How to Install Laminate Flooring

This HouseCall request came from Columbus, Ohio, which is just about in the middle of the state. Here, the home of Nikki and Glenn Henry is in need of a floor replacement job. When Ron arrived, the Henrys explained to him that they were looking for new dining room flooring to replace the carpet that ran from the living room into the dining room. They were looking for something very durable, easy to clean and low-maintenance. There was heavy traffic through the area, chairs would be dragging across the surface and there was a lot of in and out from the backyard…even a family dog. Ron agreed that laminate flooring was the way to go.

Click Here For a list of what you will need in order to complete this project.

1. Cut away the old carpet:

• Begin by laying down a piece of masking tape where you want to transition the two types of flooring, then strike a chalk line onto the masking tape.
• Using a straight edge, cut through the carpet along the chalk line with a linoleum or carpet knife. This type of knife has a blade on both sides and is extremely sharp so use it with caution.
• Pull up the carpet toward the center of the room and off the tack strips that run around the edge of the room.
• It is a good idea to also make a second cut down the center, which divides the carpet into two smaller sections making each piece easier to handle.
• Next, roll up the carpet pad and finally, pry loose the tack strip. Keep in mind that the tacks are extremely sharp.

2. Install trim track:

• Along the edge of the cut carpet you will install a trim track that is going to make the transition from the laminate floor to the carpet. On one side of the trim track will be the laminate flooring. On the other side will be the carpet and then covering the two and concealing the joint will be a piece of molding that taps down into place covering the track.
• To attach the transition strip to the concrete floor, you will need to drill holes with a carbide-tipped masonry bit.

  Tip: Sometimes when you are drilling into concrete, the hole will fill with dust. One way to clear the hole is to take a can of compressed air or an air hose and just blow the dust out.

• The next step is to insert plastic anchors into the holes and drive them flush to the floor.

• Attach the transition strip using screws.

3. Lay underlayment:

• Underneath the flooring you will need to place a special plastic treatment called laminated floor underlayment. This product acts as a moisture barrier to keep the water from coming up from below, which is particularly important on a concrete slab, it cushions your footstep with the little foam beads so the floor is quieter and it will correct minor surface imperfections.
• Unroll the 4-foot roll of underlayment leaving an extra foot at the end and cut it off with the carpet knife.
• Roll out a second strip alongside the first making sure the edges are flush with each other, but not overlapping. Duct tape holds the seams securely in place.

4. Saw off base of door casing

• Using a piece of flooring as a thickness-gauge, saw off the bottom of the door casing.

5. Test fit flooring:

• Temporarily lay down three rows of flooring without glue as a test fit.
• Use a sliding power miter box to make the crosscuts on the flooring. To reduce chipping, make a light scoring cut as you pull the blade out, then push the blade downward and forward as you cut all the way through. While you are putting the flooring together without glue, use a piece of duct tape to hold everything in place and keep it tight.

• Not all walls are perfectly straight. In order to get the proper fit on the first board, you might have to cut it to match the curve in the wall. To do that, create a template by boring a hole in a block of scrap flooring. Put a pencil in the hole and slide the template across the floor, along the wall. The pencil will transfer the curve of the wall to the line on the floor plank and you can then cut the edge off along the line.

• In order to give the floor room to expand and contract, leave a quarter inch gap between the edge of the laminate and the wall. To do this, two wedge-shaped spacers can be put together to give the exact thickness you need. Drop several of these down behind the edge of the flooring along the length of the entire wall. Ron recommends using masking tape on these spacers to hold them in place.

6. Begin gluing:

• Apply a continuous, even bead of glue to both the tongue and the groove. When you put them together, you should see the glue squeezing out all the way down. To be sure that both boards are tightly together, take your finger and draw it across the glue bead. You should see no gap between the planks. If you do, you need to push them together tighter.
• Professional installers say the first three rows are the most important in the floor. They'll form the foundation for the rest of the job. Any mistakes here will be magnified as you work your way across the room so take special care to be sure these joints are tight.

• Once the first three rows are glued, use a special flooring band clamp to apply pressure to the joints and hold them securely until the glue dries.
• In about an hour, the glue is dry in the first three planks and you can begin to lay the rest of the floor.

7. Remove dried glue and add trim

• Dried glue is easily scraped from the surface using a putty knife and a damp rag.
• Finally, quarter round molding is installed at the base of the wall to conceal the edges of the flooring.
• The transition strip is tapped into place. And the transformation from carpet to laminated floor is complete.