Step 1: Purchase Flooring Materials
I bought from Rona Home Improvement around $900 worth of Swiftlock laminated flooring and QuietWalk underlayment. In order to save some money, I applied for the Rona credit card and this helped saving 10% of the purchase. Back home I stacked the laminate flooring in the basement before the installation. This is to acclimate the flooring materials with the basement temperature and humidity. 48 hours is required for this purpose. I stacked the laminated flooring flat on the floor. Remove the plastic wrapping from the boxes and leave air space around each box to allow air to freely circulate around them. By the way it is advisable to buy 10 percent more flooring materials making allowance for some wastage during the installation.
Step 2: Pre-preparation & Cleaning
Clean the area making sure that it is free of any dirts and debris. Also remove the base moldings. As my basement floor was vinyl on concrete, I thorough vacuum clean it before putting on the vapor barrier Quietwalk, then the Swiftlock laminated flooring.
Step 3: Install the Vapor Barrier
Start by laying out the vapor barrier one row at a time. Follow
the manufacturer's directions when joining vapor barrier sheets together, . Per the QuietWalk manufacturer 's instruction, I simply overlap
the vapor barrier butting each row against the
previous one by peeling off the self-adhesive tape cover. Then put the overlap on to the self-adhesive area and press it firm. It is done. Simple and fast.
Step 4 Trim the Door Jambs
Lay a piece of flooring flat on the subfloor and up against the door jambs. Use it as a guide to mark the jambs so that the new flooring can slide underneath the jamb. Use a "flat" saw or a coping saw (see picture on right) to cut the jambs, making sure to cut parallel to the subfloor. This will give the floor and jamb a nice finished look without having to remove the entire jamb.
Step 5: Install the First Row
For the best appearance, lay planks parallel to the longest wall. Install the first plank with the groove toward the wall. Place 1/2" spacers against the wall and push the first plank up against them. These spaces create an expansion gap so that the floor can "breathe" and would not buckle. This gap will be covered later with baseboard and quarter round molding. The spacers also allow the floor to have a firm base to install against. Place the spacers about every 12 inches along the wall and at the end of each plank against adjoining walls. Add spacers after laying first row of flooring
Step 6: Install the Flooring
Read the flooring installation instruction before you start. It is in text and diagrams. For each plank, match tongue to groove and tap it into place using a scrap piece of flooring to protect the planks. Make sure the pieces fit well together and that there are no gaps along the length of the planks. While installing subsequent rows, stagger the joints of the flooring. When starting a new row, offset it six to eight inches so the joints at the ends of planks are not lined up row to row (which can weaken the floor and create a too-uniform look).
Step 7: Install the Last Plank
The last plank will need to be trimmed to fit. To mark the plank to the correct width place a plank directly over the next to last plank and place another on top of that and slide the top plank until it sits evenly against spacers against the wall. Draw a line along the plank below the top plank along the edge of the top plank. This will mark the width of the gap between the next to the last plank and the wall. Cut the plank along this line and install.
Step 8: Install Baseboard and Quarter round
Remove the spacers and install baseboard and quarter round to cover the expansion gap.
Step 9 Install Transition Strips
Install any thresholds between the end of the flooring and any open doors where the flooring ends. Thresholds come in different styles to accommodate the kind and height of the flooring the new laminate floor butts up against. In areas adjacent to doors a piece of transition strip may be required to be installed in order to make it look better.
Step 10 Final Touch Up
Chaulk the joints between baseboards and quarter rounds as well as openings with wood fill or chaulking materials. Touch up with paints if when necessary.
Tools for easy installation
Start by laying out the vapor barrier one row at a time. Follow
the manufacturer's directions when joining vapor barrier sheets together, . Per the QuietWalk manufacturer 's instruction, I simply overlap
the vapor barrier butting each row against the
previous one by peeling off the self-adhesive tape cover. Then put the overlap on to the self-adhesive area and press it firm. It is done. Simple and fast. Step 4 Trim the Door Jambs
Lay a piece of flooring flat on the subfloor and up against the door jambs. Use it as a guide to mark the jambs so that the new flooring can slide underneath the jamb. Use a "flat" saw or a coping saw (see picture on right) to cut the jambs, making sure to cut parallel to the subfloor. This will give the floor and jamb a nice finished look without having to remove the entire jamb.
Step 5: Install the First Row For the best appearance, lay planks parallel to the longest wall. Install the first plank with the groove toward the wall. Place 1/2" spacers against the wall and push the first plank up against them. These spaces create an expansion gap so that the floor can "breathe" and would not buckle. This gap will be covered later with baseboard and quarter round molding. The spacers also allow the floor to have a firm base to install against. Place the spacers about every 12 inches along the wall and at the end of each plank against adjoining walls. Add spacers after laying first row of flooring
Step 6: Install the Flooring
Read the flooring installation instruction before you start. It is in text and diagrams. For each plank, match tongue to groove and tap it into place using a scrap piece of flooring to protect the planks. Make sure the pieces fit well together and that there are no gaps along the length of the planks. While installing subsequent rows, stagger the joints of the flooring. When starting a new row, offset it six to eight inches so the joints at the ends of planks are not lined up row to row (which can weaken the floor and create a too-uniform look).Step 7: Install the Last Plank
The last plank will need to be trimmed to fit. To mark the plank to the correct width place a plank directly over the next to last plank and place another on top of that and slide the top plank until it sits evenly against spacers against the wall. Draw a line along the plank below the top plank along the edge of the top plank. This will mark the width of the gap between the next to the last plank and the wall. Cut the plank along this line and install.Step 8: Install Baseboard and Quarter round
Remove the spacers and install baseboard and quarter round to cover the expansion gap. Step 9 Install Transition Strips
Install any thresholds between the end of the flooring and any open doors where the flooring ends. Thresholds come in different styles to accommodate the kind and height of the flooring the new laminate floor butts up against. In areas adjacent to doors a piece of transition strip may be required to be installed in order to make it look better.
Step 10 Final Touch Up
Chaulk the joints between baseboards and quarter rounds as well as openings with wood fill or chaulking materials. Touch up with paints if when necessary.
Tools for easy installation
Thanks for taking the time to share this post, I feel strongly about it and love reading additional on this topic. If attainable, as you gain information, would you mind updating your blog with a lot of information? It is very helpful for me.