Do I Need To Remove Baseboards To Install Laminate Flooring

Most flooring applications do not require you to remove existing 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. 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. With laminate you are not going to be adhering anything to the floor. Because laminate flooring installation is started at the center of the room it is rarely flush against the walls.

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. So you just need to roll it out and spread it through the room where you are going to install your new laminate flooring. 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.

Trim molding and baseboards are essential for achieving a finished polished look for your new laminate floors. That means you need to put the baseboards over the laminate to hold it in place. You must put the baseboards on top of the laminate once you are finished. 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.

There s more to installing your own flooring than the actual laying of the floor itself. It leaves a gap between the baseboard and the new flooring which is unsightly. 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. As you can see it s not rocket science just push it all the way to the walls.

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.