Laminate Flooring | DIY | Tips | Images

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

 

• 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.

     

• Circular Saws:

  Are good for cutting long straight lines. Try to use one with a dust extraction fitted.

     

• 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.

   

• 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                    

Safety Considerations:  

• When cutting the laminate flooring boards make sure you wear a suitable respiratory mask, ear defenders, goggles, and do it in a ventilated area
• Wear knee pads (as this task puts a lot of strain on the knees)
• Follow all manufactures safety guides on the power tools that you are using.

    Here are some tools you’ll need:  

• Pencil
• Utility knife
• Hammer
• Drill
• Tape Measure
• Saws: Hand, Jig, Mitre, Table
• Chalk line
• Spacers
• Pull bar
• Tapping block
• Gloves
• Safety goggles
• Knee pads

Personal-protective-equipment-ppe                          

Before you start laying the Laminate flooring you must consider what underlay to use:   In Brief: Polyfoam – is one of the most commonly used, and the thinnest on the market. This is suitable for dry level surfaces such as floorboards. Prepare the area as described above, prior to laying it down. The Insulation is laid side-by-side, and end-to-end until the area has been covered. A 10mm gap is to be left around radiator pipes, and edges of the walls to allow for movement    

Combined Underlay – Combines damp proofing and underlay all in one. It’s thicker and can be laid on slightly uneven floors. The joints must be taped to enable the damp proofing properties. Manufacturers tend to have their own system of inter-linking the boards together. Before installation, the boards need to be placed in the area, that they are intended to be installed. Follow the manufactures in regard to the timescale that is required for the flooring to settle.

Wood Fibre Boards – This underlay is thick and can be used on more irregular surfaces. This is because of the thickness, it adapts to the irregularities of the floor. Also, the boards also have good soundproofing, and Insulation

Laying laminate flooring is not difficult at all, a gap (normally 10mm) is normally required to be left between the skirting’s. Follow the manufacturers’ installation instructions on this.   ‘Fitting wedges’ or spacers will achieve the required gap. The planks should be laid length-ways towards the window/source of the light. Follow the manufactures instruction on which direction the first board should face.

You should never start a run of boards from the same location, with the same length board. Always start the run with an opposite length. If not the strength of the floor will be weakened.

Pre Installation Check Tips    

• Inspect the area: for loose boards, protruding nails, screws, and damaged concrete prior to laying the laminate flooring

 

• Clean the floor: before you start laying the laminate flooring, make sure the floor is clean and free from any dirt or debris.

 

• Leave the laminate: flooring in the room as to the manufactures recommendations to acclimatise to the temperature

  Don’t become a statistic whilst carrying out DIY, wear personal protective equipment. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Selecting Suitable respiratory protection equipment   If using power tools, make sure they’re equipped with a dust extraction kit. Wood dust can cause asthma when breathed in.   High-risk woods for causing asthma include some hardwoods and softwoods such as western Red Cedar. Hardwood dust can also cause nasal cancer   Carryout you’re entire cutting outside, away from where you are going to install the laminate flooring and wear a suitable respiratory mask     HSE information sheet