Today, a large number of homeowners are rolling up their sleeves and taking care of their own renovations, saving money and building pride and confidence in the process. When it comes to your flooring, though, every detail must be taken care of precisely to ensure a quality outcome. DIYers who fail to follow the proper steps may end up with unsafe, unproductive flooring that can cost almost as much to fix as it would have been to professionally install in the first place!
While much of the quality gained from flooring comes during installation, it’s the support of products such as our floor underlayment that can take your new floors to the next level. Eco Cork Foam (ECF) was made to be the best underlayment for laminate flooring, delivering exceptional quality and value with each roll we sell. Our laminate underlayment serves to optimize your floors throughout their lifespan, and the ECF team is here to help in any way we can.
Today, we’ll continue to discuss a few of the most common mistakes people make when installing their laminate floors. When you are done, be sure to buy a roll of Eco Cork Foam to see the quality difference for yourself!
Not Allowing for Temperature Acclimation
While laminate is not the same as hardwood, your new planks will still require an adjustment period to properly acclimate to the interior conditions of your home. This step is one of the easiest to take, and it can result in costly consequences if skipped. Laminate planks will expand or contract depending on the environment they are placed in. Homeowners who take their cold laminate flooring out of the garage and immediately set to work installing it in their living room will face potential problems once their materials fully acclimate to the house’s interior. As these cold planks warm-up, they will begin to expand, pushing outward and placing more pressure on the perimeter than you would have expected. The result is a buckling floor system, which you definitely want to avoid!
Keeping your workplace consistent in terms of humidity and temperature will also help to create a better result for your laminate flooring. Be sure to keep your space steady with the 65 rule, where temperatures should drop to less than 65 degrees Fahrenheit while the humidity in the room should not exceed 65 percent. A general rule of thumb to allow for safe acclimation includes giving your planks 48 hours before and after you install your system to ensure consistency and quality.
Utilizing Defective Planks
Numerous DIYers have begun their flooring project, only to realize that some of their planks are defective and unusable. Placing a defective plank down can make the repair process much more time-consuming and costly. Additionally, being stuck with inferior products can create serious setbacks for your flooring project timeline. Before you begin your project, be sure to inspect each package to ensure that all of your laminate flooring is clean, consistent, and free of damage.
Improper Measurements
While not the worst mistake you can make, a large number of flooring enthusiasts have made the error of improperly calculating how much laminate flooring they will need. If you come up short on materials, it can be a pain to go back and acquire more planks to get the job done. An industry standard is to purchase 15 percent more flooring materials than what your space requires to account for measurement errors and user errors.
Utilizing the Wrong Laminate Flooring Underlayment
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not procuring the best laminate underlayment for your new floors. It’s essential to find a floor underlayment that provides comprehensive support and protection for your new floors, from quality vapor protection to acoustic blockages, plank support, and more. Eco Cork Foam is proud to be your foam and cork flooring underlayment, utilizing a special blend of components to provide the best results at an affordable price. Another concern when you need to find a quality laminate underlayment comes from the harmful chemicals and vapors that are emitted during installation or use. Investing in poor-quality products can result in the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), creating health concerns for you and your family. Eco Cork Foam is proud to be certified as an ultra-low emitter of VOCs and surpasses California’s stringent emission standards.
When it comes to installing your new laminate flooring, it pays to take your time and ensure that each step is done correctly to avoid any costly mistakes. Investing in a quality laminate flooring underlayment is one approach for gaining serious benefits for the lifetime of your new floors. Eco Cork Foam is proud to provide quality solutions for homeowners and contractors alike, delivering amazing benefits at a great price. Between our commitment to quality and our superior lab results, the ECF team is confident that you’ll be pleased with the results of your flooring project. Contact us today to learn more about our product or buy a roll for yourself!
