Laminate flooring is an alternative to solid wood flooring. Besides looking like solid wood, termites are also not interested in this material. Laminate flooring is also easier to install. The easiest type of floorboard to install is the type that uses a lock in place system - on two opposite edges of the board, each with a "tongue/ridge" and "groove" design so that between the boards one and others can interlock/bind.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Preparing the Floor Surface
Step 1. Let the wooden planks adjust to the climate of the room
Place the laminate flooring boards, still bonded together, in the space where they will be installed. Let sit for at least 48 hours prior to installation, so that the floorboards have time to adjust to room temperature. This will minimize shrinkage when the boards get colder or warmer than room temperature.
Step 2. Clean the floor
You will need to clean the entire surface of the floor where you will install the laminate board. You can brush the floor or use whatever method you prefer.
Step 3. Apply a moisture/vapor barrier
Spread a plastic coating on the floor that you want to cover with a laminated wood floor. Glue the plastics together using moisture-resistant adhesive tape. It is possible for the plastic to overlap, but you must cover the entire surface of the floor. If the floor of the room is concrete, pull the plastic up until it reaches the wall about 2.5 to 5 centimeters (not past the top of the baseboard).
Step 4. Spread the padding. Cover the plastic layer with a floor pad made of foam (foam). The pads prevent any residue/sediment left on the floor, such as small stones and sand, from causing the floor to dent or warp, and also provide a base for the wood planks. Cut the foam sheet to fit the floor, then glue it. Avoid overlapping the foam layers.
Part 2 of 2: Spreading the Floorboards
Step 1. Install the first board piece
Place the board on the top left corner, finishing the edge, the area facing the wall.
Step 2. Install the spacer. Clamp the spacer between the wall and the ends and edges of the board. You can buy the spacer or make your own.
If you make your own, make them 4.8 mm to 9.5 mm thick, L-shaped, and about 30.48 cm or more in length. You will need some spacers, about six or so for the first two rows
Step 3. Repeat the installation process for the second board
Assemble the next piece of board in the same way, laying the boards from one end to the other, filling the next section along the wall. For best results, make the entire first row parallel to the longest wall in the room.
Step 4. Perform the installation for the second row
Cut the pieces of the first plank (for the edges) shorter, so that the joints between the boards in the second row won't align with the joints between the boards in the first row-the whole creating a brick-like pattern. Use a block of wood to tap the boards in the second row into the boards in the first row. Hold the block firmly in your left hand, then hit it with the hammer you're holding in your right. The gap between the first and second boards must be closed. Keep hitting until the gap is no longer visible.
Step 5. Continue until each row is finished
Make sure that the gap between the boards is completely closed properly.
Step 6. Cut the boards that don't fit or can't fit into the remaining space
When you reach the opposite side of the wall or have to work an odd-shaped space, you may have to cut the boards. Measure the board you need, then cut it with a table saw.
Step 7. Don't forget the spacer
Don't forget to put spacers along the edges of the room, then take them back when the floor coating work is done.
Step 8. Do the finishing work
You can enhance the finished floor by attaching boards to the underside/base of a wall, door sill, or various other finishing touches. Blots and holes can be covered with special crayons, which are usually available at hardware or hardware stores.
Tips
- You'll need to start each row with half the plank of the previous row, so you can reduce wastage of the boards, and therefore also make the floor stronger if the boards don't start and end on a single sheet. This method also makes the position of the joints between the boards not easily visible, when you have finished working on the entire floor.
- Every board you use requires a groove and a tongue, except for perimeter mounting. If the installation is done on the edge of the room, the cut side with the groove or tongue removed, can be installed against the wall.
- Do not hit the floorboard with a hammer directly, as it will break.
- If you're having trouble cutting, for example the last piece of plank in a row, you may need to cut it manually with a hand saw.
- It is helpful to have a reviewer or someone help observe the gaps (between the boards) and let you know that the gaps are tightly closed.
- Use a corner/tapping block - wood (or other material) that acts as a batting pad while strengthening the tongue ties and grooves between the boards - which in another form, slightly resembles a crowbar but is flat, is known as a pull bar. To use a pull bar, you need to insert it between the wall and the last piece of board in each row, then hit the thicker part with a hammer.
- This floor installation work becomes very easy if it is carried out by a minimum of three people, one person is in charge of cutting, another is spreading and measuring, and another person is in charge of helping the first two people.
- Miter saws work faster, safer and produce more accurate/precise cuts.
- The saw blade must always pass through/through the material (wood planks) at the bottom.
Warning
- Use proper eye and ear protection when using a table saw.
- Use a saw and a general-purpose knife with care, as they are both very sharp.
- Be careful with your fingers when using the hammer.
