Laminate Floor Installation

1 Week
Medium
DIY laminate floor installation for beginners. After moving into our new home we decided to replace the entire downstairs with 12mm laminate flooring.
We had about 860 square ft to install. We were moved to do it ourselves when we learned it would cost us around $1720 to hire somebody to install it on top of the cost of the floor. We spent about about $300 on installation tools/material.
We are VERY happy that we installed it ourselves. We learned a lot, and would feel confident tackling another flooring project in the future.
For a more detailed tutorial on how to install laminate flooring visit: http://thehuth.blogspot.com/2013/05/laminate-floor-installation-steps-and.html
Finished product! We couldn't be happier with the results! There was a definite learning curve for this project. However, once we got the hang of things it got easier and easier. This is something YOU can do!
Shout out to Baby H for being a fantastic helper :-)
Floor Prep: If you have a crawlspace (like us) floor prep will include laying underlayment as a vapor barrier. We used 10' and 3' sheeting connected with sheathing tape. Each piece needs to overlap by 18
After laying about 16 rows we noticed a gap 3 rows back. We tried hammering from the end of the row w/ the gap. By doing this we ended up causing gaps 6-7 rows back. Meaning we had to rip up 6-7 rows of work (about 1/3 of a days work)
We used a miter and table saw for our cuts. Most cuts were straight forward, the above cut being the exception. Cuts around doors proved to be the trickiest. This cut took us 3 times to finally get it right.
For any areas that tend to get wet (Exterior doors, kitchens) we glued the seams together. By doing this we're preventing any potential moisture from getting beneath the floor.
Ginger & The Huth
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Doreen Kennedy Doreen Kennedy on Aug 12, 2020

    We installed a very nice laminate floorIng in our dining, living and kitchen. It looks very similar to yours. Unfortunately, water and humidity has not been kind to our kitchen floor. I’ve been looking at click and lock water proof vinyl plank flooring. It looks really pretty, but it’s hard to decide since there are so many brands and grades. Did you happen to see any low VOC Premium Vinyl Planks when you were floor shopping?

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  • Kristin Topping Kristin Topping on Jul 25, 2017

    You have installed in a very efficiently manner.If you face any problem in the future call us to solve that. https://www.macflooringservices.com/ we are having professional and expert contractor in flooring areas.

  • Ron Ron on Aug 10, 2020

    The glue in the seams is a rarely seen trick. I did that in the kitchen and powder room. I don't know how much it helps though - a bit of water leaking from the refrigerator ice-box caused the flooring to swell. But it has protected from kitchen sink splashes for a few years. I think it might have been better not to glue, since it would have been easier to pull and replace bits of the flooring if it were not all glued up.


    If I were to do it today, I would go with the thick cork backed vinyl that is starting to become more readily available. Good thickness and much more durable for water exposure.

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