How Soon Can You Walk on Laminate Flooring?

How Soon Can You Walk on Laminate Flooring? One of the biggest mistakes you can make with laminate flooring is to walk on the floor before it’s completely cured. Unless you let your floor bed in, you can affect the installation process and this can cause an uneven floor.

Never walk on your laminate flooring for at least 24 hours following installation, no matter how inviting it looks.

Walking on your laminate flooring too early let’s just one of many honest but frustrating mistakes that people make when installing this flooring solution. In this article, we will highlight some of the biggest mistakes you can make when installing laminate flooring.

#1 Forgetting to add a waterproof seal

Installing laminate flooring throughout your home can provide the perfect solution for bathrooms, dining room, living room, and even your kitchen. Exposing it to water without sealing it can cause issues.

In areas such as your kitchen and bathroom, it’s important to prevent any moisture from getting under the flooring. The best way to do this is to install a waterproof seal, this will prevent any moisture damage and buckling and any buildup of mold or mildew.

#2 Not allowing enough clearance

No need for nails or glue Laminate flooring is a floating solution sitting on top of the subfloor. Failure to make allowances for the floor expand and contract because of any changes in humidity or temperature.

For example, if you’re working in a 10-ft by 10-ft bedroom space allowing a quarter of an inch around the perimeter as an expansion Gap is perfectly acceptable. If you’re working in a larger space such as a 30×30 ft room, you must increase this clearance to at least 1/2 of an inch.

If you don’t do this, expect to encounter buckled laminate flooring in the future

#3 Not allowing the flooring to acclimate

This is one of the most common mistakes people make when installing laminate flooring themselves.

Such a simple step can be extremely frustrating when you forget it and end up with a large bump in the middle of your room and have to tackle all the installation of the floor all over again.

If you bring laminate flooring from a corner into a warm environment and install it right away, the recommended expansion gaps will have to change. Experts will tell you to let your flooring sit for 48 hours in the new temperature to allow us to acclimatize.

#4 Not inspecting all the planks

Every laminate flooring plank should be fully inspected before you install them to make sure they have no visible defect and match in color, style, and pattern to the rest of the floor planks.

When you’re on your hands and knees installing flooring, it’ll be difficult to notice any defects or any damage to the laminate until you’ve nearly finished the work.

Also from a returns perspective if you find a series of defective planks after you’ve laid down three boxes of laminate negotiating the returns provider of your materials will be increasingly difficult.

#5 Not fixing the sub floor

As we mentioned previously, laminate flooring is meant to be a floating flooring and the subfloor you lay it on directly affects how it performs. Too many older homes have poor sub floors and people think adding a thick layer of laminate on top of them will fix the problem.

Your laminate floor will flex, moving up and down, and adjust to the flooring underneath. This level of flexibility can damage your locking system beyond repair, resulting in poor floor performance and an occurrence of microbes being seen between the boards.

The easiest way to avoid this is to check your subfloor beforehand and purchase a thicker underlay. However, if you notice severe defects in your subfloor, invest in a new one before installing your laminate.

#6 Choosing the wrong underlay

When installing laminate flooring, your underlay is vitally important. If you want the floor to perform as it should and protect against any movement or noises you’re under, it needs to be correct.

It also provides protection against any water vapor that might escape from the concrete. They simply call one of the most effective underlays on the market a vapor barrier.

How Soon Can You Walk on Laminate Flooring? – Conclusion

We hope you can avoid the seven problems highlighted above and remember that installing laminate flooring takes a level of patience to get it right. Plan everything in advance and once it’s installed remember to walk away for the first 24 hours.