Home décor How to Lay Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is one of the easiest flooring materials to lay. The material can be laid on practically any surface provided that the surface is dry, firm and level. Even on old cement floors, it will just require some self-levelling compound work to level and smooth out any bumps.
Before you begin laying your laminate flooring it is a good idea to consider adding under-floor heating. Your existing floor covering will be removed meaning that now is the ideal time to add under-floor heating before you lay your new laminate flooring. If the idea of under-floor heating interests you, then electric under-floor heating is a great place to start as it is quite easy to integrate.
Underlay’s
There are a variety of underlays available for laminate flooring. Underlays need to be laid down before the actual laminate flooring. Here are some examples of common types of underlays:
Poly foam – this is the thinnest type of underlay. It is suitable for any firm, dry and level surfaces, such as a wooden floor.
Combined Underlay – This type of underlay combines damp proofing and underlay in one material. It is slightly thicker than the pervious and so it can be laid on a slightly more uneven floor.
Wood Fibre Boards – This type of underlay is the thickest underlay and can be used on fairly uneven floors. It provides good insulation for both sound and heat.
Fitting the boards is relatively simple, but this does not mean care should not be taken. One of the properties of Laminate flooring is that it expands and contracts naturally, which means that space needs to be left around the edges of the room. Allow approximately 1cm between the boards and the skirting. The boards should be laid lengthways toward the light source of the room; you should start laying them from the left hand side of the room. The first board should be laid with the short tongue against the wall. You can even fit your spacers between the wall and the board which ensures that the board is parallel to the wall.
The next board should be laid end-on to the first board making sure that the tongues lock together. (slide the board in at 30 degrees so that it slots-in when lowered.) This method must be continued until you reach the end of the row. The last board will almost certainly need to be cut to fit. To cut the board, you should lay it upside down over the last board with the end 1cm from the wall, you can then draw a line where it overlaps over the previous board and cut it there with a Stanley knife.
The boards need to be offset, in order to strengthen the laminate. To do this, start the second row with half a board then angle the long side at 30 degrees to lock the tongues. You must press forward and down at the same time to lock it into place. The short end of the next board needs to be placed at an angle against the previous board and fold down; making sure the board is on the locking strip in the previous row. Angle the boards by 30° and then you must push them against the row in front. When the boards are tightly together, you should push them down.
It is highly unlikely that the last row will fit perfectly but this is rarely the case. Work slowly, place a board at a time over the previous row. Place a third board on top with the tongue touching the skirting and use the edge of it to mark the cutting line on the board beneath. Then simply, cut the board and ease it into position, you should then remove the wedges.
After the flooring is laid, you should remove the spacers from around the outside, and cover the gap around the edge of the room with laminate flooring trim, you should purchase one which matches the floor in colour. You Remember, you must fix the trim to the skirting, not the floor, because the floor expands and contracts. Measure and cut the correct lengths of the trim, use trim cutters to keep your work neat and presentable.
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