Installing New Flooring: Do It Now!

We are starting to see a few of the trees beginning to glow with the colors of autumn. The great thing about this is the weather is cooling off, humidity is going down and it is just the perfect weather for those do-it-yourself projects!

Now there's a season for every project. Painting interior rooms is a great idea in the winter. Refinishing a deck is best done during those hazy, summer days. Spring is the best time for landscaping projects, and fall? Well, fall is the right to install new flooring! Why? Because the humidity of summer is gone and the driest air of winter has not yet arrived either. Both can cause problems like warped wood with too humid of conditions or cracked wood with too dry of air. Plus, you can open up the windows to ventilate from the new flooring you are installing.

For the sake of this blog post, we are going to talk about installing laminate flooring. It's fairly easy to do, and a room can be done in a day.

1. Gather all of your supplies and tools, including a table saw and jigsaw. You can rent the tools you need.
2. Inspect each plank before beginning installation. For the first row along straight walls, remove the tongue on all long side joints and the short side of the first plank using a table saw.
3. For uneven walls, trace contour with a compass on the tongue side of the plank, and cut with a jigsaw.
4. Assemble the first row with tongue side way from the wall. Insert the end tongue into the end groove and rotate downward to assemble. Keep planks aligned and joints closed.
5. Provide a 3/8” space for expansion on all sides using wooden spacers. Note: Two spacers, thick-side to thick-side, are 3/8”.
6. Cut the first piece at least 8” long using a table saw. Start new rows using pieces trimmed from the previous row, ensuring at least a 12” end joint offset.
7. Insert the tongue of the second-row plank into the groove of the first-row plank at a slight angle until the laminate edges meet. Next, rotate down until the joints lock. For the next plank, join the short end of the plank first. You will see a gap on the long-side joints when the plank is rotated down. Raise the outside edge of the plank upward approximately 1”. Keep this angle as you push the plank in until the laminate edges meet. Rotate downward on the plank until the joint locks. Repeat previous steps to complete installation.
8. Align the plank you'll connect to the second to last row. Using a full-width plank as a spacer, trace the contour of the wall, and cut the plank to size. Install the long side tongue into the groove with the end joint aligned. Work evenly along the length of the plank, and lightly tap the joint closed using a pull bar and rubber mallet. After tapping the long side joint closed, tap the short side closed using a tapping block or pull bar. Remove all spacers.
9. Apply a flexible, 100-percent silicone sealant to the entire perimeter to create a watertight seal.

Jones Rental Inc. is here to help you get the necessary equipment to tackle those projects. We have pressure washers and scissor lifts available for you if you live in the Ashland, Wooster, or Shelby, Ohio areas. 

Please know during this time of health concerns that we are taking time for additional cleaning and are taking every precaution for the health and safety of staff and customers. We are proud to offer curbside services to do our part and encourage social distancing. Payment can be accepted via credit card, PayPal, or cash. Give us a call at (419) 207-8800 to learn more.