New Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is known for its durability, cost-effectiveness, and ease of maintenance. It has become a popular choice for homeowners looking to update their living spaces. Whether you’re an enthusiastic DIYer or taking on your first home improvement task, understanding the laminate installation process is key to achieving professional results. Read on to learn just how to install laminate floor:
Prepare Your Space
Before you begin the actual laminate flooring installation, it’s essential to prepare the area where your new flooring will reside. This means removing all furniture from the room, taking off existing baseboards carefully if you plan on reusing them, and ensuring your subfloor is clean, level, and dry. An uneven base can lead to complications down the line, so take the time now to address any issues.
Gather the Necessary Tools and Materials
To install your laminate flooring successfully, you’ll need a few basic tools:
- Laminate flooring of your choice
- Underlayment material
- Saw (hand saw or power saw)
- Tapping block or rubber mallet
- Pull bar
- Spacer wedges
- Tape measure
- Carpenter’s pencil or marker
- Safety equipment (gloves, goggles)
Gather these items beforehand so that once you start laying down boards, everything you need is within reach.
Lay The Underlayment
Your first actual step in laying down your new floor is installing an underlayment. This layer serves multiple purposes: providing support for the laminate boards, muffling sound, and offering moisture protection. Roll out the underlayment parallel to the direction in which you will lay your laminate boards. Overlap edges as instructed by the manufacturer and use tape along seams if required.
Starting The Laminate Plank Installation
Begin with a corner of the room, laying planks from left to right. Place spacers between the wall and planks to ensure there’s a gap for expansion – this is critical as laminate floors tend to expand and contract with temperature changes. Snap planks together by inserting one at an angle into another then pressing down until they click into place. Continue in this manner while maintaining the staggered joint look that makes laminate flooring visually appealing.
Cutting Laminate Boards To Fit
Sooner or later while installing your new floor, you will encounter obstacles such as walls, cabinets, or pipes that necessitate trimming your planks. Measure twice before making any cuts with either a hand saw or power saw. Remember to cut planks face-down if using a handsaw but face-up when using a power tool to reduce splintering — a crucial tip for ensuring smooth edges and a neat finish.
Last Rows And Finishing Touches
As you work toward fitting in rows near walls or other vertical surfaces, space becomes tighter making standard plank placement impossible. Use your pull bar to snugly fit these last pieces against their neighbors without damaging edges. Reattach baseboards — or attach new ones — to cover expansion gaps after all planks are placed securely. With all planks laid, remove the spacers. It’s time to add finishing touches like trim and transitions. These elements cover the expansion gaps and enhance the flow from room to room. The final result should feel solid without movement between individual pieces as they seamlessly lock together across your newly covered floor space.
Mastering How To Install Laminate Floor
Ready for stunning floors but still not sure if you can get the job done all by yourself? Maybe you don’t have time for DIY projects. If so, consider turning to the experts in such jobs like Ayala Carpet and Flooring LLC. Specializing in how to install laminate floor, we can guarantee to deliver the best outcomes for your project in Lena, IL. Enhance your home effortlessly with our reliable service – just dial (779) 222-5830 to transform your home today!