What You Should Know Before Laying Columbia Laminate
Flooring
Preparing to Install
Before laying laminate flooring, determine the size of the room you are working on and buy enough
laminate flooring with some extras in case some errors occur. Have the working surface cleaned and
leveled to ensure you get beautiful results. It is always important to place underlayer to provide cushion
and absorbs noise, so make sure that it is properly laid down without overlapping and tape securely to
avoid shifting. Take the time to peruse the kind of subflooring you have, as this can also affect the result
of your project. It is even possible to lay laminate flooring on concrete, though it is important that you
check for moisture first and lay down a moisture barrier before commencing on the laying process.
The Laying Process
Select the first three planks you plan on installing and line them up against the wall that will serve as
your starting point to determine how they will fit. When you are satisfied with their alignment, you can
then start the actual laying process. In laying laminate flooring, it is important to leave a small space for
expansion between the wall and the first row of plank. Laminate flooring is installed through the floating
method, in which only the planks are glued together and no adhesives are used in attaching the planks to
the subfloor. In aligning the planks, use a tapping block to fit the planks snugly, so as to avoid directly
hammering on the edges of the plank. Some professional installer may recommend waiting for an hour
or so before installing the rest of the planks to allow the glue in the first three to dry.
Continuing the Process
As you proceed in the process of laying laminate flooring, you can use a pry bar to tighten the joints
snugly, which should be place some eight inches or more from a joint of the previous row. Angle the
plank as you attach its edge to the previous row and lock them in place. Use a hand saw to cut the end
planks to desired length and width. To hide those spaces left fo