Laying my laminate Flooring... Part 1

When I set out to install my flooring myself I knew it would be a challenge. However I really wanted to give it a go. Although I’ve never really done anything like it before, I almost wanted to prove to myself that I am capable of doing these challenging things which a lot of people would rather just pay someone else to do.

Lucky for me, I have amazing parents who are overly supportive and encourage me to have a go at everything. They also had some great knowledge after laying their own floor about 9 years back. Mum also volunteered to help with the actual laying, as really it is a job that requires two people.

I won’t do any fancy tutorial as really I don’t see myself as an expert at all, and really we just figured it out as we went along. I’m sure there are better ways of doing things but we did what worked for us and I think the result is looking pretty amazing.

We're still not quite finished, just a few last rows to go in which will hopefully happen this weekend. We are also yet to install the skirting timbers, so the floors are not fully complete yet.

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So heres a little run down of how we did it.

First up we laid the underlay, basically just a thin foam with a waterproof barrier which helps protect moisture coming up from the slab and damaging the boards. We just stuck it together with tape, nothing fancy it really doesn’t need to be as the boards hold it all down.

 

I then used our new multi-tool to undercut my doorways. This tool is awesome, we just used a spacer the right height to rest the blade on, and then it just cuts its way through. This one was only about $60 and came with heaps of different accessories. You can get better quality ones but for this job this was more than adequate. It cuts a perfectly even line.

Then there was quite a bit of umming and ahhing over where to start, we decided to start in the end bedroom, so we could get a bit of practice in before laying the more important living areas.

We used spacers, all the same size to ensure we left an expansion gap. These types of floors can expand and contract in different temperatures and humidity levels so this is important. My spacers were 8mm thick, this was to enable my 12mm skirting timbers to be able to cover the gaps. As we progressed some of these gaps were a bit bigger and some a bit smaller, it would be impossible to get it perfect.

 

To install the boards is actually a very simple process as they just click together, generally we would click them in sideways, and then tap them down with a hammer to ensure they were locked tightly together. We cut the end off a board and used this as our ‘tapper’ as the grooved edges fit together and the bagging doesn’t damage the boards then. The tapper starts to look a bit worse for wear after a while. Occasionally the layout would require the boards to be laid end-to-end first and then tapped sideways.

A lot of cuts were required to get boards the right length and also to cut around the doorways and angles. We used my new jig saw which was a Christmas gift from my parents, it worked really well. We clamped boards down so they didn’t move about.

 

 

 

We went through A LOT of blades though. My boards are 12mm thick, and must be pretty tough because after a while blades would get blunt and make cutting really hard. We tried a variety of different blades, wood and metal blades, also different brands, but none really seemed to last any longer than others. Our preference was probably the metal blades as the cuts were slightly smoother.

We went against the instructions which recommended all cuts be made from underneath to prevent chipping. After a few practice runs we found our blades weren’t making any significate chips on the top anyway. This made marking out cuts a lot easier. We stuck little felt pads on the bottom of the jig saw to ensure it didn’t leave any rub marks as we made the cuts.

Cutting around doorways was difficult and very time consuming, I must say it tested my patients a few times. In some cases we were able to slide the boards underneath the door frame for a seamless look. But in some areas this was just not possible. Therefore we cut the boards as close to the exact door frame size as we could and I will fill in the small gap with a little filler of some sort. You really can’t notice unless you’re down on your hands and knees anyway.

 

It has taken us a few weeks to lay the floor. We have had a few full days over the weekend, but then a lot was done after work each night.

The floor is not perfect, there are a few imperfections here and there, but really I don’t think you can tell unless I point out where they are… so I won’t do that haha.

I think it looks wonderful. I’m so proud of the outcome and that I had a go and challenged myself. I’ve gained some new skills but more importantly gained a huge amount of confidence in being able to tackle these large home projects. Again a huge Thank you to my parents who were just as much a part of this project as I was. I couldn’t have done it without them.

Ill upload some finished pics hopefully next week.

Then onto stage 2... Painting, cutting and fitting my skirting boards.

A few pics..

So in all the excitement of handover day I didnt realise that my camera was on manual focus and most of my photos came out blurry. But anyway heres just a few as promised...

I hung a few temporary paper blinds up to give some privacy...and also a few honorary sheets. Which are all still up :o

Im currently still laying my flooring which is taking a little longer than expected but its nearly finished. Its so nice not to be walking around on that concrete floor anymore. I'll share pics and details very soon..

