Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Rating [on a scale of 1 to 5; 1 is easiest]
2: Requires more patience than skill
Easy installation is one of laminate flooring's prime attributes. It's an "interlocking floating" floor, which means the floor tiles or planks attach to each other rather than to the subfloor. They attach via a tongue-and-groove, glueless system that makes it possible to install a laminate floor over virtually any existing floor (except high-pile carpet.) While a floating floor eliminates the need to prep a subfloor, it does require the use of an underlayment. Underlayments provide protection against warping from moisture beneath, particularly if you're installing the floor over concrete. Underlayments also reduce or eliminate "hollow" sounds generated from traffic on the floor.
Keep in Mind:
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- Some laminate floors come with underlayment attached to the floor. However a "rolled out" underlayment provides greater sound absorption and moisture protection than laminate floors with attached underlayments.
- For extra moisture protection in bathrooms and near kitchen sinks, you'll need to seal around the perimeter of the floor with caulk or sealant. Bathroom installations should also use a glued seam (not floating) installation method to prevent water from seeping between the seams.
