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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.
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First Timers Guide To Installing Laminate Floors
The installation of laminate flooring isn't very difficult, but you do have to follow a simple set of steps to get the job done right. Since some of the flooring will be lost during the installation process, make sure to order at least 10% more than the square footage required for the actual job. Then, when the laminate flooring comes in, make sure to unwrap it and pack it into the rooms where it will be installed for three 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 install the flooring right away without letting it acclimate, it will shrink and expand, ruining the floor prematurely.
Cleaning the sub-floor before the start of the project will ensure your laminate flooring turns out right. This sub-floor has to be completely clean so that the laminate flooring can lay flat against it. Ensure that anything attached to the walls is up high enough so that the new laminate flooring can slide underneath it, and if you need to, remove anything you have to. If your laminate flooring is being installed over a concrete type sub-floor, ensure that the concrete is cured before the laminate is brought into the room to acclimate.
After the sub-flooring is clean, and before starting the floor installation<, lay down a vapor barrier. A vapor barrier like this will protect the flooring from sudden moisture changes, important in homes with damp crawl spaces. You'll need to consult the manufacturer's installation technique for the most proper method of installation, but most vapor barriers overlap or butt right up 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. Then, place the manufacturer's recommended width of spacers against the starting wall, laying the first row of flooring with the grooved side up against the spacers. The spacers allow the floor to expand and contract without fault, and will be covered with base molding upon completion of the project.
Now you'll want to install the rest of the laminate, row by row, ensuring that each flooring groove is tapped snugly to the tongue of each preceding piece. Also, make sure that each plank flooring end is offset 6 to 8 inches from each neighboring piece. When finished laying the floor, install door thresholds and baseboard molding to finish the project.
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