Laminate flooring has become very popular. It’s quick when installed properly, it’s long-lasting, and it can give a modern, clean look to your home. However, installing such flooring can be an expensive project, and for many homeowners, it’s a project they put off for another day.
Installing laminate flooring is easy if you have the right tools. It comes in sheets, and it’s easy to cut with a circular saw. However, a jigsaw works best to cut the tongue and groove of the planks. Thinner, more jagged blades are better for cutting flooring than thicker, straight blades.
How to lay it perfectly?
Laminate flooring, as well as solid wood flooring, should be installed on a subfloor. If you have a concrete subfloor, you’ll use a backer board. If you have a plywood subfloor, you’ll use plywood and adhesive.
The first step in installing is nailing it to the floor. Use the floor as your guide for nailing, and nail the planks with the tongue facing down. After the planks are nailed, make sure that there are no gaps between the planks. The tongue and groove should be flush. If there are gaps between the planks, you can fill them with a wood filler.
The next step is to install the underlayment. Most laminate flooring comes with a thin cardboard underlayment, and this has to be cut to the exact size of the room. It’s easier to cut if you lay the planks on the underlayment. The next step is to lay the first row of planks. The planks should be laid perpendicular to the wall, and they should overlap slightly – start the second row of planks about two inches lower than the first row.
After the first row is complete, the planks should be glued. Using a glue stick, apply glue to the tongue and groove of the first row.
Budget-friendly
Laminate flooring from Quick-step is pretty inexpensive and easy to install. And you get a floor that looks better than natural wood and is easy to clean. But everyone has to do the research. You want to buy laminate that looks like wood, not some cheap imitation that looks great only up close. Or you want a floor that is easy to keep clean and dries quickly, and doesn’t warp. Or you want a floor that doesn’t shrink or expand depending on the humidity.
And to do all that research without buying the wrong stuff, you have to get a good estimate of the cost. Then you have to multiply that estimate by how much extra stuff you will probably buy, like Gorilla Glue.
Gorilla glue
Yes, Gorilla Glue. It is one of those pieces of gear that you never want to be without it again once you have it. And the longer you wait to buy it, the more expensive it is.
But you need the gorilla glue. And right now, you can get it for 80% off, so you might as well order it. And you get free shipping on orders of $25 or more, so you might as well order the $25 worth of other stuff too. And the Gorilla Glue is on sale. And it will last a lifetime.
Low maintenance
Laminate flooring is designed to be low maintenance and is easy to clean. Most laminates come with a protective finish that repels dirt, water, and spills for even more cleaning and maintenance convenience. It’s is a practical choice. The thicker the laminate, the stronger the floor. It comes in widths of 12 inches up to 24 inches and lengths of up to 24 feet.
The bottom line
Laminate floors look great. They are durable, easy to clean, and available in many styles and colors. Laminate flooring is very affordable, too. It is a multi-layer synthetic flooring material, and it is comprised of a pressure-sensitive underlayment, a decorative printed paper layer, and a decorative melamine wear layer. This type of flooring is designed to be installed as floating floors, meaning the planks are laid directly on top of an existing floor (underlayment) without the need for glue or nails. It is also easy to remove and reinstall.
