Laminate Floor Installation Tips

Easy to Maintain and the Look of Hardwood at the Price of Carpet

Dec 4, 2007 Kelly Smith

Here are some tips for installing laminate flooring that the manufacturers don't mention: how to select the best laminate underlayment and use quarter round.

Laminate Floor Installation Tips

One of the wonderful things about laminate flooring is that unlike traditional hardwood floors, it's simple to install. Traditional hardwood floor installation requires dealing with slightly warped lumber, nailing, gluing, sanding, and floor finishing. Laminate floors go down quick and are prefinished. And, laminate floor maintenance is simple. However, like any other DIY project, there are a few things the manufacturer's instructions simply don't tell you. This article will arm the reader with various laminate floor installation tips.

Use the Best Laminate Flooring Underlayment

Flooring distributors will generally present the buyer with at least two grades of laminate underlayment – standard and premium underlayment. What's the difference? Just thickness. Both grades are made of a felt-like material with a moisture barrier. Go ahead and spend the extra cash to get the premium grade underlayment.

The purpose of laminate flooring underlayment is two-fold. First it provides a bit of “give” between the foot or furniture and the subfloor. This not only protects the laminate but makes up for the inevitable low and high spots on the subfloor.

The other duty of underlayment is sound control. This seems illogical since it's underneath the slick surface of the laminate planks, but it does work because it's between the subfloor and the planks. Be sure to use wide clear plastic tape to connect runs of underlayment.

Doorways and Laminate Floor Installation

When it comes to floating laminate floor installation, most of the “fun” occurs at the doorways. First, pull the hinge pins and remove the doors. They're probably hollow core doors, and so weigh almost nothing. If left hung, they'll just get in the way.

Undercut the door jambs. For a professional looking finish, the laminate planks have to slide under the door trim. Draw a horizontal pencil line the thickness of the laminate and the underlayment and use a coping saw to undercut it.

Installing straight runs of laminate in the middle of the room is straightforward enough, but things get tricky at the doorways. There will be times when it's absolutely impossible to both snap the laminate flooring planks together and get the laminate under the door jamb.

When this happens, use a sharp utility knife to shave off the locking part of the laminate edges while leaving the flat part of the connector intact. This will allow sliding the two planks together to mate. Be sure to add a small bead of wood glue to ensure that the planks will remained mated. Titebond woodworking glue is the best choice. Don't use Gorilla Grip glue; it'll foam out of the joint as it dries.

Baseboard and Quarter Round

Laminate flooring is a “floating” flooring system. It won't move around a lot, but it's only connected to itself. At no time will it be attached to the subfloor or wall. This is why there should be a ¼ inch gap around the entire perimeter of the floor. This gap also allows the installer to use the laminate flooring pull bar to snug things up.

After installing your choice of baseboard types, there might still be a bit of a gap visible at the floor edge. The solution? Nail quarter round to the bottom of the baseboard (not the laminate). Not only does it cover the gap but it gives the baseboard an elegant three dimensional look.

Laminate Floor Brands

Wondering which brand to use? The best laminate floor manufacturers are Armstrong, Bruce, Pergo, Dupont, and Alloc. Shop around; something's always on sale!

The copyright of the article Laminate Floor Installation Tips in Home Renovation/Repair is owned by Kelly Smith. Permission to republish Laminate Floor Installation Tips in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Laminate Floor and Baseboard

What do you think about this article?

---

NOTE: Because you are not a Suite101 member, your comment will be moderated before it is viewable.

post your comment

What is 8+10?

Comments

Dec 5, 2007 1:06 PM

Geri Rice :

Thank you for the tip. I recently bought and installed bamboo flooring in my living room and I love it. It was very easy to do and even better for the environment. You can learn more about bamboo flooring and other green home remodeling projects at http://www.greenandsave.com

Dec 6, 2007 2:49 PM

Kelly Smith :

Thanks Geri14! I've always admired the bamboo but this is one of situations where the wife tells me what she likes and I say, "yes,Dear." ;-)

But the light pine that she picked really opens up the room.

Nov 9, 2009 5:26 AM

Guest :

We are putting laminate down in 2 rooms and the hallway connecting them. I would like to run the laminate without using a transition piece but I know that if I start the east side and work west into the hallway, when it comes time to join the 2 sides they will be off by 1/2". Would it be possible to lay one room go into the hallway and then lay laminate into the second room and snap the pieces in on the opposite side?

Nov 9, 2009 6:44 PM

Kelly Smith :

Why not just start on the wall you said you would begin on, work your way to and through the hallway and then work your way through the second room to the far wall?

Since it will open up in the second room on the other side of the hallway, you'll have to be careful on the first of run of planks, but then cut your spacers tight so that you can use your pull bar with no worries.

Dec 29, 2009 5:25 AM

shgar :

Hello, we are installing laminate flooring in our living room. It will be meeting up with a diagonal floor that is ceramic. If we start on the outside wall we could end up needing to cut a piece when we hit the ceramic. Should the laminate be installed started from the outside wall or the ceramic? Does it matter which direction we install against the ceramic?

5 Comments