How To Install Laminate Wood Flooring

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How To Install Laminate Wood Flooring

Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Laminate flooring is a man made product that replicates the look of wood flooring or tiling. It is popular because it is durable, versatile and cheaper than the products that it replicates. Each style of laminate flooring may be slightly different from the other but in general the flooring is made up of a protective resin, a decorative layer that gives it the desired look, a high density fiberboard center and a balancing layer underneath the fiberboard.

All these layers are bonded together under pressure. This pressure describes the types of laminate flooring that you can get. Direct pressure laminate is bonded under a 300 – 500 psi pressure. High pressure laminate flooring is bonded under 1400 psi. High Pressure laminate flooring will generally have more layers or the layers will be thicker than direct pressure laminate flooring.

Installing laminate wood flooring is fairly straightforward and can be accomplished by relatively inexperienced do it yourself enthusiasts. It can also be done by professionals but this will obviously cost more money. This article will cover the basics of how to install laminate wood flooring if you plan to do it yourself.

There are two types of laminate wood flooring when it comes to installation. There is the traditional tongue and groove and the snap fit flooring. Tongue and groove flooring requires gluing to secure one piece to the next. Snap fit flooring simply fits together without glue.

All laminate flooring is installed as a ‘floating’ floor, in that there is an underlay between the laminate and the concrete slab or foundation of the building. The first task is to lay the underlay. The underlay will be a foam substance that can also act as a barrier to moisture. Simply roll the underlay out from one wall to the other.

Before you start gluing things together and making then difficult to maneuver, do a trial run. Lay three rows without gluing to begin with. This will help you understand how many pieces you will need for each row and how to end off the row. The chances are that you will have to cut one of the floorboards to get the exact fit. Leave around a quarter inch between the floorboard and the wall. You can use spacers for this. This gives the floorboards a bit of room to expand and contract and makes it easier to install the baseboard.

Once you are happy that you will get the lay out right, you can start to lay the floor boards and glue them together. Place glue into the groove of one floorboard. Squeeze the tongue of the other board into the groove. You may need a tapping block to ensure a flush fit. Use a damp clothe to remove the glue that has been squeezed out.

Once you have completed the installation, leave overnight to allow the glue to set and the floor to become sturdy. After this you can remove the spacers and add the baseboard to the walls. Laminate wood flooring is a great option for any room in the home. It can give you the look of a hardwood floor but without all the maintenance and the high price of that material.

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