How to Install a Conceal Lock on an End Joint

No floor looks good without the finishing touches.

Installing laminate flooring could not be simpler with conceal lock flooring. Make sure the floor is level. Put down the underlay and lay the first row straight. Then you come to the final row of flooring with no where to go. Now what? The wall is right there, and no careful measuring will make the final row look good. Fortunately, you don't have to worry about meticulous fitting. Conceal lock floors are meant to free-float over the sub-flooring and require a quarter inch clearance on each side of the finished floor.

Things You'll Need

• Pry bar
• Hammer
• Flooring
• Circular saw
• Moldings
• 1/4-inch spacers
• Tape measure
• Drill
• Nails

Instructions

1. Measure the distance from the next to last row of flooring to the wall. Reduce the measurement by a quarter inch.

2. Use the circular saw to cut the flooring for the final row to the width of your measurements. Cut the flooring with the finished side down to prevent damage to the finishing.

3. Install the flooring as normal. Use the prybar to install the final piece. Adjust a spacer at the end of row to ensure you have maintained the quarter inch float requirement.

4. Cut moldings to cover the space between the flooring edge and the wall. End molding, T-molding and reducer strips are used to transition the lament flooring to other rooms and carpets. End molding is used to cover the space between the flooring and the wall. T-molding is used to transition from one room to another when the floors are at the same height. Reducer strips are used to transition from the laminate flooring to a lower level flooring, such as carpeting. Make sure to precut and drill the molding to before installation. Secure the trim to the wall, not the new flooring. Nailing the flooring will prevent it from floating over the subflooring.

5. Fill the nail holes in the molding, sand and apply finishing touch up, such as paint over the fill.

Tips & Warnings

• When measuring for molding, measure the diameter of the room, then add 10 percent to that number. The additional 10 percent is needed to allow for cuts and errors.

• If your walls are not straight, you may want to number the floorboards for the final row, so that you can put them down in the correct order to maintain your float clearance.

• The old saying "measure twice and cut once" holds doubly true for flooring, especially if you are running short of floorboards.

References

• Lowe's: Install Armstrong Swiftlock Laminated Flooring