DIY Network

Installing the Underlayment and Beginning Floor Installation From "Floors, Doors & Windows" episode DFDW-101

Jay Baker and Scott Branscom, the hosts of DIY's Floors, Doors and Windows workshop, show you how to lay this beautiful laminate flooring.

Materials:

Laminate flooring
Pullbar
Tapping block
Spacer blocks
Underlayment
Jigsaw
Miter saw
Baseboard
Finish nailer
Standard carpentry tools: hammer, tape measure, etc.

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G

• The underlayment has a plastic strip on one end that goes along the wall and up the wall that will be covered by your baseboard, and the other end has a strip of adhesive tape (figure A). As you unroll each roll, the clear plastic end lays on top of the end with adhesive strip and two white pieces of foam will be butted up against each other.

  
  Tip: Make sure the two white sides are as close as they can be and then you lay one over the other and tack it down. That is how you will know if you have it on upside down -- if your tape strip is down, it is backwards. It is very important that the underlayment run the same direction as your flooring.

  
  

• Run the first sheet of underlayment next to the longest wall in the room. Run the plastic strip 4" up the wall (figure B).

  
  

• The next sheet should butt right up against the first sheet with the plastic edge overlapping the edge of the first sheet. Peel back the covering of the adhesive tape on the first sheet (figure C) and smooth the plastic edge of the second sheet down onto the tape of the first sheet. Continue this process around the room until the floor is covered, with only a small gap between the walls and the underlayment

  
  

• Use a razor knife to remove any underlayment around any obstructions like vents (figure D) and corners.

  
  

• It helps to do your cutting away from the work area -- it keeps everything simpler and cleaner.

  
  

• Each board has a tongue and a groove side. The tongue side is actually the smaller that sticks out from the board. The tongue needs to be cut off (figure E) on the long side and short side when you install boards in the corners. It makes a better corner and gives you a place to start your work and build outward.

  
  

• When installing boards around a door opening, you have to put in a transition strip. Put the spacers in place and then measure to see how much longer the board in front of the door is compared to the board against the wall (figure F), and that is how much you will have to cut off the board in front of the door.

  
  

• Cutting the boards is not really complicated, but you need to make sure and protect the face of the board at all times. It has to do with which way the blades are going on whatever saw you are using. If you are using a jigsaw, the blades will be going up so the face needs to be down so you won't splinter the board.. If the blades are going down, then the face needs to be up.

  
  

• When you start your second row, use a shorter piece because you do not want the seams to meet.

  
  

• The special tongue and groove design of the planks make it easy to snap them right into place.

  
  

• Use the pullbar to tap the last planks in the first two rows into place.

  
  

• Then start the third rows and use what was left over from cutting one of the end pieces of the first two rows. Remember to stagger the joints of each row of planks for a natural look. Also, mix pieces from different packages. The key to a great looking floor is making it look natural and random.

  
  

• Once you have the first three rows together, you are ready to slide them against the wall. Remove the spacers, slide the planks up to the wall and put the spacers back in place (figure G) to maintain the gap.

RESOURCES :

Quick-Step Flooring
Website: www.quick-step.com

Flooring Projects and Techniques
0865736790
Cy DeCosse Inc.
(January 1997)

To order this title from Amazon, click here.

Creative Publishing International

Flooring 1-2-3: Expert Advice on Design, Installation and Repair
0696215888
The Home Depot
(June 2003)

To order this title from Amazon, click here.

The Home Depot