How To Install Tile Over Laminate Flooring

Laminate floor has become a very popular selection for exercise-it-yourselfers due to the fact that information technology'southward economical, durable, and easy to install. Several varieties of laminate wood floor are available, offering consumers a vast assortment of aesthetic choices. Most laminate flooring products share similar characteristics: a pressed wood base; a durable, adhered laminate stop; and a cocky-locking tongue and groove system. These systems typically exercise non require fasteners or adhesives – they just lock into place, basically "floating" in a higher place the subfloor. Bring together the At Abode channel host, Jeff Wilson, for a tutorial on installing a laminate floor.

Surface area Prep

Before laying any of the laminate floor it is important to prep the work expanse and subfloor.

• Remove furniture and appliances from the room.

• Remove shoe molding and/or baseboard trim every bit necessary. You lot will need to install new or salvaged baseboard or shoe molding to cover the expansion gaps at the perimeter of the space to complete the floor installation. If baseboard is left in identify, shoe molding tin typically exist installed to cover the expansion gap.

• Remove existing flooring every bit necessary and check the subfloor. Nigh laminate flooring tin exist installed over a wide variety of subfloors and materials, so removal of existing flooring is generally limited to rug or whatever loose or unsecured floor. It's a matter of personal preference. Laminate flooring tin typically exist installed over concrete; whatsoever wood-, cement-, or gypsum-based underlayment board; old hardwood flooring; tile; vinyl; or in some cases fifty-fifty glued-downward, low-pile carpet.

• Set the subfloor as necessary. Sand whatever ridges in wood subfloors. Apply cement-based self-leveling underlayment over floors with excessive variations (more than 1/4") in flatness.

• Sweep the floor to remove any loose dust and debris.

Underlayment and Padding

In one case the work surface area and subfloor have been checked and prepped, the side by side step is to install any required padding and moisture barriers. Many laminates include an attached padding or underlayment, typically a thin, firm absorber applied to the underside of the board. Laminates with an attached underlayment pad typically crave only the installation of a wet barrier prior to installing the floor.

For laminates without an attached underlayment pad, several varieties of underlayment pad are available that provide a cushion, a thermal barrier, some sound absorption, and a built-in moisture barrier.

• Whorl out the wet barrier, or padded underlayment, forth the starting wall and cut to length. Place additional sections as necessary with taped butt seams.

Planning the Layout

Before installing any pieces of the laminate floor, it is important to consider the layout of the floor. More often than not it is best to run the laminate flooring parallel to the longest wall in the room. Even so, if you are installing laminate over an existing hardwood floor, it should be installed perpendicular to the existing planks.

• Employ a tape mensurate to bank check the room dimensions and compare with the dimensions of the laminate floor boards.

• Dissever the width of the room by the width of the laminate boards to decide the width of the final row. If the terminal row will be less than 2", you may want to consider trimming an inch or ii off the width of the first row.

• Divide the length of the room by the length of the laminate boards to determine how long the piece will be at the finishing wall. If this piece is less than 3", trim iii"–six" off the starting piece.

Installing the Commencement and Second Row

With the layout determined, it is fourth dimension to start laying the laminate flooring.

• Open three or 4 boxes and select boards from each box to minimize repeating patterns in the floor.

• Information technology is typically best to begin on the left side of the room and work toward the correct.

• Apply 1/iv" spacers and set the first full board in the corner with the tongue facing the wall. Check the manufacturer'south instructions for proper orientation of the boards to facilitate the locking method.

• Proceed to install the commencement row past aligning the curt ends and locking them together. Lift the board at a 45° angle and marshal the natural language and groove. Push and lower the lath to lock the boards together.

• For the last piece in the row, measure the altitude to the wall, subtract ane/4", and cutting the board appropriately. Use a pry bar or tapping block equally necessary to lock the joint together.

