Can you install laminate flooring in a basement?

Answer 1

It is not recommened that you install a laminate in the basement, however, if you really want to, there are certain precautions that are absolutely necessary - that is if you don't want to re-install another type of flooring shortly after the laminate. If you live in a humid part of the country, I would highly not recommend laminate. Test the concrete first for moisture, for at least 24 hours. Be sure to use at least a 6 mil polyethelene moisture barrier (plastic sheeting) and the plastice coated foam that the manufacturer of your laminate recommends. I NEVER recommend a laminate in the basement. It comes with instructions but as an outline, you first lay down a foam underlay. Prior to laying the foam underlayment, especially in a basement, I'd test the concrete for moisture content. Then, if the moisture content is above the specific manufacturer's recommendation, you'll want to seal the concrete. Once this is done, install a 6 mil polyethylene moisture barrier directly to the concrete. This is not glued to the concrete, just lay it over the concrete. Then install the foam underlayment over the 6 mil, and lay the laminate over the foam. This is called a "floating floor". Then you simply clip the boards together remembering to stagger your cuts/joints. The boards are not fixed in any way shape or form apart from to each other.They advise you to lay the boards in line with the incoming light,ie perpendicular to the window frame. Most important is that you leave a 10-20 mm gap at all perimeters to allow for movement and expansion. This gap will be covered by your beading which you fit last. Remember as with anything, you get what you pay for. The more you spend, the better the finish you will get.

More detailed instructions:

1. Empty the room. Use a small crowbar (or hammer and chisel) to remove the existing shoe molding and rubber base under toe kick. Be careful not to damage the wall or existing base molding when removing the shoe molding. 2. If necessary, remove any flanges on radiator pipes or threshold moldings at the doorways. Vacuum and clean the floor thoroughly. 3. Lay out foam underlayment according to the manufacturer's instructions. If the flooring has a preattached underlayment, you won't need to purchase one separately and it will save time on the installation. 4. Note: Always start hardwood flooring along the most prominent and noticeable wall in the room. This way, if the room is out of square, the crooked cut will be hidden under the cabinet's toe kick. In order to keep the floor straight and square, start laying the laminate away from the wall since the wall may not be straight. Measure away from the wall the width of one piece of flooring and add 1/4 inch and snap a chalk line across the room. Line up the first run of flooring with the chalk line and everything after should then line up. Note: Remember to leave a 1/4-inch gap around the entire perimeter of the room to allow for the floor to expand and contract with weather and humidity changes. Use installation spacers to maintain this gap during installation, removing them before finishing the entire floor may allow the floor to move. 5. Begin installing laminate flooring by following the manufacturer's instructions. Use the miter saw to cut pieces to length and the jigsaw to cut around any corners or pipes. The height of the door(s) may need to be taken into account for the change in the height of the floor. 6. Cut the shoe molding to fit using the miter saw or by coping to fit. With a brad gun, nail molding to baseboard around the perimeter of the room. Countersink and fill holes with finishing putty according to manufacturer's instructions. 7. Install rubber base instead of shoe molding under toe kicks. The rubber base cuts with a utility knife and sticks to the toe kick using a peel-off adhesive or a spread adhesive. 8. Install any transition strips where new floor meets tile, carpet or other hardwood floors. Install them in any doorway by cutting to fit and nailing, gluing down, or using the manufacturers 'snap track' if one is provided. More Information on High Pressure Laminate Plank Flooring installations on concrete: Exterior grading should be complete with surface drainage directing water away from the building. All gutters and downspouts should be in place.

Sub floor must be checked for moisture content using the appropriate testing method.

Permanent air conditioning and heating systems should be in place and operational. The installation site should have a consistent room temperature of 60-75° F and humidity of 35-55% for 14 days prior, during and until occupied, to allow for proper acclimation. All concrete sub floors should be tested for moisture content. Visual checks are not reliable. Acceptable test methods for sub floor moisture content include:

NOTE: Test several areas, especially near exterior walls and walls containing Plumbing.

· A 3% Phenolphthalein in Anhydrous alcohol solution. Chip the concrete at least ¼" deep (do not apply directly to the concrete surface) and apply several drops of the solution to the chipped area. If any color change occurs, further testing is required.

