How To Laminate A Floor
Laminate flooring is a great way to update or finish off a room, with a cost saving solution to wooden floor boards, it is easy to maintain and easy to fit. Laminate flooring is suitable for living rooms, hallways and kitchens due to the special resin protection that ensures a long life.
Laminate flooring locks together which negates the need for glue, nails or any other type of fixings
The tools to lay a laminate floor:
Step 1
The initial stage is to prepare the surface which the flooring is to be laid on; it will need to be flat, smooth and dry. Make sure it is clean with any loose debris removed, if there are floor boards then make sure they are screwed down and any loose nails are flattened. Any concrete flooring must be complete dry. The skirting boards will need to be removed so they can be refitted over the top of the new flooring.
Step 2
All floors will need fitting with an underlay before the laminate flooring can be laid. Some flooring is also required to have a moisture barrier placed to protect the flooring. Carpet underlay is not suitable for laminate flooring.
There are different forms of underlay available, either poly foam underlay, which is the thinnest form available. Combined underlay, which has a damp-proof membrane, has the advantage of only needing one layer. Wood fibre board is the thickest underlay available and is suitable if you have a slightly uneven floor, it offers excellent insulation of heat and sound. These boards need to be left in the room for at least 24hours to acclimatise.
Step 3
Your laminated flooring will need to be conditioned to the room before fitting, lay the boards on the floor for at least 48hours. The flooring will expand and contract so when fitting make sure to leave a gap of 10mm between the boards and the skirting board.
Step 4
Lay the boards in on your floor, starting in the corner over the underlay. The short tongue should be against the wall, with the wedges at intervals between the laminate and the skirting boards. The next board can then be fitted to the end of the fitted board by placing the short tongue of the new board into the long tongue of the previous. Lay more boards until you reach the final board of the row, which you may have to cut to make fit.
Step 5
Start the next row of boards in the same way, when connecting the 2 rows press and fold down together so the 2 boards are locked together side-by-side. Continue this row in the same manner making sure the boards are locked in and flat against the previous row. If any boards are not level, unlock and re-attach.
Step 6
Your laminated flooring will need to be conditioned to the room before fitting, lay the boards on the floor for at least 48hours. The flooring will expand and contract so when fitting make sure to leave a gap of 10mm between the boards and the skirting board.
Step 7
When all of the boards are fitted, remove the fitted wedges from around the edge of the room. Then you can fill the gap around the edges of the room with laminate flooring trim that matches your new boards. They can be cut using either a knife or trim cutters, when they are trimmed to size, apply the adhesive to the back of the trim and place onto the skirting board, not onto the laminate flooring.
