How to Install a Traffic Master Glueless Laminate Floor
Installing a hardwood floor in your home is a long, messy job that generally requires hiring professionals. An easier alternative is to lay a glueless laminate floor, which gives the look and feel of a wood floor but is a project you can do yourself in a day. Modern "floating" floors don't attach to anything, but sit pinned under the floor trim, so all you have to do is snap them together. TrafficMaster makes systems that don't even need a special underlayment---they just sit directly on any existing floor material (other than carpet). Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Use your hammer and pry bar to gently remove the outermost layer of floor trim (this will generally be base-shoe, or quarter-round trim). Don't break it. Tap the nails out with your hammer and set the trim aside.
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Remove any carpeting or other obstructions on the floor, so you're left with a dry, solid surface. Sweep the surface thoroughly.
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Starting at the room's long wall, lay your first course of TrafficMaster flooring, clipping the boards together at the ends and laying them next to the wall, sitting 1/4-inch out from the wall (to allow the floor to expand with climate and moisture changes). Cut the last piece of the course on your miter saw so it will fit, again leaving a 1/4-inch gap.
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Lay the next rows alongside the first, clipping them together by their tongue-and-groove connections and cutting the end pieces as needed. Make sure to stagger the ends of the boards, so the joints don't line up from course to course. Don't forget to keep the 1/4-inch space at walls.
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Reinstall your trim when the whole floor is laid, using your trim nailer to attach the trim to the walls. Don't shoot the trim nails through the flooring.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear eye protection when using your miter saw.
