Laminate Wood Floor Installation

One thing that I've always loved in a home is a hardwood floor. Times change and things go in and out of popularity, but I've always liked them. Well, hardwood is in again and there are a lot of options the do-it-yourselfer has if they want hardwood flooring.

Following our tradition, we'll start out with the tools that you'll need for the job and then the steps needed to prepare. We're going to be installing Bruce flooring by Armstrong. Bruce has all sorts of flooring, from very thin laminate to solid wood. For this job, based on the customers requirements, a laminate was selected.

Tools For Laminate Floor Installation

The laminate that we're going to be installing requires a special floor stapler. I selected a Stanely-Bostich gun (model LHF97125) that is especially designed for hardwood laminate flooring like this. All in all, this gun performed quite nicely. It did a great job of getting the staples flush and lining them up correctly. The only fault that I found with the gun was the knobs that are used to tighten the shoe. They kept coming loose (which didn't usually matter) and the shoe would move. I found that I could still line things up nicely, even without it.

The other tools you'll need are as follows:

• Utility Knife
• Miter Saw
• Chaulk Line
• Pencil
• Measuring Tape
• Table Saw (optional)

The table saw is primarily for ripping your last course, chances are it won't be a full piece. Now, there are some other tools that you may need for a remodel job. This includes a hammer, pry bar, nail set, drill/driver, reciprocating saw, and possibly a flush cut (undercut) saw. You'll see where these come into play as we go through the project.