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Laminate flooring
Laminate flooring has a lot of room in today’s trend of homey yet modern design. The ease of upkeep and hygienic features of this sort of flooring are just two of the reasons why an increasing number of individuals are opting for it. It will give you the look and feel of a timber floor without costing you a fortune. And it’s so simple to lay it yourself nowadays!
You don’t need to be an expert to lay your own floor anymore, thanks to the invention of click-and-go laminates. This helps you save a lot of money! We’ll give you a few suggestions on how to lay your own laminate floor and how to care for it in this article.
What is laminate flooring?
Laminate flooring is made up of several layers of different materials, each with its own set of characteristics. A typical laminate floor consists of a decorative surface (made of a hard-wearing resin-based melamine), a wood-based core (which is the major component of a laminate floor), and a backing that is glued to the underside of the core and provides rigidity.
Laminate flooring is made in rectangular planks and available in a variety of styles, most of which are based on wood patterns. However, new styles simulating slate and tiled flooring have lately been introduced to the market. As a result, these laminates have a square shape, but they will still have the same primary characteristics of laminate flooring, such as durability and ease of installation.
Which flooring to choose?
There are various types of laminate flooring, but they all work on the tongue-and-groove basis and are both ‘floating systems,’ meaning that the floor is not attached to the under-floor, but rather rests on it. First and foremost, there are two ways to assemble the floor: with adhesive and without glue. A bead of glue is applied between the tongue and the groove to assemble glued flooring. Glueless flooring is a technique in which the panels are clicked together instead of being glued together, and it is becoming increasingly popular as it is faster and cleaner than the glued approach. The panels can also be ‘unclicked’ and carried with you as you move.
Laminate flooring is available in a variety of grades, thicknesses, and water resistance levels. Choose the best flooring you can afford, and make sure it’s appropriate for the room you’re planning to install it in. For example, waterproof laminate flooring is ideal for bathrooms and kitchens! Examine your local DIY stores, comparing qualities and costs to ensure you make the best decision possible.
Tools and materials that you will need
Make sure to double-check the size of your space and buy 5% more than you think you’ll need. You’ll always need extra for cutting, and no one enjoys returning to the DIY shed for a single pack of boards! Aside from that, they could not have your colour match when you return.
Underlayment (to make the floor sound proof and to provide insulation). Take an extra 5% of this as well.Trim the edging (a laminate flooring is not fixed anywhere, edging trim is used to keep it in place along the sides and to provide a neat finish). Take some more of this as well, because you’ll always have to cut around unexpected corners.
Mask Tape measure
When you have a concrete sub-floor:
Compound for levelling with a chisel hammer Bucket Damp-proof membrane (for sub-floors made of tiles, asphalt/concrete, or vinyl)
When you have a wooden sub-floor:
Pipe and electricity cable hammer detector Airplane (for protruding areas)A filler or a levelling chemical is a substance that is used to fill voids (for holes and hollow areas)Pipe covers are used to finish the flooring around pipes in a clean manner.
How to start?
First and foremost, the flooring must be adjusted to the room’s temperature and humidity. Leave it in its packaging for at least 48 hours and lay it horizontally (to prevent bending of the laminate) before starting to lay it.
Remove all of the flooring that you will no longer require (like carpets, etc.). Only the sub-floor should be left. Take advantage of the chance to inspect any under-floor electrics or pipes. In the long run, it will save you a lot of time.
Determine whether your floor is level enough to begin installing the underlay or if it has to be levelled beforehand. Important! Failure to spend enough time levelling the floor at this point will result in a variety of issues, including bending and warping of the boards, as well as a general unevenness of the floor. This will diminish the amount of enjoyment you get from your floor and shorten its lifespan. When the change in height across a metre is less than 1mm, the floor is considered level.To level a concrete sub-floor, chip away any projecting sections with your hammer and chisel, then fill any gaps with levelling compound. However, if the floor isn’t level in general, it’s a problem.
What next?
It’s ideal to use the levelling compound all over the surface, as this will ensure a flawlessly smooth finish. A damp-proof membrane must now be installed in accordance with the sub-composition. floor’s Protruding nails and loose floorboards should be checked on a hardwood sub-floor. Any uneven boards can be flattened with a plane. To even out the floor, use filler for tiny sections and levelling compound for bigger areas.
Install the under-flooring according to the package’s directions. As soon as you’ve completed this, place a laminate floorboard against the door to see whether it will clear the ultimate height of your floor. If the door becomes caught on the floorboard, remove the door and sand or plane away the excess to allow the door to open correctly.
Choose the direction in which you want your floor to be laid. To reinforce the joints, it is advised that the floor be put at a 90o angle across the floorboards (if you have any). Another option is to lay a hardboard underlayment over the floors first. It doesn’t matter which direction you go this way.
To create a gap between the floorboards and the wall, place two spacers in one corner of the room and put your first board against it. Ensure that it is properly aligned with the wall. Now click the boards together until you reach the end of the first row, making care to utilise spacers all the way down the wall.
Place the last board next to the already-installed flooring to cut it off at the proper length. Make sure to leave enough room at the end of the row for the spacers.
If the previous row’s last board’s cut-off is longer than 300mm, you can use it to begin the next row. It’s crucial to achieve a staggered impression, as the boards shouldn’t all end up in the same spot.
It’s now simple to click and fit the largest part of your room, and it’ll look like you’re making something in no time! The only things you need to be concerned about are the regions around doors and pipes. Try to keep your floor as close to the door mouldings as feasible. To guarantee a snug fit, you may need to carefully saw into the moulding. Use a laminate floorboard as a guide to determine how much material has to be removed. Measure the distance into the floorboard where the pipes will emerge for pipes (taking care to allow for a gap between the boards and the wall). Measure the pipe’s width as well. Starting at the board’s edge, cut out the space surrounding the pipe with a jigsaw. This way, you can replace the piece behind the pipe and remove the bit where the pipe will enter through the board (using a bit of glue to hold it in place). Pipe covers can be used to properly cover the pipe.
After removing the spacers from the corners of the room, use edging trim to properly finish the floor.Now all you have to do is try it out.
Top tips
Before you commit to a particular sort of flooring, take a peek around your local DIY sheds. There are many various designs and colours available nowadays, as well as a variety of laminate flooring deals, so search around and get a good value!It’s always a good idea to make a shopping list! Before you head to your DIY shed, measure, measure, measure. Even then, buy around 5% extra than you require. It helps if you don’t have to worry about mis-cutting a few boards, especially if you’ve never done laminate flooring before. You don’t want to go back for one more pack only to avoid having to deal with it in the first place! Always purchase the appropriate flooring.
Any electrical or plumbing repairs should be planned ahead of time. You have the easiest access to the cables and pipes under the floors when you remove your carpet or old floor, therefore do it before you lay your new floor! Check to see if the spacers are included in the floors package you’re purchasing. They’re useful for keeping your floor in place while you’re installing it.Take your time installing the flooring! Even while you really want to finish it tonight, you know deep down that the floor will look a lot nicer the next morning when you sleep on it and gaze at it with fresh eyes!Please keep in mind the drying hours if you choose a glued laminate floor. This
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