How To Install Floating/Laminate Floors Yourself!!!

Ok so I don't think that any home improvement DIY-er should EVER hire someone to put in their floating/Laminate floors (unless they really don't want to try doing themselves to save time) because it really is very simple. My husband and I were pretty intimidated at first, it just seemed like a really big project and neither of us had ever done anything like it before. Luckily we have made a new awesome friend who has installed them before and he came over to get us started, and lent us his tools and showed us the ropes. We got these super cool dark planks for only $1.10 sq/ft and then had to purchase the foam that goes under it which was only $20 bucks. We were able to do 400 sq/ft for under $600 (that includes tax and extra planks we purchased just incase we need them in the future, we got such a good deal because this was a closeout item).

Ok first off you need the right tools you'll need to buy or borrow a tapping block, a pulling bar, and a table saw. You will also need a hammer and a pencil and that is it!!

The first thing you want to do before starting, is decide what kind of pattern you want your floor to create, there is more thought into this than I had originally realized because you don't want the seams to be too close together but you probably don't want it to look like a brick wall either. First you put your foam down according to the instructions on the packaging. Then you place your first plank in your starting room corner the first couple rows are the hardest because they don't have support of other planks to hold them in place, so this is where having a second person comes in handy, have them stand or kneel on that first plank while you connect the second plank, by matching the tongue and groove and then hammering it into place with a tapping block and hammer




continue this for your first row, now with your second row, you will want to cut your first plank so it is not the same length as your starting plank (this will start your pattern) and continue matching your tongue and groove, this second row still may need someone holding the other planks in tightly, and periodically you should check your seams to make sure none of them have loosened while placing new planks. The second row you will have to not only match the top of the tongue and groove but also the side, so you want to match the top first, get it in there nice and tight and then do a little wiggle giggle and shake to get that side matched up. Then tighten it with your tapping block, continue your second and subsequent rows, when you get to the end of the row, you will want to measure, mark and cut your piece with a table saw and if you have trouble getting the piece in that is where the pulling bar is needed.




Really it is just that simple, it takes time and patience, sometimes you make mistakes with the cuts but thats ok make sure you have a few extra planks. After doing this only one time, I feel confident enough to be able to do it again and again and help others too, I think everyone who is trying to save money should do this themselves, getting these installed from Home Depot or Lowes would have cost us about $4 or more a sq/ft and we got it for $1.10. We saved ourselves over $1000 dollars YAY!!