It goes without saying that a concrete slab is the perfect solution for heavy machinery. This includes use in garages as well as private and public parking spaces. However, what happens when your garage becomes an extension of your living space?
While concrete is a solid solution for parking cars on, you will agree that it does not have an aesthetic flair to it. In such cases, it’s only ideal to sort out other formidable flooring solutions such as laminate. Aside from improving the overall outlook of the garage and home in whole, a laminate flooring can comfortably handle all the regular activities that are carried out in a garage space with ease.
Basically, there are different types of laminate flooring, based on design. Whilst this is the case, a vast majority of these floorings are developed by artificially recreating different surfaces from hardwood to stone surfaces. Unlike concrete surfaces, laminate flooring comes either in tiles or large sheets. Additionally, the attractive patterns decorated on the surface of a laminate flooring make it better than concrete flooring.
Can you put laminate flooring in the garage? Yes, you can put laminate flooring in your garage. Coupled with the fact that laminate flooring is easy to install, you can rest assured that it will enhance your garage’s aesthetic value. Perhaps the best thing is that laminate is quite easy to install and requires little or no effort to maintain once it has been installed.
Can You Put Laminate Flooring in Garage?
Before delving deeper into this question, the answer is yes. Just like concrete flooring, laminate flooring can be installed in a garage floor.
So, how can you install this flooring in your garage? Since this flooring is quite sophisticated, you can expect it to be installed differently from the traditional concrete flooring.
These steps will guide you on how to fully install laminate flooring in your garage.
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Step 1
Just like any other floor installation, you will have to first prepare your garage floor. This includes cleaning the floor, leveling the floor and ensuring that it’s dry enough.
Using a mild detergent, ensure to remove all debris or dirt in the floor. Since it’s a garage you are looking to install the laminate flooring, chances are that the floor will be full of oil. In such cases, ensure to use specially formulated detergent to thoroughly clean your garage floor.
Step 2
Once you are certain that your garage floor is clean enough, the second step is to level the floor. This is a crucial step to take prior to installing laminate flooring.
To ensure that your floor is leveled enough, utilize a level bar. The best thing about this tool is that it identifies any rises and dips on the floor surface, thus making it easier for you to identify and mark any problem areas.
Another thing to keenly consider is the night of the floor. Ideally, the floor shouldn’t have big differences between two particular points. When it comes to height, the difference shouldn’t exceed 3/16tg inch. For any problematic areas, ensure to fill in any spots with a self-leveling compound y. For any high spots, ensure to grind down with the aid of a concrete grinder.
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Step 3
Once your garage floor is clean and level, the next step is to place a 6mm polyethylene film sheet on the floor. Typically, this film of sheet is utmost important in preventing any moisture from seeping through the laminate flooring. However, ensure that the sheet is no more than 8 inches overlap in adjoining areas.
Step 4
After placing a polyethylene sheet on the floor, the next step is to lay a layer of form on the floor. This is to ensure that noise is utterly minimized when stepping in the laminate. When installing the foam, ensure that it laps up the baseboards at least 2 inches. Thereafter, secure the foam to the wall with a masking tape.
Step 5
The fifth step involves installing the actual laminate. However, this isn’t as simple as it may sound. You must start installing the laminate from the corner of the garage as you work your way towards the center. However, when starting from the corner, ensure to leave a ¼ inches space between the laminate floor and the corner wall.
Start by installing the first two rows onto the floor. Since it’s a trial basis, avoid gluing the first two rows of laminate to the floor. This way, you will be able to determine the best position to place your laminate thus avoiding any cutting as much as possible. Only glue the laminate to the floor after you have determined the best placement.
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Step 6
After determining the best placement position, the next step involves gluing the laminate to the floor. When doing this, it’s of utmost importance to ensure that the glue is adhesive enough.
Start by spreading enough adhesive glue directly beneath the laminate tile. Thereafter, go ahead to glue the tiles onto the placement positions you had previously identified.
After gluing the laminate tiles and placing them into position, ensure to use a tapping mallet with a rubber head to firmly place the tiles to the floor. When doing this, it’s of utmost importance to gently tap on the tile to avoid breaking the already delicate laminate tiles.
While this process may be simple, damages are bound to happen. In such cases, ensure to measure any partial space before fitting it with a tile.
After measuring the partial space, you can go ahead to use a tile cutter or a circular saw to cut the laminate tile that will fit into the space. Once you fit the tile into position, ensure to use a pull bar to perfectly fit the laminate joints together. Even so, ensure to place a tape into the glued seams until you are sure that the partial piece is set in place firmly.
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Conclusion
Laminate floor tiles are formidable materials that apart from their aesthetic value, can be used on garages. Its beauty as well as ability to withstand high pressure makes it the perfect material for anyone looking to make their garage an extension of their living space.
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