5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Installing Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring continues to be a great choice for flooring, especially if you have a tight budget. Laminate costs less than other flooring options, but looks great and should last you a long time. But before you start on that laminate flooring project, here are the things you should know now. 

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1. You can install laminate flooring in most of the rooms in your home, but you should be aware of some things first. In a kitchen, be prepared to quickly wipe up any spills or wet spots immediately. Avoid laundry rooms and baths, or any other room with a sump pump or a drain in the floor. Except for indoor/outdoor carpeting, you can install laminate over most surfaces. That means you don’t need to worry about tearing up old linoleum or tile first, unless the finished height of the floor after installing the laminate will be too high for appliances, etc.
2. Before purchasing laminate flooring, measure the room to figure out the square footage of laminate you need. Add 5-10 percent extra for mistakes and waste. It’s important to leave an expansion gap around the perimeter of the room. {3/8 inch is the rule of thumb}.The gap will be covered by the baseboards and base shoe, so no worries!
3. Acclimate the new laminate flooring to the heat and moisture levels present in your home before installation. This means you have to let it sit inside the room where you’re installing it. Open the packages and lay the flooring out around the room so the air can get to it. It takes at least 48 hours for laminate flooring to acclimate. Don’t rush it!
4. Prep the room before beginning the installation by removing the base shoe and the baseboards. Check to be sure that the floor is level. Any spots out of level should be fixed. Sand down high spots on wood flooring, and fill low spots using 30 pound felt. On concrete floors, you can use self-leveling compound underneath the laminate.
5. Prep the door frames around the room by trimming them with a jamb saw. This will ensure that when you install your laminate, the pieces will slide easily underneath the molding and trim without having to trim the laminate to fit the molding.