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Can you install laminate on top of hardwood without underlayment?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Not without risking damage to your laminate. The underlayment gives enough cushion to protect the tongue-and-groove seams in laminate planks from breakage. The underlayment also deadens noise, so your floors don't sound 'hollow' or make a crackling sound (breaking seams!) when you walk on it.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
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Can you install travertine tile over hardwood floors?
This is not a good idea without using a cement /mortar board underlayment.
Can you put laminate flooring over terrazzo without underlayment?
No. unless you want your floors to buckle from the moisture. It is not recomended to install laminate flooring over terrazzo flooring. The moisuture buildup will ruin the wood planks.
How do you clean a hardwood laminate floating floor without damaging it Are those swiffer wet jets safe?
Swiffer Wet Jets are safe for laminate flooring. To clean a hardwood laminate floor without damaging it, you should use a mop and hot water. Wring the mop out so it is not dripping wet.
What can you use to clean and wash laminate flooring without leaving smudge marks?
Bruce Hardwood Flooring and Laminate Cleaner. Available at Home Depot.
Laminate Flooring Makes a Dramatic Statement?
Bring new life and energy into your home just by changing your flooring. Look down and take a moment to evaluate the condition and look of your floors. Your floor is the foundation for all of the other decorative elements in your home and if your floors are not in good shape, nothing in your home will look its best. Laminate flooring is a very popular choice for homeowners who want the look of hardwood or ceramic flooring without having to spend a lot of money. People also prefer laminate because it does not take them as much effort to maintain the floors relative to some other choices. However, possibly the biggest advantage most people experience with laminate floors is that they are easy to install. Manufacturers use an interlocking system for laminate floors, and that means that the floor tiles or planks attach to one another. In contrast, you attach ceramic tiles and many hardwoods to a subfloor. Laminate uses a tongue and groove system to make it simpler to install. Homeowners can install their new laminate flooring over almost any type of floor that they may currently have in their homes. The only requirement is that they use an underlayment. Underlayment is a soft material that you lay down underneath the laminate planks or tiles. In addition to moisture control, the purpose of the underlayment is to provide a cushion between the laminate flooring and what lies beneath it. Underlayment is also useful for controlling sound. Since the floor is essentially floating, there is a chance that walking on it will produce a hollow sound. Using underlayment solves that problem. Before you can install any laminate flooring in your home, you must let it acclimate for 48 hours in the same room where you will install the flooring. Be sure to remove any plastic wrap from around the flooring so that the air can reach the planks. Try to purchase an additional 10% more flooring than you expect to use for your flooring, to account for measurement or cutting errors. Work at your own pace and soon you will enhance the look and feel of your home.
How to Choose Between a Hardwood and Laminate Floor?
When shopping for hardwood floors for your home, you’ll have to make a choice between installing a real hardwood floor or a laminate floor. It might seem like a cut and dry decision that choosing real hardwood is the better option, but owning a laminate floor has its merits. When you have to make the choice between a hardwood floor and a laminate floor, the deciding factor is always money. Hardwood floors cost much more than laminate floors, which makes laminate flooring a great option for people who are on a tight budget. In the past, laminate floors often looked cheap and inferior to real hardwood flooring, but with newer manufacturing techniques and increased consumer demand, it is often hard to tell the difference between a laminate floor and the real thing. The next issue that you need to think about when choosing between a laminate floor and hardwood is where you plan to install the floor. Real hardwood floors are not easy to install in every room. This is because real hardwood planks need to be glued to a subsurface or nailed into place. Doing so may be impractical and expensive. For example, if you have to install a hardwood floor over a cement slab, you will need to level the slab, sand it, and then apply glue, all labor intensive jobs that can cost a lot money. You also have to be careful about installing a real hardwood floor in places like the bathroom or kitchen where there the potential for a lot of exposure to moisture, which may cause the floor to warp or buckle. Instead, a laminate floor may be ideal. These floors are installed very easily without the need for glues or nails and can be placed over virtually any subsurface. Finally, you may want to consider the durability and ease of maintenance that a laminate floor has to offer. Laminate floors are resistant to scratching, fading, staining, and impacts that can damage the surface of real hardwood floors. On top of this, they are easy to clean, needing only a light vacuuming and mopping every now and then. Because of this, they are ideal flooring options for people who have kids or pets that may dirty the house a lot. If you’re making the decision between hardwood and laminate flooring, make sure you think about these things before making your purchase. Real hardwood floors are not suitable for every home and for every family. If yours is one of them, laminate flooring is a good choice.