• Start the second and subsequent rows with the leftover piece from the last lath in the previous row. If the leftover slice is too small, cut a slice to fit, maintaining a minimum eight" stagger between butt ends.

• Continue using i/4" spacers at the beginning and finish of each row.

• Laminate floor boards are typically all the same length, simply they must nonetheless exist installed like hardwood flooring, with staggered butt joints beyond the flooring. For a staggered, random look, pay attention to keep the joints from lining upwardly or creating a repeating pattern beyond the whole floor.

• Use a string line, level, and framing square every bit necessary to keep the rows straight and square to ensure a skilful foundation for the remainder of the floor.

Installing the Remaining Rows

Once the commencement few rows are fix, the remainder of the flooring is pretty easy to snap together.

• Continue to install the floor boards 1 row at a time, using a 1/iv" spacer to brainstorm each row and staggering the end joints 8" minimum.

• Align the long cease of the boards and insert the tongue into the groove at an angle. Position the brusque end over the groove of the previous board and press flat to the flooring to lock the long ends of the boards together.

• Use a pry bar or tapping cake to ensure that the joints are tight. Always utilise a block with your hammer to distribute the forcefulness of the borer – using a hammer alone can impairment the flooring.

Cutting Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring tin exist cut by using any saw and loftier-quality carbide-tipped blade that can be used to cut wood. A power miter saw, or chop saw, is a useful saw for square cuts along the length of the lath. A jigsaw is handy for cut out holes and notches to fit around piping and corners.

• To minimize chipping, cut the board with the finished surface upwards.

• Employ masking or painter'due south tape along the cut to minimize chipping the finished surface.

• Cut in a separate area to minimize sawdust in the work expanse.

Doorways and Transitions

Every laminate flooring installation will have at least one or two doorways or floor transitions to finish. Some installations may include a stair border to finish too. These areas require actress attending and a little patience to achieve quality finish details.

Whether the finished floor stops in the doorway or continues through into another space, it is often necessary to trim the doorjambs outset. As shoe molding cannot be installed against the doorjamb, the finished floor must fit under the jamb and any casing to hibernate the expansion gap.

• Using a scrap piece of flooring as a guide, cut the doorjamb with a jamb saw or flush-cut saw. Apply a woods chisel as necessary to cleanly remove the cut-off piece of doorjamb and casing.

Once the flooring can exist laid under the doorjambs and casing, the transition strips can be installed. The transition strips hide the edge of the laminate flooring as well every bit the adjacent floor and cover the necessary expansion gap. Most transition strips come with a track and can be configured in multiple ways.

• Spike any transition strips and tracks to the subfloor, not the laminate floor, maintaining the 1/4" expansion gap.

• Measure out the opening and cut the track to fit.

• Screw the track into the subfloor.

• Measure the opening for the finish transition strip and cut to fit. Miter or cope the ends every bit necessary to fit snugly against the side by side trim or frame.

• Snap the transition strip into the runway.

To finish a laminate floor edge at the acme of a staircase, many types of stair nosing are available.

• Measure and cut the stair nosing to fit.

• Using the stair nosing equally a guide, determine the final border of the laminate flooring. Maintain a 1/iv" gap against the stair nosing.

• Install any remaining laminate flooring up to the stair border.

• Apply construction adhesive to the bottom of the stair nosing and set it in identify at the stair border. Be sure to encompass the laminate floor edge and one/4" expansion gap.

• Install finish nails as necessary with a hammer and nail set or pneumatic cease nail gun.

Finishing Touches

The concluding step in completing a laminate floor installation is to encompass the expansion gaps effectually the perimeter of the room. This can be accomplished by installing new or salvaged baseboard, or by installing a quarter circular, or shoe, molding against existing baseboard. Always install baseboards or moldings to the wall and not to the laminate flooring, to preserve the floating effect of the floor system.

Source: https://buildipedia.com/at-home/floors/how-to-install-laminate-flooring

Posted by: warrenmisfort.blogspot.com

Share this post