· Calcium Chloride test. The maximum moisture transfer must not exceed 3 lbs./1000 square feet with this test.

Concrete Moisture Encounter meter - Moisture readings should not exceed 4.5 on the upper scale Store in a dry place being sure to provide at least a four-inch air space under cartons which are stored upon "on-grade" concrete floors. Flooring should not be delivered until the building has been closed in with windows and doors in place and until cement work, plastering and all other "wet" work is completed and dry. Concrete should be at least 60 days old. Flooring should be stored in the environment in which it is expected to perform. Air conditioning/heating systems should be in place and in operation at least 14 days prior, during and after installation of the flooring. · LEVEL/FLATNESS required for Floating Floors - Within 3/16" in 10' and/or 1/8" in 6'. When installing products with preattached acoustical underlayment on a concrete subfloor, use minimum 6-mil polyethylene (plastic) sheeting as a vapor barrier. Roll out the plastic, overlapping the seam area 6 to 8 inches, and tape the seams with a clear plastic sealing tape. Unroll one width of underlayment along the longest wall. All work is done from left to right. Planks should run lengthwise against the longest wall, and if possible, parallel to incoming sunlight. Rooms larger than 26 x 40 feet (1,040 sq. ft) require T-molding for expansion. Floor spans should not exceed 40' in any direction. The width of the first row of planks should be approximately the same width as the last row.This may require cutting the first row plank to a smaller width. Measure across the room (inches)and divide by the width of a plank to see how many full width planks will be used and what sizewidth will be needed for the last row. The last row should never be less than 2" in width. Use ¼" spacers to maintain the proper expansion gap around the entire perimeter of the floor. Quarter Round molding will cover this expansion gap. IMPORTANT: this ¼" gap must be maintained around cabinets, pipes, toilet flanges and any other obstacle in floor. INSPECT EACH BOARD CAREFULLY FOR DAMAGE PRIOR TO INSTALLING IT. Do not install a damaged plank. If you have any concern about the product fit or finish contact the person/company you purchased it from. Check groove on plank to make sure it is clean or free of debris. To lock planks together, insert tongue into the groove at a slight angle, when top edges meet, rotate downward. Planks will click together for a tight fit. If there are any gaps, reconnect the planks. Connect end edges first, then the longer side edges of the planks. Start by building a 2-row rack.To do this, start with 4 planks, plank 1 should be full length, plank 2 should be cut to 1/3 its original length (approximately 16" ). This will give the proper amount of stagger to the end joints and thereby make your floor more secure. This 2 row rack can be built either directly against the start wall and the spacers, or away from the wall so that you can kneel on one row and pull the second row toward you. Connect plank 2 to plank 1 by inserting edge tongue into edge groove at a slight angle. When top laminate surfaces touch, rotate downward. Connect plank 3 to plank 1 by inserting end tongue into end groove, keeping the edges perfectly aligned. When the top laminate surfaces touch, rotate downward. Connect plank 4 to planks 2 and 3 by first joining the ends of 4 to 2. To do this, leave a gap where the tongue and groove of planks 3 and 4 are. Once the ends are connected, place a hand under the locked ends, raise the planks slightly upwards (1" -2" ). This angle will now allow you to slide the tongue of plank 4 into the groove of plank 3 (the end joint will slide down into place without releasing) when top laminate edges meet, rotate both planks (4 and 2) downward. Use this method throughout the remainder of the floor. Continue to build these 2 rows until you reach the adjoining wall, leaving your ¼" expansion space. When door molding or other obstruction won’t allow the needed space to rotate the plank downward, align tongue to groove and use pull bar to tap the tongue into the groove until top laminate edges meet. If you built these rows away from the starting wall, go ahead and push them into position now. Be sure to place ¼" spacers at both ends of each row, and 2’ intervals along the start wall. If the starting wall is uneven, you can scribe the contour of the wall onto the first row of planks. Use a 2" square block and a pencil and follow the contour. Disassemble, cut at line and reassemble. To disassemble, kneel on row 1 and carefully raise the edge of row 2 rotating upwards and removing planks in the opposite direction from which you installed them. Begin the third row with a plank cut to 2/3 its original length (approximately 32" ). This could be from one of the cut planks from row 1 or 2. Repeat the process of using random length start planks (minimum of 16" ) to ensure a more natural look. Randomly pull planks