Do I Need To Remove Baseboards To Install Laminate Flooring

However you may choose to remove the baseboards.

Do i need to remove baseboards to install laminate flooring.

Baseboards are boards installed along the lowest part of interior walls directly next to the floor. Because laminate flooring installation is started at the center of the room it is rarely flush against the walls. If you re going to install baseboards before installing the floor you have to make sure you have the proper gap to allow the flooring to get tucked under the baseboards. That means you need to put the baseboards over the laminate to hold it in place.

The problem this causes is when you go to install the baseboard on the new wood flooring the baseboard may not sit flat on the floor. You need room to work with the laminate as it will be snapping together before going on the floor. If you took up carpet and installed laminate or hardwood flooring you may not have noticed this before as the carpet hid the gaps. Place 1 4 inch spacers at each end of the first course to ensure a 1 4 inch gap between the baseboard and the laminate flooring.

It leaves a gap between the baseboard and the new flooring which is unsightly. Most flooring applications do not require you to remove existing baseboards. So you just need to roll it out and spread it through the room where you are going to install your new laminate flooring. The purpose of baseboards is to hide the joints between the wall and floor as well as add visual appeal to the space.

There s more to installing your own flooring than the actual laying of the floor itself. With laminate you are not going to be adhering anything to the floor. This should seem obvious but well if you make the gap under the baseboards too small for the flooring to fit then a hammer and a wonder bar might be. You must put the baseboards on top of the laminate once you are finished.

Preparing the subfloor dealing with floor transitions and today s topic removing baseboards are all skills you will need if you plan to do the work yourself.