How to Install Click Flooring Part 1

Click flooring can provide you with a beautiful addition to any room. It also happens be one of the easier flooring options to install. In order to do it correctly, you need to understand how the process works. Here are the basics of how to get started on your click flooring installation project. (This is Part 1 of a 4 part series. To move ahead to Part 2, click here.)

Step 1 - Prepare the Room

You will need to start out by preparing the room for installation. Take out all of the furniture and personal belongings. If there is any carpet installed, you will need to be sure to take it up and remove it. Most click flooring can go over the top of hard surface flooring such as another wood or laminate, tile or vinyl. You also need to remove the baseboards or quarter round depending on what you have. You should also use an undercutting saw to cut under the door casings so that the click flooring will be able to slide under them.

Step 2 - Vapor Barrier

If you are on a concrete subfloor, you will need to install a vapor barrier before you can put in the click flooring. Vapor barrier typically comes in small rolls that you can easily install. Unroll the rolls out over the floor and then tape them together. You should run the moisture barrier up the wall about 2 inches where it can be covered by the baseboards.

Step 3 - Acclimate the Click Flooring

You should also consider acclimating your click flooring to the room that it will be installed in. Click flooring is going to expand and contract based upon the humidity content and the temperature of the room. This means that you need to leave it in the room for 24 to 48 hours before installing it. This will allow it to adjust to the conditions in the room and will help you avoid any buckling problems soon after you install. You may need to take the boards out of the boxes and lay them on the floor read the paperwork that comes with the flooring to determine what the manufacturer recommends as far as acclimating the flooring.

Step 4 - Installing the Underlayment

Before you can install any flooring, you need to first install the foam underlayment. Foam underlayment is necessary to provide the proper cushion underneath your click flooring. If you do not install the underlayment, the joints between the boards will eventually break when you walk on them. Therefore, if you want to keep your warranties intact, make sure that you do not forget to install the foam underlayment.

The foam underlayment will come in large rolls. Unroll them across the room and put them side-by-side. The entire surface of the floor should be covered with underlayment. Where the rolls meet, you need to tape them together. Around the edge of the room, you need to cut the underlayment to fit. Use a utility knife to trim away the excess underlayment.