Laminate flooring is both fashionable and highly affordable flooring option. You can instantly give your floors a facelift with laminate planks. They are known for their unique style. You can bring that classic wooden floor feeling to your floors with laminates.
This article will take you through easy steps to how to install laminate flooring.
Benefits of installing Laminate floors
If you are looking for specific reasons for installing the laminate flooring then there are plenty of them.
- The best things about the laminate floors are that they are very easy to install and they are very low maintenance as well.
- You can install them anywhere from kitchen to the bathroom.
- Laminate floors are long lasting. They can survive for years and easily withstand heavy foot traffic as well.
- You can easily clean the spills, fades and stains with a simple wipe.
- You have plenty of choices when it comes to styles, tones, and textures.
- They are very eco-friendly as well.
These reasons are enough to encourage you to install this versatile flooring in your house.
How to Install Laminate Flooring – Step by Step Process
Before you start always remember that you can ask the professional installers to help you install them. Although installing the laminate floors is quite easy some people may not be comfortable using the tools. You can always contact the professional installer for the purpose.
Step 1 – Choose the Laminate Flooring Style
The first thing you need to do is choose a style for your floors. There are plenty of options and don’t be surprised if you get a little confused. You can choose from the glossy and sophisticated laminate styles or if you are looking for more intensity then you can go for the rugged, bold and heavy textured patterns.
Pay attention to the thickness of the flooring, the thicker they are the better.
Step 2 – Lay The Samples On The Floor
This is just to test that the laminate flooring style you chose looks perfect. You don’t have to wait till you finish installing and then realize it doesn’t really look good. You can always take sample piece home and lay it on the floor to see if it perfectly blends in with your existing decor. You can test as many samples you want.
Step 3 – Prep your Floors for the installation
Laminate floors are known for their versatility and flexibility. It can be installed on all kinds of surfaces like vinyl, concrete, ceramic, and plywood. Before you start your installation you need to clean the area of any obstructions like nails, debris, or anything that is on the floor. If you have carpets remove them from the floors and keep it aside. Make sure that you are protected when you are taking off the things from the floor especially your knees.
Step 4 – Choose and install a protective underlayment
This is very important steps on how to install laminate flooring process. Subfloors are the foundational layer below the main floors. It helps in creating a solid base for your top flooring. Now, the underlayment is something you need to install above the subfloors, which will lie just below the main floors.
The purpose of the underlayment is to smoothen out uneven subfloors and cut the noise or distractions that may impact the installation of the main flooring. You should never install the new floors on the bare subfloors. The underlayment will act as a moisture barrier and will prevent any kind of noise due to the expansion of the laminate floors.
Again you have plenty of choices when it comes to the underlayment. You can always choose according to your likes and what kind of foundation you want for your floors.
Step 5 – Installing the Laminate Floors
Now it’s time to install the floors. The first thing you can do is add the spacers against the wall to create a small gap between the wall and laminates. This will allow space for expansion as your laminates absorb the moisture in the room and get used to the room temperature.
Start building your rows of planks. Place them against the spacers to create uniformity. The laminate floor planks come with a tongue and groove that needs to fit together to create the flooring above the subfloor. At this point you may need to cut some of the pieces, so wear your safety glasses and be very careful while cutting the laminate pieces.
You may need the help of a jigsaw to cut your flooring to fit them around door frames and other fixed structures in the room.
Addition Tips for Installing the Laminate Floors
- Read the instruction manual very carefully and follow the steps to the letter for perfection and safety as well.
- One of the best and fastest ways to get laminate flooring installed is to hire the professionals. They are fast and efficient and will get them done really quickly.
In Conclusion
These are the 5 easy steps for how to install laminate flooring. Follow the instructions and install the beautiful laminate floors in your house and enjoy its various benefits.