Simple Guide To Assist in Laying Laminate Flooring
Laying laminate flooring is a quick and simple solution to updating any room in a home. Laminate flooring is long lasting and highly durable. The surface is made with aluminium oxide, which is one of the hardest substances available and provides a very robust and wear resistant surface, comparative to other kinds of flooring. The core is made out of high-density fibreboard that makes laminate flooring highly dent resistant. However, they are not indestructible; care should be taken to help avoid scratching and damage. With a small amount of maintenance, laminate floors will last a very long time.
Laminate flooring can also be laid in bathrooms and kitchens. The joints for waterproof laminate flooring have a special coating or a seal, which makes them highly resistant to moisture. Also, it is suitable for use in any other rooms other than bathrooms and kitchens if you so wish.
Acclimatisation
Before you start laying the flooring, the laminate flooring boards need to be
acclimatised to the room/ rooms. There is no need to remove them from the packaging. Follow the manufactures recommendations for the length of time that is required for them to be acclimatised.
Its also a good idea to maintain a constant temperature in the room/rooms for a few days during and after the flooring has been laid.
Laminate flooring is designed to expand and contract; this is called a floating floor. This is why there is a 5mm-10mm gap allowance left away from the walls.
Having the room at a constant temperature will allow the floor settle, and prevent the floor from lifting and having the joints opening up.
Cutting
Mark Your Laminate: Measure the length you need, mark on the laminate board before you start cutting. Use a pencil and a setsquare; mark it very faintly as to make the pencil mark easy to remove.
Tool Choice
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Chop Saws:
Are good for repetitive cuts, especially on the short end of laminate boards. These tools create a lot of dust, try to use one with a dust extraction fitted and do the entire cutting outside.
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Circular Saws:
Are good for cutting long straight lines. Try to use one with a dust extraction fitted.
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Jigsaws:
Are good for cutting laminate flooring to go around things like pipes, or other curved objects. Try to use one with a dust extraction fitted.
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Power Saws:
When using power saws use fine blades, to prevent the laminate boards from chipping.
General safety for power tools
Laminating Bathrooms and Kitchens
Many DIY’ers are choosing laminate flooring as an option to tiling their bathrooms and kitchens.
- Laminate flooring is very robust and is very hard to dent or scratch and is cheaper than tiling.
- Laminate flooring is very easy to clean. It can be swept with a soft brush, dry mop, moped with warm water, soapy water, mild detergent and a solution of water and vinegar.
- When moping the floor there is no need for the mop to be saturated
- Laminate flooring is ready available in many finishes and colours.
- You can enjoy the tile or slate effect without all the hassle of installing floor tiles.
Note:
If you decide on installing laminate flooring in your bathroom, remember that laminate becomes slippery when wet.
Consider putting a bath mat near the shower or bathtub, this will help to absorb any dripping water.
Laminate warps when excess amount of water is aloud to stand on it.
Mop-up any water as soon as possible to stop any damage to the laminate flooring accruing.
Make sure the bathroom is well ventilated.
How it's made