How to Lay Hardwood or Laminate Floors
Changing flooring from a tatty old carpet to a
new hardwood or laminate flooring is one thing that will accentuate
the wow factor in any home. Not only will it radically improve the
looks of the room, it may improve the health of the occupants, since
wooden flooring is recommended for those who suffer from allergies.
The difference between hardwood and laminate flooring is that the
laminate is a thin veneer of wood welded to a particleboard base.
Being so thin, it cannot be sanded back and re-stained several times
like hardwood flooring; therefore it will not last as long. Hardwood
may also be layered with veneer, but the base is also hardwood, just
not quite as good a quality as the top layer. It lasts for ages.
So what’s the first thing to do, apart from measuring and ordering?
Pull up your old carpet, then clean away the accumulated dirt and
dust from underneath it. Mask and goggles will be needed to do this
job; later on you may need kneepads. Any other floor surface, e.g.
linoleum, can be left in place just so long as it is firm and
smooth. Regardless of what type of floor you are laying, you should
always use a vapor barrier.
As with tiles, allow an extra 10 % when ordering your flooring, this
will allow for any cracks, wrong measuring or the offset that you
may have forgotten to factor in. Apart from the flooring, you’ll
need glue, spacers (1/4 inch blocks you can make yourself) and
underlay. The underlay will provide insulation for heating and
sound. The spacers need to go right around the edges of the room to
keep the flooring from butting right up against the wall. The
flooring will need 48 hours to acclimatize in the building where it
is to be installed.
After the carpet has gone, remove the baseboard and door trims. Lay
out the first row of boards without the glue to check on the
alignment, placing the grooved side to the wall. Don’t forget to use
the spacers as you go. If the length of the boards needs adjusting,
they can be cut with a handsaw or an electric one. When you come to
the final board, turn it around the other way to mark it for
cutting, unless you are lucky enough to have it fit in at full
width.
Ready to glue? Remove all the boards you just laid except for the
first one. Apply glue to the end and re-lay the boards. Wipe off any
excess glue while it’s still wet. That’s the first row done. From
now on you have to glue the long sides as well as the ends. To
protect your boards, use a block of wood between boards and hammer
when gently tapping into place. Do just one board at a time. Some
floating flooring can be clipped together.
Once the glue is set, the spacers may be removed and the baseboard
and door trims replaced. Always allow proper ventilation when using
glue of any kind.
About the Author: D. Benjamin is the owner of
iapsales.com LLC - a family business specializing in HVAC products. We
are distributors of
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