How to Install Wood Laminate Products

Tired of the same ol' dull-looking linoleum? Do you want to jazz up a room with a great-looking, low-maintenance hardwood floor? The products of your dreams has arrived. We'll show you how to handle this weekend project with ease.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Laminated Flooring
• Saws (power Or Manual)
• Measuring Tapes
• Rags
• Levels
• Pry Bars
• String Line
• Hammers

Getting Ready

1. Decide on the exact product you will use - Norske Skog, Pergo and Wilsonart are just a few examples.

2. Take measurements to obtain total area of floor space to be covered. Take these with you to your local dealer.

3. Purchase all the material and glue you will need for the project. (Some manufactures provide spacers for the perimeter and wedging; with others you have to supply your own. Some also offer a foam insulation/vapor barrier/sound deadening pad to be put down under the flooring.)

4. Allow the laminate flooring to acclimatize for at least 48 hours inside the structure before beginning work.

5. Clear the room of furniture and all baseboard and doorway trim.

6. Most old flooring can remain in place (concrete, linoleum, tile does not need to be removed so long as the surface is flat and structurally sound). Carpeting must be taken up.

7. Make 15 to 20 spacer blocks, if the manufacturer doesn't provide them. These need to be 1/4-inch-thick blocks to hold the flooring away from the wall while laying the floor.(This space allows for expansion and contraction of the free-floating surface.) You will also need some wedges to make distance adjustments for uneven walls.

Starting The Floor

1. Apply the first row of boards (without the glue) to check the alignment and to adjust the width of the boards

2. Start in a corner away from the door. Apply the first row of boards with the groove sides toward the wall (both groove sides on the first board) without applying glue. Place distancing blocks of 1/4-inch width between the boards and the wall on both the short and long side. If the wall is very uneven, saw the boards to fit the wall. (You can use an electric or manual saw.)

3. Lay the final board in each row down in front of the row turned the other way around (for marking) - decorative side up if you use a handsaw and decorative side down if you use an electric saw. Place a square on the board and mark where it needs to be cut. Take into consideration the distancing block at the end of the board.

4. Slide the last board into place. Use a guide (a long level or a straight 2-by-4) to check that the first row is straight. Adjust any unevenness by means of wedges.

5. Pick up the boards in the first row, except the first board in the corner. Apply a string of glue in the short side of the board. Press the boards together so that the end joints are sealed tight. Wipe off excess glue with a damp cloth before it hardens. It is very important for the overall result that the first rows are straight, check them with your guide. Make sure that the end joints are tight.

Working Across the Floor

1. Starting each row with the piece cut off from the previous row is a good way to cut down on waste. If the piece of board is shorter than 12 inches, you need to start with a new board that has been cut to the appropriate lap length (12-inch minimum).

2. Apply glue to the groove on the long and short sides of the board.

3. Press the boards in place so that the joints are tightly sealed. If necessary use a block or scrap lumber to knock the boards carefully into place with a hammer.

4. Glue and apply one board at a time.

5. Remove any excess glue with a damp cloth before it hardens. Check regularly that the boards are straight.

6. Continue with this technique across the floor until you are within one board width or less to the closing wall.

7. Complete the last row by placing 1/4-inch spacers against the wall.

8. Cut a piece of flooring to the proper lap length.

9. Flip it back side up, lay it in place - overlapping the last row of flooring laid.

10. Mark the new piece where the two intersect. Cut along this line. Turn it over and test fit. It the fit is right, continue this process with each piece.

11. Apply the glue, lay the last row of boards down and press together with a crowbar or chisel. Protect the wall with a block or a similar tool. When the glue has hardened, remove the distancing blocks before refitting baseboard, door trim and thresholds.

Tips & Warnings

• It is a good idea to figure in an extra 10 percent on your flooring for waste and mistakes. Any unused product can most times be returned.

• It is also possible to use a string line stretched tight from one outside corner of the first row of boards to the outside corner of the other end of the row to gage the straightness.

• You will be working on your knees a lot, so knee pads might be a good idea.

• The glues are fairly user-friendly, but proper ventilation is still a good idea. Remember to keep the excess glue cleaned up. It's easy when wet, almost impossible when it dries.

• Some thresholds may require a bit of triming on the bottom side to affect a more proper fit.

• Clean up all excess glue immediately. It is easy while wet, nearly impossible when dry.