Laminate
You can install glueless laminate flooring in a single day if you are only doing one or two rooms. The laminate floor pieces snap together with a tongue-and-groove application on the ends and locking edges on the sides. Snap-together laminate flooring is easier and quicker to both instal land remove than glue-down flooring, and it requires just a few tools.
Instructions
1. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove all dirt and debris from the floor. If you don't start with a clean floor, you may have problems laying the flooring flat. Roll out the padding, making sure it reaches into the corners and is flush with the walls. Once you have laid out the padding, avoid dragging anything across the floor.
2. Start in one corner of the room.Lay the first plank about 1/4 inch from the wall. Have a friend lay the second plank down end to end with the first piece. While you are holding the first plank, your friend should line up the planks' ends, positioning the end of the second plank to snap in line with the first. The planks are constructed so that the outward side of the row will have one continuous tongue or groove.
3. Hold both planks securely while your friend gently taps the end of the second plank with a rubber mallet so it moves and snaps into the tongue and groove of the first plank. Continue this process until you reach the opposite wall. If you need a smaller section, use a circular saw to cut the piece to fit. Caution: When using the mallet on the ends, place a scrap piece of laminate between the mallet and plank.
4. Secure the last plank in the row by hand. (You will not be able to use the rubber mallet on this plank.)
5. Start your next row at the wall where you have ended the first row. Lay the first plank to start the second row. Line up the wall end and, depending on how you have laid the first row, align the plank's groove or tongue with the groove or tongue of the first row piece. Angle the second-row plank upward, fit tongue into groove and lay the plank flat.
6. Continue with step 3 and step 5 to finish the floor. If the padding wrinkles, smooth it out as you begin each row.
Tips Warnings
Make sure that account for waste when ordering your flooring. Allow for at least 10 percent for waste. If you need to cut the laminate lengthwise to fit the final row, use a table saw; it will cut the laminate more easily and more accurately than will a circular saw.
Never assume that your walls are square; measure for all cuts when needed.
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