First and foremost, keep in mind that throwing tools at one another can be extremely harmful. There were no actual tool throws between us. We had been married long enough to install the laminate flooring without resorting to shouting matches. However, there were tense instances. Thankfully, the worst of our injuries consisted of a few nagging pains in unfamiliar, uninteresting spots.
Think ahead. We didn’t go with a wood look for the flooring we chose. It has a tile-like appearance and a bold pattern. We made our first blunder there. Wood imitations make the transition between surfaces less noticeable.
If your laminate has a bold design, look around the room thoroughly and decide where the attention should be drawn. It would be best to determine how many planks are across the room. You should “hide” any tiny bits beneath thicker ones. And you shouldn’t merely stagger the planks as a bricklayer does. Near the end of a wall, you may only have a tiny piece of the plank left to lay. These will not stay in place, and you will find yourself saying things to your partner like, “It was your job to keep that in mind” and “What do you mean it was my job? You never told me that.” And then he tries to lighten the mood by saying something nice, “Well, you’re the one with the good memory.” It is essential to anticipate the finish of each run and make any necessary adjustments to the starting board by reducing the end that buts up against the wall.
Think about how you want the laminate to transition from one room to the next if you want to lay it in more than one and the rooms are connected as we did. If the design isn’t set in stone, you can stop at a threshold piece and pick up where you left off in a different room. Going around bends was tough because we had to mix everything. You’ve never heard somebody swear so much before. Have enough paper on hand if you need to detour around a corner. Bigger sheets are preferable. Create some models. “Measure twice, cut once” is sound advice for the duration of the job. Still, there will be a lot of grumbling in frustration. Don’t throw away your miscuts; you never know when you might need them. After a long day at your job, you should not attempt to work on your floor. We messed up the most during that time. We didn’t have a lot of say in the matter, though, because our days off were so dissimilar.
It would be best to closely examine your floor after deciding how you want it to look (but remember to keep some flexibility on this issue). If your home has a concrete base, the flooring is typically flat and easy to clean. Sing praises to God. Not so with us; ours wasn’t. Because of the elevated base, there were several significant levels of decline throughout the house. These included the kitchen, the dining room, the nook, and the living room. Before laying the flooring, we had to make sure these were even. Let’s hope the floor isn’t uneven.
Many items on the market are designed specifically for this function. In theory, they should adjust their difficulty. Right. It’s not always a brilliant idea to do what you’re told. However, this is my inclination in general. After some trial and error, my husband learned that using a thinner consistency of leveling compound is preferable to the one specified by the manufacturer. Sanding was a lot of work, but it was my punishment. My finest results came from using drywall sanding papers. If you can help it, skip this procedure. Rather than starting and assuming you will level the floor as you go, it is advisable to live without carpets or anything for a while if your floor is not level. Remember how I said we were up late one night trying to finish the living room and took a plunge in the middle? Without much thinking, we jumped the hump. Fortunately, the laminate floor is flexible, so the dip is not too severe. But don’t trust the salesman when he or she tells you how adaptable it is; it isn’t. We try to avoid treading too heavily there.
Get the flooring delivered if you don’t have a big vehicle. If you have to make multiple visits and the store is further than a few minutes away, you should not try to bring anything home in your Jeep Cherokee. What a drag that was. Get extra flooring to ensure you have enough to cover all the floors. How much of a buffer you need depends on your expected rate of error and the stability of the pattern you’re trying to follow. The more precise the way, the more cushion you’ll require. Thankfully, the replacement batch we ordered was a close enough match to the prior one that we didn’t have to start over.
The salesperson will try to upsell you on a variety of specialized equipment. Just buy it. That way, you won’t waste time and effort retrieving them afterward. We utilized a circular saw to make some basic cuts to the planks. You should stock up on spare blades in advance. The solid laminate surface quickly dulls your blades. We utilized a rotating plunge cutter/saw for the intricate cuts around corners. The name of it is something my hubby would know. All of my jewelry-creating tools have names, and I adore using them. It is not a flaw of mine that I do not know the right words for all other devices.
We had to forego garage parking for a while in favor of street parking. We converted the carport into a makeshift workshop. That saved us the hassle of bringing in every tool every time we took a break from working on the ground. Indoor floor cutting is not recommended. The amount of dust generated is incredible. Before you begin sawing, make sure the garage door leading into the home is closed. Still, you’ll need to clean the walls afterward. Use drop cloths to protect your furniture. I wish someone had explained that to us earlier.
A massive sheet of plywood and some saw horses became our makeshift cutting table. Verify the straightness and steadiness of the horses. You can use screws to fasten the plywood to the horses temporarily. Screw two 2x4s into place along one side of the table, spaced about five inches apart. It simplifies the laborious task of cutting long boards along their length. Put on some earplugs and goggles before you start chopping. Seriously.
Adhere to the instructions for the remaining steps (especially the distance between the walls and the flooring). Yes, sir. And sure, I recall what I mentioned earlier regarding the need for directions. Our new laminate floor is lovely. We’re happy that we made the effort. And so will you.
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