Fitting Your Kardean Flooring to Perfection
Floors are one of those jobs you need to get right, if you want the rest of your room to fall into place above it. The whole tone and ambience of a room is dictated, to a surprising extent, by the quality and type of flooring. So take time over your preparation, and then installation, of your Kardean flooring if you want to properly realise its potential.
The first thing to get right is the quantities. Laminate floor strip, whilst cheaper than some options, are still a fairly hefty expense- so you'll want to get your number of packs right. When dealing with a regular room, always remember to measure the extremities- from furthest alcove to doorway mid-points, for example- not from wall to wall. But if your recesses or alcoves are deep, measure them as separate blocks, and add them into the total area. It's then just a simple measure of dividing the total area by the individual board area. Then you bump up the number to the nearest whole pack- which should give you room for wastage.
The next thing is the underfloor - make sure it is level, dry, and clear of protrusions and dust. Kardean flooring will only work with a flat level surface- otherwise you're setting yourself up for grief later on, with distortions producing wear, and splitting joints. Always do your painting first, and make sure it is dry before installing laminate flooring- the boards will swell excessively if humidity is too high.
Start the first board off, lengthways to the most convenient wall, so that it is parallel to the longest axis of the room. But before you slot into place, make sure you leave a 12mm (½ inch) expansion gap between it and the wall. This is achieved by using spacers, of that width, along the wall. The reason for this is that laminate boards are hygroscopic- they absorb moisture easily, and expand and contract with changes in conditions. So give them 'breathing room'.
Most laminate board systems these days are floating – they don't require gluing or nailing to the underfloor, and can be laid directly on it. Equally, most boards nowadays slot together seamlessly, courtesy of patented tongue and groove systems- so no glue needed here either. This is what makes laminate flooring installation a breeze, certainly when compared to tiling or proper floorboards.
Then it's just a simple matter of laying new rows, staggered appropriately with each new row, in a 'pyramid effect'. This ensures stability, and gives a pleasing overall look to the boards. When trimming, place the board to be cut immediately over the most recent board, and then a measuring board over that, which buts against the wall. Mark the line on the underlying board, and cut with a tenon saw.
The whole process can be completed in a matter of hours, and will leave you with a wonderful foundation for the décor of your room- provided you prepare thoroughly, and lay carefully.