Laying a floating floor on your own is not a very difficult task. All you need is some tools and the idea about how exactly you are going to do it. Installing the floating floor of your home on your own is always a good idea and here is a guide to help you complete the job with ease.
- Evaluate the place: Before you start the work, first measure the length and the breadth of the room in which you are going to fix the flooring. Multiply the two and you will know how much flooring material you will need for covering the floor. It is best suggested to buy flooring material in a bit extra than the exact area to cover.
- Prepare the sub-floor: Floating floors are not ideal for installation over cement sub-floors as it can work as a source of moisture and dampness due to less insulation. So, read the instructions that came with the floating floor material to know the right sub-floor you need for the best longevity of the material. A hardwood floors or engineered wood floor is best suggested. Make sure that the sub-floor is level and once you are done clean the sub-floor with a vacuum cleaner to ensure that there is no dirt or debris on the sub-floor.
- Place the foam underlayment: First you need to lay the foam pad on the sub-floor in a single layer. After you have spread it smoothly across the floor staple it at places with a hammer tacker. Cut off the extra edges and tuck them in, sealing the edges with duct tape.
- Decide the direction of the tiles or planks: The tiles can be laid vertically with the wall or in some other design according to your choice. Just keep in mind that you have to decide the style of laying the planks before you start the job and continue in the same way. Laying the planks parallel to the shorter side of the room is the most common and easy pattern.
- Place the spacer: Placing a spacer between the wall and the starting of the flooring is vital to ensure that the floor has enough space for expansion. The floating floors expand as a single unit and you need to keep adequate space between the wall and the flooring to let the flooring expand smoothly.
- Start laying the flooring: Place the first piece on the floor, with its tongue edge facing the wall. Then follow with the next planks in the same way and tap together the planks in the first row, from end to end. While tapping the tiles together always ensure to use a tapping block so that you do not happen to damage the flooring. While installing the second row ensure to stagger the end joints with the first row. Hold the planks of the second row at a slight angle and tap them with a hammer to get attached with the first row planks.
- Take your time to give the edge a proper finish: The last piece of the flooring might be critical to place and you might need to re-size it to fix it properly at place. If it is difficult to place the last plank in the row, remove the second-last plank and place the last plank first and then snap in the second plank in the gap.
- Remove the spacers: After you have completed the installation now you need to remove the spacers and cover the free space with nail shoe molding along the wall. Also keep in mind that you need to nail the shoe molding with the baseboard and not the flooring.
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