How to Lay Laminate Flooring *

Most homeowners enjoy decorating. They will happily paint, tile, put up shelves and tackle many other DIY jobs. But, for some reason, when it comes to flooring many homeowners give in and call in a professional.

That is a shame because laying a floor is something most people are more than capable of doing. In fact, it is an enjoyable job. There is nothing quite like standing up when you have finished, looking at your new floor, and knowing that you have created it.

If you want a project to get started on, try laminate flooring. It is one of the easiest floors to lay.

Buy a good quality product

The first step in the process is to buy good quality flooring. Doing so will make it far easier for you to install. It will fit together properly and is more likely to stay in place once it is down.  It is also important to buy the recommended underlay and adhesives. This will make the laying process go smoothly, and give you a better finish, that will also last longer.

Prepare the subfloor

The surface you lay your laminate flooring onto must be flat. If you find dips in the floor, you can easily correct them using a specialist floor levelling product. The best kind just needs to be poured onto the floor and be left to settle to create a nice even surface. Once you have prepared the subfloor properly, you can roll out the underlay and secure it in the way that the manufacturer recommends.

Acclimatise the flooring

For the best results, you need to lay the packs of planks out on the floor of the room you are planning to transform for around 48 hours. This allows the planks to flatten out and acclimatise to the moisture levels in the room.

Install the underlay

The next task is to lay the underlay. This is best done just before you are ready to lay the planks. Doing it this way reduces the chances of the underlay being torn.

Laying the planks

You then need to measure the room to work out how many strips of planks you will be laying. The last line of planks you lay will have to be 100mm wide, or more. If that last strip of laminated flooring is any narrower, it will be too difficult to lay without splitting it. A set of narrow planks is far easier to lay at the start of the floor laying process, so they are the ones that should be cut to fit. As you lay the floor, use the provided spacers to make sure you leave a 10 to 12mm gap. This is an important step, because it leaves space for the planks to expand, and will stop your floor from warping.

The laying process is not hard. Modern laminate flooring uses a tongue and groove system, which means each piece slots into the one next to it. Just like a very easy jigsaw.

For more detailed instructions go to YouTube and watch a couple of videos.