Laminate flooring in basements installation

To lay a laminate floor over a concrete slab, you should follow these basic steps: If your basement has moisture issues, especially a problem with moisture rising up through your concrete basement floor, then you are asking for trouble by installing laminate. Here are the basic steps to taking on this flooring installation.

Connect several laminate floor planks using the tongue and groove pattern on the material. I am not an expert and others may do this. Multiply length times width of the room. If your basement is completely dry then we would suggest that there are more attractive flooring options to choose from like carpet or engineered hardwood.

Snap a line between the marks on the starting wall to form a guideline along the starting wall. This week, i conquered my first home renovation project, installing laminate flooring on a concrete slab floor in our finished basement. Installing laminate flooring on concrete basement floor. This makes it a reliable option to install over your concrete slab. Then leave them for three days. Cut plastic garbage bags into squares, and then tape them to the floor in various places around the basement.

Where plastic sheets must be joined, overlap the sheets by several inches, and use strong vinyl tape to secure them. In this video, i am showing how to install laminate flooring for the first time.

Start installing laminate flooring by matching their tongue with the groove. Your email address will not be published. How to install laminate flooring over concrete important : Using a long level, check the angle of the floor and ensure that there are no high spots.

Tape the seams using a polyethylene tape. Laminate flooring works well in these areas and can add a touch of elegance to remodel projects. In any laminate flooring installation, moisture needs to be a consideration. We discuss the proper process for doing the same in the section below, as well as a guideline on how flat your concrete floor should be before laying laminate flooring over it. Before the installation itself, leave laminate boards in the room for some time.

By admin filed under basement;. If you have high spots, grind them down with a concrete grinder and bring them down to make the floor even. In the other scenario, we will talk about installing a transition strip directly between a paved concrete floor and some other flooring arrangement. Like other flooring materials that work well over concrete slabs, laminate uses layers to fight moisture. Remove any carpet or other flooring. Some laminate flooring comes with a foam backing.

Padding can be used with most floating laminate floor. Multiply length times width of the room. Determine how much flooring and materials will be needed. Vapour barrier is also another temperature barrier which keeps cold air from concrete to influence laminate flooring.

This will not only prevent water from harming the floors, but it will allow for easy cleanup in the event of a leak or spill. Adding a layer of laminate padding on top of the moisture barrier will make a noticeable difference in how comfortable the floor is to walk on.

Therefore, it is essential to do a certain amount of research and testing in order to determine whether this option is the best choice for you. The following are a series of steps which will help you to correctly determine whether or not laminate flooring is the best option and, if it is, to add laminate to your floors:.

Examine the current concrete flooring in order to determine whether there are any cracks or slopes in the floor and whether or not there is excessive amounts of moisture in the floor. A way to check for moisture is to use heavy plastic that has been cut into squares measuring 2 feet.

One square should be placed every 15 feet on the floor. This test can be done on concrete or on linoleum tiles but not if the flooring is solid linoleum or carpeting. Secure each square with duct tape and ensure that all of the edges are sealed. If the plastic is being placed over linoleum, maximize the number of seams present under the sheet. Let the sheets rest on the floor for approximately three days, during which time your laminate boards are allowed to acclimate in the space.

After this time has elapsed, check the sheets to see if water has accumulated beneath the plastic. If there is condensation present, laminate flooring should not be used in the basement. You can try to correct the problem using a concrete sealer. If no moisture is present, place a foam underlay beneath the laminate flooring.

This solid-cell foam will prevent the future buildup of moisture. Even if there is no moisture detected in the basement, it is often a good idea to install subflooring.

This can save large amounts of money in the long run as, due to water damage, flooring may need to be replaced which would cost exponentially more than subflooring. Laminate typically contracts and expands to a certain degree, similar to hardwood flooring. There will no doubt be areas for which the planks need to be cut in order for them to fit into a certain area. Make sure to measure the space between the placed boards and the wall so that you will be able to accurately cut the plank.

A table saw is the best and safest way to cut these planks. After you have placed the liner on the floor, you can install the laminate. With the groove and tongue, connect planks in a row and fix to the floor.

Make sure that the seams are staggered when you are adding multiple rows.