from 3 cartons at a time to ensure random appearance. Use cut pieces from the end of each row as starting planks. Always stagger end joints a minimum of 12" ; make random so as not to show a repeating pattern. All joints should be a tight fit with no gaps. Stop and reconnect if a joint is not tight or if all edges are not even with adjacent planks. These planks can be engaged and disengaged several times if needed to help make a correct installation. Use the tap block if necessary. When cutting the last row, place a full row of planks directly on top of the last row installed planks (keeping the tongue in the same direction as the installed planks). Use the full width of scrap pieces of plank, insert a ¼" spacer between wall and scrap piece of plank. Place a pencil next to the edge and trace a line down the planks following the contour of the wall. Cut planks on the pencil line and connect last row. If space won't allow the downward rotation, lay the plank flat to underlayment and use pull bar and hammer to tap into place, leaving no gaps. If transition pieces are offered to finish your floor, (such as T-Molding, Reducers, End Molding/Carpet Transitions, Wallbase, Quarter Round and Stairnosing) The transition pieces can be easily secured in place with the Molding Track(excluding Quarter Round and Wallbase) which can be screwed, nailed or glued with silicon adhesive directly to the subfloor. The use of Molding Track provides a fast, secure transition installation and minimizes the use of screws or nails through the decorative surface of the transition piece. T-Molding is used when two level flooring surfaces meet, like in a doorway or a narrow archway. In a doorway, center the T-Molding under the space that the closed door occupies. Likewise, in an archway, the T-Molding should be centered. To install the T-Molding, first install the molding track by gluing, screwing or nailing it ¼" from the edge of each adjoining flooring surface (equals about 1 1/8" ). Push the T-Molding into the track, working from left to right. When laminate flooring meets a flooring surface that is lower, use a Reducer Strip. Leave ½" space between the finished floor and the front edge of the reducer. Install the Molding Track by gluing, screwing or nailing it ¼" from the edge of the flooring. Push the reducer into the track working from left to right. The End Molding/Carpet Transition works great when finishing the floor in areas that meet vertical objects and is also ideal for transitioning between your laminate flooring and carpet. To finish the flooring in areas that meet vertical objects like exterior doors, sliding glass doors, tubs or shower basins, raised hearths or low sills, leave a 1" space between the floor and the vertical object. Install the Molding Track by gluing, screwing or nailing it ¼" from the flooring. Push the molding into the track working from left to right. When transitioning from laminate flooring to carpet, leave a 1" space between the finished floor and the front edge of the carpet. Install the Molding Track by gluing or nailing it ¼" from the edge of the flooring. Push the molding into the track working from left to right. Finish the carpet by tucking it between the molding and the tack strip. Note: In heavy traffic areas, use screw-type fasteners or nails to permanently secure the molding into the Molding Track. The Stairnosing is used to finish stair treads and risers, which have been fully adhered to the floor using a Construction Polyurethane adhesive. Stop the flooring about 1 1/2" from the steps edge. Install the Molding Track by gluing, screwing or nailing it ¾" from the edge of the stair tread. Apply construction grade adhesive to the Stairnosing where the molding makes contact with the stair tread. Push the Stairnose into the track from left to right. You must use either screw-type fasteners or nails through the face of the Stairnose to permanently secure it to the track. Place screws/nails into the Stairnose 2" from the end and 6" to 8" apart. (Note: riser piece should be in place under Stairnosing before screws or nails are used). To finish the perimeter of the room where the expansion space was left for the seasonal expansion and contraction of the flooring, remove spacers and install Wallbase and/or Quarter Round. Both of these molding are installed by nailing them directly into the wall. Never allow nails or screws in the Wallbase or Quarter Round to enter into the laminate flooring or the expansion zone around the flooring perimeter, as it will prevent proper expansion and contraction of the flooring. You must pre-drill nail holes in both types of wall moldings before nailing, to eliminate any splitting. Be sure to nail the Quarter Round into the wall or Wallbase and not into the flooring as it will prevent expansion and contraction of the flooring. Use Color Coordinated putty to fill the countersunk nail heads. Silicone sealant should be used in expansion zones in bathrooms, near kitchen sinks, dishwashers and refrigerators with icemakers.