How to Install and Change Floating Laminate Floor
Floating, or unglued, laminate flooring has become a common choice both in home improvements and in new construction. Laminate floors come in two basic styles. Hardwood laminates feature a real wood top coat, composite laminates feature a top layer with a photographic simulated wood grain. The simplicity of installation coupled with the affordability of the product make laminate a real value. To properly install floating laminate floor you will need to first put down a vapor barrier and an underlayment. The entire process can be done with just few simple tools and a little bit of know how. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Tile scraper
- Vapor barrier
- Foam underlayment
- Laminate floor
- Miter saw
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Instructions
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Measure your floor space from front to back and side to side. Multiply the two numbers to get the square footage. Order enough material to cover the space plus 10 percent for waste. Get enough underlayment and vapor barrier to cover the area as well. To create a change from the existing laminate, choose a lighter, or darker color than the existing floor for the biggest impact.
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Prepare the floor by removing the old laminate so it can be changed out. Start by pulling up the base shoe or quarter round at the bottom of the baseboard, then simply lift the old boards out, set it aside to be reused. Clean the floor thoroughly. Use a tile scraper to remove glued down laminate.
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Roll out the plastic vapor barrier and lay it in slightly ovierlapping rows across your floor, starting an inch or two from the wall. Cut the rows to length with scissors or a utility knife. Roll out the foam underlayment running perpendicular to the vapor barrier at a right angle. Lay it in rows that butt up to each other along the edges. Cut the rows to length as for vapor barrier.
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Lay the first row of your laminate flooring directly on top of the underlayment parallel to the longest wall in the room, spaced ½ inch away from the wall with ½ inch spacers, which you can buy with your flooring or cut from ½ inch lumber. Be sure to space the end ½ inch from the wall as well. This gap allows the floor room to expand and contract with the changes in humidity. Lay the first row with the groove of the tongue and groove to the wall.
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Place boards along the wall, spacing them ½ inch out as far as full length pieces will go. Measure the remaining space and use a miter saw to cut one board to that length, minus ½ inch for the spacing. Use the remainder of this board to start the next row. This will allow the ends of the boards to be staggered, which strengthens the floor and makes a more interesting pattern. Tap the second trow so the groove fits neatly over the tongue of the first with a rubber mallet.
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Continue laying until you reach the last row. Measure the distance to the wall and cut your last row to that width, minus ½ inch using a table saw. Set the last row in place and reattach the base shoe with hammer and finish nails to cover the gap. Fill nails holes with wood filler or painter's caulk.
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References
- Photo Credit texture of red wood - can be used as background image by Elnur from Fotolia.com
