Laminate Floor Companies
Laminate flooring is taking the place of tile, vinyl and hardwood in many of today's custom homes and remodels. Laminate flooring is usually cheaper, lasts longer and is easier to install that some of the older flooring materials. If you need an experienced laminate floor installer to install your new floors, or you would like bids for flooring, please contact the floor installation companies below.
How To Install Laminate Hardwood Floors
In order to easily install laminate flooring, all you have to do is follow a few simple steps to get the job done right. The installation process will wind up wasting some of the flooring, so make sure to order 10% more flooring than you really need. Then, when the laminate flooring arrives, unwrap it and store it in the rooms that it will be installed in for at least a few days before the install. By allowing the flooring to sit in the rooms for awhile, it will wind up getting used to the temperature of the room. If you don't let the flooring acclimate to the new temperature, it may shrink and expand after being installed, which will actually ruin the floor.
Ensuring that you clean the sub-floor before the beginning of the project will ensure that your laminate is installed properly. This sub-floor has to be completely clean so that the laminate flooring can lay flat against it. Just make sure that anything attached to the walls is at a high enough point that the new laminate can slide underneath, and if you need to, remove it. If you are laying the laminate flooring over a concrete type sub-floor, this concrete needs to be cured before you even bring in the planks to acclimate themselves.
Once the sub-floor is clean, and before you begin the floor installation, install a vapor barrier. A vapor barrier like this will protect the flooring from sudden moisture changes, important in homes with damp crawl spaces. Consulting the manufacturer's direction guide should be the next step, but you'll find that most vapor barriers overlap or butt right up next to each other.
If your door jams have molding, which is characteristic of most of them, then trim them so that your new flooring slides clean underneath. Place the manufacturer's suggested width of spacers against your starting wall, and lay your first row of laminate with the grooved side against the spacers. The function of the spacers is to allow the floor to expand and contract; this will be covered with base molding when you are finished.
Now lay the rest of the flooring row by row, making sure that the flooring's groove is tapped tightly on to the tongue of the preceding piece. Also, you'll want to make sure that the ends of each piece of laminate flooring is offset 6 to 8 inches from the neighboring plank. As soon as you are done with the project, make sure to install door thresholds and baseboard molding to finish the job right.
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