Common Mistakes When Laying Laminate Flooring

Thinking of updating your home with a new look? If you are looking for an inexpensive and long-lasting flooring option, you can’t go wrong with laminate flooring. It’s also a great choice if you have pets or children.

Laminate flooring is a type of engineered wood that is manufactured using multiple thin layers of different natural woods with the grain oriented in one direction. These layers are glued together, pressed under pressure, and finished with an acrylic layer on top to protect them from moisture and other elements. The versatility of this flooring makes it suitable for almost any room in the house—from bedrooms to living rooms and even entryways.

Installing laminate flooring is not as complicated as it seems, but here are some common mistakes you need to avoid when laying laminate flooring.

You Don’t Sample The Laminate Flooring

It’s important to get a sample of the laminate flooring before you install it. Doing so will tell you the exact color of the flooring, how it looks in your home, and whether it has any defects.

If you don’t sample the flooring, you won’t know what to expect when you open the boxes and start installing them. You can also use the sample to mark the layout of your flooring.

You can do this by using a black marker to mark the edges. This will help you to avoid making a mistake when installing the floor. If you are installing the flooring in a room with a lot of natural light, you may want to buy darker laminate flooring, as it will appear lighter. 

The Laminate You Choose Is Not Suitable For Your Area Or Climate

Laminate flooring is designed to be an authentic replica of hardwood flooring. However, the materials used to manufacture laminate flooring are often different from the ones that are used in hardwood flooring.

While every laminate floor is different, they are most commonly made of wood fiber, cellulose, paper, and synthetic materials. If you buy laminate flooring that is made from natural wood, you need to be aware that its durability and performance will be different from that of hardwood flooring.

You need to be careful when choosing the type of laminate flooring you want for your home. You should make sure it will be able to withstand the wear and tear of your local climate. For example, laminate flooring made from hardwood is perfect for use in cold climates. On the other hand, laminate flooring made from soft woods is better for use in areas that experience high humidity.

You Don’t Give The Floor Time To Settle

Laminate flooring takes time to settle, especially if it is new. Depending on where you live, the humidity levels in your home will vary. If you have recently installed your laminate flooring, it will take at least a couple of months to settle down and look its best.

You can speed up the settling process by using a dehumidifier. You can also use a floor steamer to clean the floors. When you clean your laminate flooring, you should use a soft bristle brush or a laminate floor mop.

You Use Too Many Varnish Layers

One of the biggest mistakes you can make while installing laminate flooring is applying too many layers of varnish. This will make your flooring too shiny and will make it look cheap and fake.

The number of layers of finish you should be applying is determined by the type of laminate you have bought (i.e., whether it is a hardwood or softwood). Hardwood flooring should have 3-4 coats of finish, while softwood flooring should have 2-4 coats.

You should allow each coat of varnish to dry completely before applying another coat. You can speed up the drying process by using a fan and gradually increasing the speed as the flooring dries. If you use a hairdryer to speed up the drying process, make sure you use it on a low or cool setting.

You Installed Laminate Flooring Over An Existing Floor 

If you don’t remove the existing flooring, it will get damaged over time and you will have to replace it sooner. If you install the laminate flooring over an existing floor, the flooring will get damaged, even if it’s a new installation.

This will eventually lead to you having to replace the flooring, and the cost will be even more than if you had removed the existing flooring.

You Didn’t Lay The Flooring On A Solid Surface

Before laying the flooring, you need to make sure that the subfloor is solid and even. If your subfloor is uneven, it will make installing the flooring even more difficult.

You can fix uneven subfloors using various products, such as self-leveling compound and foam. You also need to make sure that the subfloor is clean.If it isn’t, it will be very difficult to install the flooring. 

You Didn’t Lay The Flooring In The Right Direction

It’s important to lay the flooring in the direction that it came in. If you don’t, the floor will look weird and out of place. If you’re installing hardwood flooring, the direction of the grain should be parallel to the walls. 

This is usually true for softwood flooring as well. If you don’t know which way the grain is supposed to run, look on the back of the boxes. There should be an arrow that indicates the direction of the grain.

You Didn’t Measure Correctly

Another common mistake is measuring incorrectly. You need to make sure that you have measured the floor correctly to determine the amount of laminate you need to purchase.

If you measure incorrectly, you will end up buying more flooring than you need and spending more money, or not having enough and lengthening the project time. 

Final Thoughts

Laminate flooring is a great choice if you are on a budget and if you have pets or children. If you are looking to make a major change to your home but don’t have the funds for it, then laminate flooring is a great option. It’s a cheap and easy way to update your home and make it feel fresh again.

However, it’s important to make sure you avoid these common mistakes when laying laminate flooring to make sure it lasts as long as possible and you get your money’s worth out of it.