Replace That Old Floor Yourself?
Some homeowners think that there is a deep secret knowledge required to install laminate flooring. Well, there isn’t! It is quite straightforward and actually easy. Laminate floors are a type of wood product that is a mix of wood fibers and plastic coatings pressed together and glued with a resilient bonding material. It will provide years of worry-free service even to abused floors. Of course, there are varying thicknesses and types of laminate flooring that may be more suited to one application or another, but they all install rather easily. The individual laminate strips interlock to form the overall floor covering. They lock at the seams and are prevented from sliding where they terminate against the walls. Usually there is a quarter-round trim at baseboard level of old vinyl and other tile floors being replaced, or tack strips that have to be removed if carpeting was the prior floor covering material. Clear the floor surface of any popped up nail heads and fill low spots with floor filler. Be sure when it come time to install laminate flooring that either water proof or water resistant laminate has been correctly picked for the location. If the dog occasionally urinates on the floor, heavy wet mopping is expected, or if installed in a bathroom, then waterproof is the better choice. In all case install an underlayment. Some laminate floors already have an underlayment backing. Other laminate flooring materials require an additional purchase of rolls of underlayment. When deciding to install laminate flooring, the underlayment will prevent noise of the free-floating floor moving against the subfloor. The noise of floors without underlayment is loud and heard with every step. Roll out the underlayment and start in one corner, putting in place a strip of laminate flooring. Install laminate flooring in a way where seams overlap a solid piece. Think of a brickwork pattern. Go all the way to the edge of the wall snapping each next piece in place against the seam of the last. The final laminate strips that are installed may have to be ripped along their lengths in order to be able to cover the seams with new quarter-round or other trim material. Slightly lifting the prior course of strips next to the last row will make it easier to snap the last row into place.
what laminate flooring is and how much is the cost?
Laminate flooring is a synthetic alternative to hardwood flooring. It is considered easy to clean and care for and if you like the look of hardwood flooring without the cost you might consider buying it. Average cost seems to be about a dollar a square foot.
Is laminate with foam attached better or worse than laminate without foam attached.?
It is not necessarily better or worse. It is easier for the "do-it-yourselfer" because it is already attached but it limits your choice as to which type of underlayment (foam) you can use. Most pre-attached underlayments are middle grade quality and don't offer the superior sound absorption characteristics of top grade underlayment. = =
What is swift lock laminate flooring?
Swift lock laminate flooring is a type of flooring that features a locking system that allows the planks to snap and lock into place without the need for glue or nails. It is easy to install and typically provides a durable and scratch-resistant surface.
Installing laminate flooring without experience?
You can install laminate flooring yourself. It is not hard. You can install it in a room in a day or it could take longer if your floors need a lot of preparation in order to make them flat. Your local Home Depot will often conduct classes on installing your own flooring. You can also visit this online tutorial for more information: http://www.flooringandcarpets.com/how-to-install-laminate-flooring.html
Create an Antique Look with Laminate?
There is nothing more beautiful and classic than the look of hardwood flooring throughout the home. However. wood floors are not that easy to care for and they are also quite expensive to acquire and have installed. Pergo laminate flooring is an awesome alternative to hardwood floors. This type of flooring gives a home the look and feel of real wood, without the price or the hassle. This type of flooring is sold at just about any home improvement center. It is very easy to install; therefore, you may even be able to cut costs by installing it yourself.
