Plastic laminating flooring was first introduced to the US market in mid-1990. It has become, and it remains, the fastest-growing type of flooring sold in less than 20 years.
The flooring of plastic-laminate is extremely durable, highly stain-resistant, and inexpensive and built for easy installation.
Using the floating-floor process, a plastic-laminate floor is mounted, which ensures that the planks are not fastened with nails or glue.
On the opposite, the tongue-and-groove planks are snapped together and then spread over a thin rubber underlying, and “floated.”Installing floors in a 10 x 12-foot space typically takes around 4 hours.
It is very easy to install plastic-laminate flooring; here are some tips and tricks which can help in building a smooth, professional-quality system:
Content Summary
UNDERCUT THE CASING:
To ensure that the new flooring fits smoothly around the doorways, the door casings and side jambs need to be trimmed or undercut so that the flooring slips below.
Place a sheet of rubber underlying in front of the case and put a piece of plastic-laminate flooring on top of it. This will show you how high you need to cut.
First, use a reciprocating multi-tool saw, handsaw or oscillating tool to cut flush across the top of the flooring scrap and through the case. Repeat the remaining cases and side jambs to be trimmed.
PREPARE THE SUBFLOOR:
Prepare the subfloor for the underlying by tapping down any nail heads from the ground that may appear. Then walk around the whole room slowly while you listen to any squeaks.
If there is any, drive through the subfloor a 2-inch drywall screw at every noisy spot. If you drive the screws into joists, it is most effective.
SET UP YOUR SPACE FOR WORK:
Set up your workspace with all the equipment you’ll need, but you’ll probably need to keep most of your laminate out of the actual space you’re in. Next, we set up our workspace with the underlay and laminate in the living room–although we had to place most of the boxes in one of the bedrooms.
ROLL OUT THE UNDERLAYMENT:
A good underlay will make a real difference to your flooring project’s overall finish. Under the plastic-laminate floor, the thin rubber underlying forms a moisture barrier and a cushioning layer.
There are several different types of underlying available, but be sure to use the one that the flooring manufacturer recommends. It typically occurs in different lengths in 3- to 5-foot-wide rolls.
Roll out the wall-to-wall underlying and trim it with a utility knife to length. A 4-foot square drywall T makes cutting straight and square easy. Roll out the next length and cut it against the first underlying piece. Don’t duplicate the edges.
There is no need for the subfloor to staple or label the underlying. If required, masking tape can be placed across the seams to prevent moving the underlying parts out of place.
DELETE THE FIRST LINE:
It is necessary to measure the width of the flooring planks in the very first and very last rows before installing the new floor. This is necessary for a few reasons: First, when the first and last rows are about the same width, the floor will look much better — and more balanced.
Most significantly, none of the lines must be less than half the width of a full board. Here’s how to do the calculations needed.
To calculate the number of planks needed to cover the floor subtracts the width of your room with ¾ inch for expansion work and then divide by the width of one plank. You must rip down the flooring in the first row if the remaining width is less than half a plank. So that the last row will be at least half a plank wide.
USE A BLOCK TO TAP:
The tongue-and-groove planks fit together very tightly, so make sure you use a tapping block when you close the joints. To make your own tapping block, use a piece of hardwood.
CHOP THE PLANKS:
To chop the wood, you can use any carpentry tool as a miter saw, circular saw, jigsaw or hand saw.
FALL INTO THE LAST LINE:
The easiest way to mount the last flooring line is to clip all the end-to-end planks together first. Then tilt the whole line to the next-to-last column.
Align the joint with the tongue-and-groove and press down the last line. Slip a pry bar between the last row and baseboard if necessary to force the closed joint.
To keep your laminated floor clean it sometimes necessary to invest in a quality mop instead of using a regular mop and a bucket of water. Below are some examples of best mop for laminate floors
MICROFIBER:
- Cleans and collects large debris efficiently.
- Machine washable microfibers that can be replaced
- Can be used for all types of floors
HOMMIT:
- Power spin to clean efficiently
- Adjustable width of the mop rod to avoid back and bending
O-CEDAR:
- Great with hard removal of dirt
- Splash protection avoids spillage of water
- Compatible with refill wring mop
TWIST AND SHOUT:
- Turned joint to 360 degrees
- Ultra-absorbent and cheap
- Self-wringing and makes less effort to clean
RUBBERMAID:
- Leave no scratches on the floor
- Washable pads
- Can be used on all types of floors
SPONGE MOPS:
Sponge mops essentially consist of a thick sponge in a rectangular shape that is attached to a long pole or stick. Sponge mops also have a flat plastic or metal with a shorter handle that is attached close to the sponge.
The whole article talks about some DIY tips for laminating floors. Thus, some of the best mops for the laminated floors are mentioned and discussed above.
Once you decide on how you want your floor to be laminated, you can go ahead and choose among the umpteen varieties of options as mentioned above to create them. These wonderful mops are here to serve you with the best results possible without any hassle!
