How To Lay Down Laminate Hardwood Floor

Hardwood floors can go anywhere you need them to and can follow a wide array of patterns based on your preference for an area.

How to lay down laminate hardwood floor.

If you are installing the flooring below grade or in a room like a basement with high humidity or moisture lay down a vapor barrier before you install the flooring. Lay out the unopened boxes of laminate planks in the room. Floating hardwood floor overview illustration by gregory nemec. Here s how to install flooring using the nail down method.

You ll also want to tear up any carpet in the room and remove the leftover tack strips. Keep this angle as you push the plank in until the laminate edges meet. After the first few rows have been installed drill pilot holes down into the tongue of each board and hand nail the rolls until there is enough clearance for the pneumatic nail gun. Lay a loose plank of your new flooring upside down against the door casing over a piece of the underlayment and saw off the bottom of the casing.

Doing so enables you to slide the new planks underneath the casing. Fill any low spots in the underlayment greater than 3 8 inch with floor leveling compound. Raise the outside edge of the plank upward approximately 1. They should acclimate for at least 48 hours.

You will see a gap on the long side joints when the plank is rotated down. This will allow them to acclimate to the room s temperature and humidity. When laying out the boards keep in mind. Next rotate down until the joints lock image 1.

Engineered flooring goes down over a thin foam sheet which provides cushioning and sound dampening. Align the first board with the layout line with the tongue facing into the room. For the next plank join the short end of the plank first image 2. Next cut strips of underlayment to size and lay the strips down across the exposed floor.

How to lay out a hardwood floor in an l shaped room. The planks glue together to create a floor that floats moves freely as a unit. If you have l.