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The Top 4 Tips for Homeowners Who Wish to Install Laminate Flooring

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Laminate flooring refers to manufactured flooring materials that imitate natural flooring materials (such as wood and stone tiles). This article discusses four helpful tips that you should keep in mind if you wish to install a laminate floor in your home during a home renovation project.

Allow it to Acclimatise

Laminate flooring can shift if it is installed before it has acclimatised to the environment where it has been installed. It is therefore advisable to bring the material into your home several days before the date that you have set to install it. Ask a laminate flooring supplier or a flooring contractor for advice about the appropriate number of days that you should keep the laminate flooring material before installing it.

Use an Underlay Material

You should never install laminate flooring without placing an underlay material underneath it. Underlay materials include plywood, sponge rubber and felt. These materials help to make the surface level in case there were defects you had not detected. They also help to prevent moisture from seeping through the flooring material into the underlying support structures such as floor joists. Remember to place a plastic sheet over a concrete slab so that moisture does not damage the concrete slab under the laminate floor.

Buy an Abrasion-Resistant Variety

Pets can scratch laminate flooring and mar its beautiful finish. Your first line of defence against such damage is to buy a laminate flooring material that has a high rating for its abrasive resistance. Ask the supplier of the laminate flooring to help you to choose this abrasive-resistant material. Implement other measures (such as trimming pet nails) to provide additional protection against scratches.

Be Particular About Sealing the Floor

Take special care to seal all the gaps between laminate flooring panels. This care is especially needed in high-moisture areas such as the bathroom. This is because water can easily seep through those gaps and damage the structures underneath the laminate floor. Buy a sealing product that is rated highly for use in bathrooms. Contact a laminate flooring professional for advice if you do not know which sealant to buy.

Laminate flooring products offer you the look of the product they mimic. They are easy to clean (wiping with a damp cloth, for example) and they last for a long time. All these benefits can only be realised if you select the best laminate floor product and you install it correctly. Involve a professional flooring expert and nothing will go wrong.


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