Meg Jernigan has been writing for more than 30 years. She specializes in travel, cooking and interior decorating. Her offline credits include copy editing full-length books and creating marketing copy for nonprofit organizations. Jernigan attended George Washington University, majoring in speech and drama.
Posted under:
Flooring IdeasSUPPLIES
- Laminated wood flooring
- Builder's felt
- Sandpaper
- Floor filler
- Spacers made for laminate flooring
- Hammer
- Nails
- Long, straight edge
- 1-inch brads
- Saw
Overview
Laminated wood flooring, also called engineered wood flooring, consists of a finished hardwood laminated over two to four additional plies of wood. Where engineered wood floors are real wood, conventional laminate flooring with a wood look is made of a thin photograph of wood grain beneath a hard clear layer of melamine, bonded to a fiberboard bottom layer. Engineered wood has a more natural look and foot feel than conventional laminates, yet it is precision manufactured with interlocking edges so it installs more easily than solid wood flooring.
How to Lay Laminated Wood Flooring
Step 1
Measure the square footage of the area you're going to floor and add 10 percent for waste.
Step 2
Remove the floor molding. Level the existing flooring by and filling low areas and sanding high ones.
Step 3
Lay builder's felt over the existing floor in the same direction you plan to lay the laminated planks. Tack the felt in place around the edges.
Step 4
Lay out the first course of planks 1/4-inch from the longest wall. Use spacers to maintain the 1/4-inch distance from all walls. Use a long straight edge to ensure the planks are square with the adjacent wall.
Step 5
Tap together the edges of the first row of planks. Face nail them into the subflooring with 1-inch brads.
Step 6
Continue adding rows of planks by tapping the tongue and groove pattern together and nailing them into place. Vary the plank length so the seams don't line up.
Step 7
Cut the outer edge of the last row of planks to conform with the finishing wall and nail them into place. Remove the spacers and replace the floor molding.
Resources
