Do you want to transform the look of your home by installing laminate hardwood floors? The material is easier to install than you think. Here are some of the basic things to know about the process of installing laminate hardwood flooring.
Preparing The Floor
The first thing that you'll need to do is prepare the floor, which involves making sure that it is level and that there is not anything sticking out of it. This can often happen if you are removing carpeting or old flooring material, with there still being nails or screws that are sticking up from the surface. You'll also need to undercut casings and door jams since you need the laminate floor material to fit underneath them.
Placing Underlayment Material
An underlayment material will need to be placed over the floor, which acts as a vapor barrier and prevents moisture from seeping up through the floorboards. There are vapor barriers that peel and stick to the floor to make installation incredibly easy to do.
Creating The Look Of The Flooring
It's important that you layout your floorboards to create a look for your hardwood flooring. You want the pattern of the wood to look natural, and avoid any stair-stepping in the pattern. It's also important to mix up the cases of flooring material so that there is not an obvious shift in color based on material from different boxes looking different.
Cutting The Boards
There are a few tips for cutting the floorboards that you need to be aware of. It helps to cut off the tongue side of any board that is touching the wall so that it will form a better fit. You'll also want to cut boards upside down since the teeth from the saw blade will cut into the board's finished surface instead of out of it, which will prevent any rough edges from being noticeable.
Laying Down The Boards
The nice thing about laminate flooring is that the floorboards float on top of the existing floor, with no nails or glue needed to hold the boards down. Laying down the boards is as simple as connecting them together with the tongue and groove system and using a rubber mallet to form a tight fit between all the boards.
Finishing The Job
A few things need to be done to finish the job. Place shoe molding around the floor, making sure to nail them into the baseboards and not the flooring material. You should also place transition material across door frames where the flooring ends.
For more information, visit a store that sells flooring such as Calypso laminate flooring.
