What do I really need to know about installing click-on laminate flooring myself for the first time?
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i moved into this house about 5 years ago with my partner, and we decided to use click lock laminate flooring for most of the downstairs (living room, dining room and hallway)... the packs of flooring should come with an instruction leaflet... what we found really helpful though was speaking to a member of staff at B&Q (where we bought the flooring from)... he told us what tools we needed to buy along with things like rolls of insulation to put on the floor before laying down the strips of laminate. it might also be helpful to go to somewhere like B&Q, because they produce their own DIY leaflets on things like this... they're free of charge, and u can usually find the relevant leaflet near the item(s) that u want to buy...
my partner found that it got easier as he went along.. the main 2 things that i would reccomend though is to make sure your floor is even before u try laying down the laminate, and get all the furniture out of the room before u start... it's not a job u can do if there's furniture that needs to be shuffled around. good luck !
most important thing about putting it down is to allow at least 3/8 expansion gap to the walls or baseboard which then can be covered by quarter round molding....
as for the rest its not to hard with the proper tools..
how much u will need duh
For a really professional job remove the skirting board first,I know that it will take time, but trust me it looks far better when you've finished. If you have a B&Q ask a member of staff to show you how to cut the boards near to the wall (easy trick but you need to see how it's done) and remember to leave a 8mm expansion gap all the way around from the wall. We've done all the downstairs and the bedrooms too.Looks great and well worth the effort. Good luck.
First - measure the floor area you need to cover. You will waste about 10% by cutting pieces, so add 10% to your buying list.
Its best to use an underlay to reduce the noise from a laminate or timber floor.
Also best - as someone else says - to take off the skirting boards. Cut the bottom of the doorway architrave so you can slide the boards underneath. Use a piece of board to gauge the height of the cut.
Start from one corner and lay a strip along the longest length of the room. When you get to the end, cut a board to fit - leaving an 8 - 10 mm gap for expansion - the skirting board will cover this. Use the cut piece to start the next strip - that way, all of your cut ends will be hidden under the skirting.
Make sure all the boards are locked tight together before you fit the next strip.
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