How to Install Floating Laminate Wood Flooring

Use floating laminate wood flooring for your home

Floating laminate flooring provides many of the benefits of genuine wood at a fraction of the cost. Most building supply stores carry a wide array of finishes and styles of laminate wood flooring. Once installed there is almost no maintenance required. No polishes or sealants are necessary to keep laminate bright and full of luster. Extremely easy to care for and highly resistant to damage, laminate floors will last for many years in any room.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Laminate wood flooring panels
• Pencil
• Flush-cut dovetail saw
• Foam under lining
• Duct tape
• Utility knife
• ¼ inch spacer blocks
• Rubber mallet
• Damp cloth
• Quarter-round shoe molding
• Nail gun

Instructions

1. Measure the length and width of the room where you are going to install the floating laminate floors, using a tape measure

2. Saw the the bottom of any door that opens into the room with a dovetail saw. This will allow the laminate and lining to slide and fit underneath. Lay a piece of laminate against the doorway and mark its height on the door. Reove the flooring and cut the door.

3. Lay the foam underlining on the floor. The underlining should fill the whole floor and reach all the walls. Join the pieces of foam with duct tape. Use a utility knife to trim any excess edges and ensure the foam fits very tightly in the room.

4. Place spacer blocks around the perimeter of the room. This allows the laminate flooring panels to expand and contract.

5. Place the first row of panels along the longest wall of the room. Lay the first panel with the inner groove facing the wall on the left side of the wall. Tap the ends of the panels with a mallet to fit them together. Finish laying the first row of panels.

6. Lay the next row of panels. The seams of the first and second row of panels should be at least a quarter of the length of the panel apart. Apply glue to the inner groove of the second row of panels and press it into the tongued edge of the first row of panels. Tap the second row to the first row with a mallet. This will fit the panels together. Continue to lay the rest of the panels until the whole floor is completely covered.

7. Wipe any excess glue off the floor with a damp cloth.

8. Remove the spacer blocks around the room. Cover the gap left by the spacer blockers with a quarter-round shoe molding. Attach the molding as close to the wall as possible with a nail gun. Be careful not to nail the molding into the laminate.

References

• This Old House: Wood Floors