Home Depot Certified Installers
JJ Laminate Floors Installation
The Basics
Note:Expo FloorsŪ does not recommend DIY installations. To protect your investment it is recommended that our products be installed by a licensed experienced professional.
- Test the sub floor for hardness and moisture content values.
- Level sub floor, install underlayment and/or moisture barrier, snap indication lines, install borders.
- Begin installing wood flooring: check room for square, keep joints staggered 6" and keep edges 3/4" off walls.
- Blind nail or glue, avoid tongue damage and adhesive bleed-through.
- Install transition pieces - Reducer Strips, T-Moldings, Thresholds, Stair Nosings and Quarter-Round edge trim.
Professional Notes
Sub-floor concrete:
Needs to be flat, clean, dry, structurally sound, free of squeaks and protrusions. Tolerances should be flat to within 3/16" in 10' (5mm in 3m) and should be leveled.
Subfloor Hardness:
Scratch a nail across the top - if indentation appears the surface to work on is light-weight concrete and in this case a nail-down system is recommended. Before moisture testing begins, the slab must be cured for a minimum of 60 days. Subfloor moisture should be tested with a Higrometer or fenophtalein reactive (no more than 2.5%).
Nailed Installation:
Plywood or OSB underlayment is preferred (if OSB is exposed to moisture, nail holding strength may become drastically reduced). Install plywood grain direction across the wood flooring grain direction. A moisture barrier must be applied beneath the plywood if solid wood flooring is installed over concrete. Water barrier 200 micron polyethylene film is recommended. A professional nailer is necessary, fastening every 12" and along the edges.