Laminate Flooring Installation in South Dakota

About this floor

Laminate has a hard, scratch resistant top layer over a dense core, and the better boards carry a very convincing wood grain with a texture you can feel. It suits living rooms, bedrooms and hallways where the floor sees chairs, toys and daily traffic, and where people want the look of oak without the upkeep of a real wood finish.

We lay laminate as a floating floor over a foam or felt underlayment. That layer softens the sound of footsteps and evens out the tiny bumps a base always has. Because the boards are stiff and precise, laminate rewards a flat base and a careful layout more than almost any other floor.

How the installation goes

1. Measure and check

   Each room is measured, the doorways are noted, and the base is checked for flatness over a long span, since laminate joints dislike dips.

2. Prepare the room

   Old carpet and pad, or the old floor covering, come up and leave with us. Door casings are undercut so the new floor slides beneath them instead of meeting them with a bead of caulk.

3. Underlayment

   A sound reducing underlayment is rolled out across the room with the seams taped, so the floor feels solid and sounds quieter.

4. Board by board

   Rows are clicked together with staggered end joints and spacers at every wall. Cuts around vents and door jambs are scribed so they fit closely.

5. Finish the edges

   The baseboard goes back or new trim goes on, and each doorway gets a matching transition so the edge is protected.

Where it fits

• Living rooms that face the sun, since good laminate holds its color well in strong light.
• Bedrooms where a hard floor is easier to keep clean of dust than carpet.
• Hallways connecting several rooms, run in one direction for a longer, wider look.
• Dens and home offices where desk chairs roll across the same spot all day.

Read about the rooms: Living room Bedrooms

Before install day

Empty closets you would like done, take down anything hanging low on the walls near the floor, and let us know about any floor vents. Boxes of laminate rest in the house for a couple of days before install day so the boards are at room temperature.

Living with it

A soft broom or a vacuum with the beater bar off is all most weeks need. For a deeper clean, use a microfiber pad and a cleaner made for laminate. Felt pads and soft chair casters protect the surface for years.