The advantages of lamination over hardwood flooring revolve around protection from damage. As well as a little extra protection from physical damage, it also provides protection from spills and staining.
Laminate flooring is much easier to maintain. Also, it is by far cheaper than hardwood flooring.
Laying down laminate flooring on concrete is usually a tedious process. Only a profesional would be able to carry out such a operation.
Most good flooring suppliers can provide these for you and also best advice on laying and aftercare
ANYONE CAN LAY LAMINATE FLOORING WITHOUT THE HELP OF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE AS LONG YOU HAVE THE UNDERSTANDING ON HOW TO LAY THE LAMINATE. SOME PEOPLE CAN USE THE INTERNET TO LEARN THE PROPER PROCEDURE TO LAYING LAMINATE FLOORING.http://www2.dupont.com/Laminate_Flooring/en_US/applications/installation.html
the installation of asphalt tile, carpeting, linoleum, and resilient flooring. The industry also includes special trade contractors engaged in laying, scraping, and finishing parquet and other hardwood flooring.
Firstly, you have to make sure the structural condition of the old laminate floor is sound. If it is not, then you would need to make repairs to ensure it is as solid as possible. You can easily damage your laminate floors by laying them on a weak foundation. You can either damage the board or the connecting joints. Once the old laminate floors are structurally sound, you can proceed with laying the new laminate floors as you would on any other flooring. Make sure you use the correct underlay. In this case, foam underlay would be suitable and it would be the most cost effective. Laminate flooring is the best option for rejuvenating a living space. It is cheap, easy to install and easy to maintain.
The thickness is mainly for refinishing. Thicker wood can be refinished more times than thinner. If you are laying on a cement slab, you want to use a vapor barrier. Some flooring products have a barrier preinstalled on the undersideof the flooring.
When laying wood flooring, whether hardwood or laminite, it is a good rule of thumb to purchase approximately 10% more flooring material than the size of your room. Thus, you should need approximately 126 square feet of flooring. If your room is of unusual shape (such as angled walls), you may need to allow for additional overage. Since laminite flooring is usually sold in packages, you may find that you will have to purchase somewhat more than that. It never hurts to have a few extra pieces should you need to replace a piece that becomes damaged during use (or accidental abuse).
Laminate flooring can be an attractive addition to any room of your house, but particularly rooms which must handle a lot of foot traffic, since the material is so durable and easy to clean. Although deciding to install laminate flooring can seem like a daunting task, there are just a few simple steps to follow. The most popular style of laminate flooring is a combination of board planks, fastened together with tongue and groove construction. You will always want to start at the left side of the room and work your way rightward. Spacers will need to be set up along each wall of the room, designating the expansion zone. Once you have accomplished that, begin laying down the material. Line up the short ends and lock them into place until you get to the end of the first row. Once you have, and it comes time to cut your last piece, simply measure the distance between the wall and the material and subtract a quarter inch. That is how you can estimate how large the last piece should be. As you experiment with the best ways to install laminate flooring, you will soon discover that cutting the laminate material is a task within itself. Handsaws and power tools with a carbon tipped blade are most commonly used. Always make sure that the decorative side of the laminate is facing you when you are cutting it. Keep in mind that your style of laminate flooring may require the use of a trim track, which helps to hold applicable trim in place securely. It is nailed or glued to an area called the subfloor. Also, don’t forget to keep transition elements in mind as you install your laminate flooring. These are pieces of material which serve as a bridge between your laminate flooring and other rooms in the house, so that the change between carpet, and your newly installed laminate flooring, for example, is not as visually jarring, and ends up being aesthetically pleasing. Although choosing to install laminate flooring can indeed be an arduous task, with a bit of advance planning and lots of patience, it can be a success.
This process can be done but it is involved and will take some time. First, clean the existing floor. Then lay down and secure a moisture barrier. Then you can install the flooring. However, prior to laying out the floor make sure that you allow the laminate flooring to acclimate to the climate of the house to ensure that it takes well.
According to my research the difference between engineered wood and laying hard wood down is the difficulty. Laying down hard wood is harder than engineered wood.
it has to be tacky!!!!!!!
Laminate flooring has become very popular since its introduction in the United States in 1982. Easy to clean and take care of, laminate floors are becoming a favorite of home owners. Laminate flooring is easier to clean than carpet, it comes in many different designs, and you can install it yourself. The first thing you have to do is get rid of any other flooring. If you have carpet where you want to install laminate flooring, you need to be sure to pull up carpet, pad, any carpet tacks, and any other debris that has collected there. Make sure the floor beneath is level, and if not, level it out. Vacuum the area very well. Next, you need to remove baseboards. If you are very careful when you remove the baseboards, you can reuse them after the floor is installed. If they are not in good enough condition to use, you will need to purchase and install new ones. The bottoms of the door jambs will need to be trimmed with a coping saw so that there will be room underneath to fit the flooring and pad. Measure the height of pad and flooring together so that you know how much to trim. Once all that is done, you are ready to lay the underlayment pad. The separate pieces of the pad can be held together with clear plastic tape. Now, you are ready to install the flooring. Most laminate flooring comes in pieces that easily snap together. You will need to trim the snapping connectors on the pieces that are next to walls. You need to leave enough width between the flooring and the walls so that you can reinstall your baseboards. Start in a corner and put spacers between the wall and flooring to make sure the flooring does not slide up against the wall. Then you can start laying your flooring. As you go along, you may want to use a rubber mallet and a pull bar to smooth the flooring out. Once all the flooring is laid, reinstall your baseboards. Installing laminate flooring yourself is a fairly simple process, and you will have the satisfaction of knowing you completed a home project yourself.