Installing a laminate floor pure luxury as it is one of the best wood floorings on the market. It is durable, easy to maintain, and easy to install. These qualities make it a hot take for homeowners.
Common mistakes when laying laminate flooring includes, not giving your laminate floor time to acclimate, laying your laminate in the wrong area, and laying your laminate floor in an uneven area.
We also gave a well-detailed explanation of how to fix these mistakes. Read on as we throw more light on the common mistakes when laying laminate flooring.
Related: How to Tell the Difference Between Vinyl and Laminate Flooring
Common Mistakes When Laying Laminate Flooring
Table of Contents
- 1 Common Mistakes When Laying Laminate Flooring
- 1.1 1. Laying Laminate Flooring in the Wrong Areas
- 1.2 2. Not Sealing Your Floor Against Moisture
- 1.3 3. Not Giving Your Laminate Floor Time to Acclimate
- 1.4 4. Not Making Sure the Floor is Level
- 1.5 5. Not Making Use of an Underlayment
- 1.6 6. Not Making Use of a Vapor Barrier
- 1.7 7. Not Leaving Room for Edge Expansion
- 1.8 8. Not Making Use of Expansion Joints
- 1.9 How to Fix Laminate Flooring Mistakes
- 1.10 1. Avoid Too Much Moisture
- 1.11 2. Make Sure There is an Underlayment
- 1.12 3. You Should Give Gaps for Edge Expansion
- 1.13 4. Acclimate Your Laminate Floor Properly
- 1.14 5. Make Sure the Floor is Level
- 2 Conclusion
Here are the common mistakes when laying laminate flooring and the reason why the mistakes were made.
1. Laying Laminate Flooring in the Wrong Areas
Though you can lay your laminate floor in virtually almost any area, you should do your best to avoid areas with high moisture.
To prevent discoloration, warping, buckling, and bubbling, you have to avoid installing your laminate floors in rooms with high moisture. Common places with high moisture include the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and basement.
If your mind is fixed on installing laminate floors in areas like this, then you would have to use things that protect the floor from moisture like a sealant. If not, you would only endanger your floor and end up replacing it in the long run.
2. Not Sealing Your Floor Against Moisture
Even if you install your laminate floor in areas without much moisture, a mistake is bound to happen at some point. Spills and accidents can happen at an unplanned moment. So, it is pertinent that you seal your laminate floor, irrespective of where you are installing it.
If you go for glue, silicone caulk, or any other sealant is left for you to decide. You just have to ensure that sealing your laminate floor is part of your installment process. You should also clean off any spill immediately It happens.
3. Not Giving Your Laminate Floor Time to Acclimate
The third most common mistake when laying laminate flooring is not letting your laminate flooring acclimate before installation. This is done to ensure that the wood floor gets used to its current environment; especially to get used to the temperature and humidity.
It would help prevent warping and buckling in the long run. You have to follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to acclimatize your laminate floor. Not acclimating your floor would cause warping and unpleasant gaps on your wood floor.
As a rule of thumb, your wood floor should acclimate from about 48 to 72 hours.
4. Not Making Sure the Floor is Level
You have to install your laminate floors on level floors to prevent bumps and sagging soft spots on your floors. Use a combination of grinding, sanding, and self-leveling material to make sure that your laminate floor is flat and level enough for the installation.
Read: Will Rubbing Alcohol Damage Laminate Flooring?
5. Not Making Use of an Underlayment
You have to make use of an underlayment because the laminate floor is quite thin and it also bends and flexes easily. This makes the floor uncomfortable to walk on, and it also causes unnecessary stress too.
Using an underlayment would help better the laminate floor and make up for its weakness. It also helps take care of high spots, not above ⅛.
6. Not Making Use of a Vapor Barrier
In a case where moisture might permeate the floor from below, it is of the essence that you make use of a vapor barrier. If your basement floor is concrete, it is a must that you must use a vapor barrier due to its spongy nature.
This is done to avoid moisture from seeping into your laminate from underneath, thereby, causing warp and in very serious cases, decay.
7. Not Leaving Room for Edge Expansion
Most laminate floors are floating floors, this means that the floor expands and contracts during movement or humidity conditions.
Hence, you have to make sure that you leave spaces at the edge of your floor or at vertical angles to prevent buckling and damage.
8. Not Making Use of Expansion Joints
Another of the common mistakes when laying laminate flooring is not using of expansion joints. If the installment covers a large area or two rooms, it is necessary you add an expansion joint to the flooring. This would allow your floor to expand and contract comfortably, as required.
Not making use of expansion joints when covering a wide area would make your floor buckle.
How to Fix Laminate Flooring Mistakes
Here are a few tips on how to fix laminate flooring mistakes.
1. Avoid Too Much Moisture
To fix and ensure your laminate floor is in the best condition, you should protect your floor from excessive moisture. You need water to keep your laminate floor clean, but excessive water on the floor only causes harm to the floor.
Hence, you have to clean the floor immediately if there is a spill on the floor.
2. Make Sure There is an Underlayment
You would need an underlayment on your laminate floor due to its thin nature. So, you need to place an underlayment underneath your floor to protect it from harm. Failure to do this would only prove detrimental.
3. You Should Give Gaps for Edge Expansion
During installation, you should give space between your laminate floor and the wall. This is done because the laminate floor expands and contracts due to the state of humidity or when walked on.
It should be done to avoid warping and buckling of the laminate floor.
4. Acclimate Your Laminate Floor Properly
Another way to fix the mistakes is by giving your laminate floor time to acclimate properly. The laminate floor should get used to the temperature and humidity of the environment. Not doing so would cause buckling and damage to the floor.
5. Make Sure the Floor is Level
You have to install your laminate floor on level grounds, this is done to avoid sagging and buckling. If the floor is not level, sand it properly to keep it at the needed level before installation.
Read: Is Laminate Flooring Good For Dogs?
Conclusion
Sometimes, during laminate flooring installations, there are mistakes made by the installers which end up destroying the laminate floor.
We gave a detailed description of the common mistakes when laying laminate flooring and effective ways to fix these mistakes.