Keys!!...

So handover was almost two weeks ago now and wow the time has flown, I've been flat out but its been great!

 

The actual handover went pretty smooth, well kinda, a few small minor hiccups. I had handover booked at the house for Friday 25th July 1pm.

 

Most of the last minute jobs to be done by the builders were completed, these included replacing a few scratched panels in the kitchen, wall paint touch ups, replacing a panel in my glass door as it had a scratch, tidying up silicone around the kitchen sink etc. and the final appliances, hot water system etc were installed that day also.

 

My site supervisor did however, bring the keys and paperwork for the wrong house! my heart stopped when we both realised. I was thinking, oh no, that means no handover as it wasn't feasible to just go and get my paperwork as the head office is over an hour away. But in the end, after a few phone calls, he left me with a construction key so I could have access and then returned the following day with the correct paperwork and keys. Pheww. I think he felt pretty silly.

 

So since keys, I've been flat out cleaning, sealing the grout in my bathrooms, laying my flooring, putting up some temporary fencing, hanging blinds, security lights, the list goes on.

 

I've also had my air conditioner, carpet and kitchen lighting installed. Ill do some more detailed posts on everything later, once I've had a bit of time to digest what's been happening.

I did have a few days off work which helped to get a few things done but now I'm back to work its been a bit harder to make significant progress. but good things take time right!

Anyway I better get back to it, I promise more updates and pics very soon.

Libby xx

 

Handover TOMORROW!

 

So handover is almost here, wow! how crazy is that. All those years of dreaming, planning, saving and preparing, the day that I finally get the keys to my very own home is finally here.

 

I've got to say I have so many mixed emotions going on right now. Of course I'm beyond excited, but I'm also nervous and slightly scared of what lies ahead. Life is about to change in a lot of ways for me and its also about to get a lot busier.

 

There's going to be a lot of late nights getting things set up, and there is going to be some big learning curves I'm sure, as I delve into first time home ownership.

 

But I'm looking forward to it all, looking forward to making this house my home and seeing what fun ways I can decorate it and make it my own. I'm so excited to see some of my ideas that have been in my head for so long actually come to life.

 

This last week has been crazy making sure all the last minute things are organised. My brain has been on overdrive and I've also had money coming out my eyeballs. haha.  I do have some time off work after I get my keys so I can get started on installing my flooring and also so I can be home for a few different tradies I've got coming to do my air con, splashback, extra lighting etc.

 

Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly with the final payment with my bank and also with the few last minute things that needed to be done by the builders on my house.

 

Here's to the future and all the exciting things that lay ahead....

 

Libby x

 

Bathrooms are in!

The same time the kitchen went in, the cabinetry for the bathrooms also went in, and then it wasn't long and I had a tiler on-site. The wall tiles went up first and then the floor tiles.

 

I don't have any great photos of the bathrooms yet. So once again you may need a little imagination.

 

With the main bathroom in 'selections' I took the risk and decided to put the same tile on both the floor and the wall, a grey tile. I've been very anxious to see how this would turn out but I must say I am very happy. I love the seamless look, although some might say the dark tiles make the space smaller, I tend to disagree, it think it gives the space a moody, intriguing feel.

I paired this with my dark vanity cupboard, with a white bench top. Overall I love it.

 

 

The only thing which I would possibly change, which was sort of an over sight on my behalf is the tile on top of the bench. I probably should have gone for something different here. but honestly I remember being in my selections appointment with a million and one things to decide on, my brain kinda shut down and I said to just go with the same tile. I'm still very happy with it, but I guess I may change that down the road. I do have some ideas, but that would be way, way down the track.

 

You may (or may not) recall me talking a while back about my white ensuite bathroom plans here. Well its been great to see that come to fruition. Basically, just like my kitchen, I wanted it all white. The floor tiles, wall tiles and grout. Yes white grout. Call me crazy. I know its going to be a nightmare to keep clean but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. I have sourced a grout sealer which I plan on using to help, I'll talk about it further another time.

 

So once again I have white cabinetry, this is the exact same doors as my kitchen, and exact same benchtop colour except its not gloss, just a matt finish.

 

I'll also be adding my Ikea mirror cabinet in the ensuite, which I blogged about here.