Do you have a concrete subfloor that you wish to upgrade? Then there are multiple flooring options you can ask your flooring installation contractor to provide you with a concrete subfloor.
But there is one limitation. You may not be able to install a wooden floor over a concrete subfloor. No need to be disheartened because laminate flooring installation is not hard over a concrete flooring installation.
The laminate flooring is the easiest to install over any concrete slab. You just need to know what steps to floor and how to prepare your concrete subfloor. Keep reading to find out.
How to prepare your concrete slab?
To prepare your concrete slab before laminate flooring, follow these five easy steps:
- Get rid of the baseboards. The trick is to safely detach the baseboards using the right set of tools and equipment. All you need is a hammer or a pry bar and using the right technique you can detach the baseboards in no time.
- Then using a long level, assess the leveling of the concrete slab. It must not vary beyond 3/16th of an inch for every 10 feet of the slab. Mark the unleveled spaces on the slab that require work, i.e. the places that are higher than the leveled floor.
- Using a good-quality leveling material, fill the lower areas. For this, create a mixture of the leveling material in a bucket and simply apply it using a trowel. Let the material sit and dry for some time and then reassess the leveling of the floor to level out any high spots on the ground.
- Now, all you need to do is follow the instructions of the manufacturer to place the vapor barrier.
How to install the laminate flooring?
To install the laminate flooring, follow these simple steps:
- Take the laminate flooring and put it on the leveled concrete slab. This will allow the flooring to adapt to the room temperature and climate. You must leave the laminate flooring at least for two to three days before proceeding.
- Then take a table saw to trim the edges of the laminate flooring in the room. Put the first row of this laminate flooring with the cut side facing the wall in the room. But do not forget to leave the gap for expansion as per the manufacturer’s instructions throughout the walls in the room.
- Place the three pieces of the laminate flooring from the wall. When they are assembled together, simply slide down the laminate flooring into their designated place beside each wall. Using a circular saw to trim the pieces if there is a need. Use the back of the plank to trim the laminate.
- This procedure keeps the laminate from chipping away. The joints must be at least 12 inches from each other. Put the pieces together, inserting the trimmed edge into the groove at the right angle prescribed.
- If you cannot piece these together at an angle, take a block and hammer to tap the edged tongue into the groove.
- Keep on joining the laminate flooring together in place until you reach every edge in the room. You can create necessary cuts for the installation of things like venting systems.
- When you reach the final row, calculate the distance between the last row and the wall. Minus the expansion gap from these calculations and simply add the calculations to the final row for the laminate flooring.
- Cut this final plank of flooring to the exact size. In the end, all you need to do is put back the baseboards in place.