Simplest Ways to Install Flooring

So you’ve decided to update your home with some new flooring, but you don’t want to hire a contractor to install it? Many flooring types are fairly simple to install with minimal tools or additional materials, and if you’re looking for the simplest installations, those types are the way to go. Floating floors are the simplest type to install. These include laminate, vinyl planking, and some linoleum. Floating floors get their name because they are not secured to the subfloor like tile or hardwood is. They may have a sublayer of thin foam rubber, but otherwise there is nothing between them and the subfloor. This is one of the characteristics that make them so simple to install. Another characteristic of the simplest flooring installs is the tongue and groove planking. These options have a tongue cut into one side and a groove cut into the other so that install is as easy as fitting the pieces together and snapping them into place. Floating linoleum floors are fairly simple to install and have no clicking or snapping at all. Simply make a template with a large piece of paper, and then lay the paper over the linoleum to make your cuts. Remove the shoe molding from the wall, lay down the linoleum, and then nail your shoe molding back into place. The molding will hold the linoleum into place. The most difficult part of this process is making sure your cuts are correct, and the removal and replacement of the shoe molding. The types of flooring that are most difficult to install are tile and carpet. Carpet is difficult to move from room to room, and to cut. One bad cut can ruin an entire roll and cost quite a bit of money, which is why it’s often left to the professionals. Tile isn’t as difficult to install as carpet, but will require special materials such adhesive, grout, spacers, and specialized wet saws for cutting.