Laminate Flooring Installation

Laminate floors are meant to be floated over a variety of subfloors and never glued directly to any substrate. In other words, the floor just lays on top of the subfloor, which can be wood, concrete, or an existing floor. This allows the laminate floor to expand and contract freely as the room environment changes. Laminate floors come in planks and squares of various sizes and shapes. All four sides of each plank have a tongue and grooved edge for connecting them together. For most laminate floors glue is applied along the tongues and/or grooves to lock the planks together.

A "floating floor" installation means the floor is a not anchored to the subfloor underneath. Instead a bead of specially formulated, water-resistant, glue is placed between the tongue and grooves of every plank to lock the planks together and to seal all the edges of the planks from moisture. A special polyurethane underlayment is laid down prior to the new laminate flooring being installed to prevent the glue from sticking to the substrate. Some underlayments give additional benefits such as reducing sound transmissions or acting as a moisture barrier. Some of the newer laminate floors have a mechanical locking system that allows the floor to be installed without using any glue at all. The tongue and grooved edges of these floors are sealed to prevent moisture from attacking the inner core structure.

Below is a general outline of the various tools used to install a laminate floor. Always follow the manufacturer's installation instructions and use the manufacturer's recommended installation tools.

1. Glue - most laminate floors require a special glue to secure the planks together and help seal moisture from penetrating the core.

2. Fillers & Sealants - some laminate manufacturers have added color coordinating fillers and sealants. The colored fillers are to fix seam gaps between planks and the sealant is used around the perimeter where moisture may enter.

3. Straps - straps work much better than clamps at pulling plank rows together. Normally you need a strap set for every four feet in the starter rows.

4. Tapping Block - the tapping blocks are used to lightly tap two planks together. Most blocks are designed to fit a specific manufacturers tongue and groove design.

5. Wedges - the V-shaped wedges are used to insure a minimum gap is left between the laminate floor and all vertical walls. Consult manufacturer's installation for required gap distances.

6. Pulling Bar - the bar is used to help pull two pieces of laminate together. Care must be used with these bars so as to not chip the surface of the laminate plank.