Materials And Tools Needed To Install Floors
Whether you are a handyman making a living or a weekend do-it-yourselfer giving your home a little extra TLC, installing new floors is a task that requires specific tools and materials. Although there are a few common tools that all floor work requires (pencils, hammer, and measuring tape), the materials and tools needed to install floors depend largely on the kind of flooring you lay. Some of these include vinyl floors, ceramic tile, laminate (or floating hardwood) floors, and hardwood floors.
Vinyl floors are typically laid in entryways, bathrooms, kitchens, and family rooms. This particular kind of flooring is popular because it is inexpensive, durable, and easy to clean. Before installing vinyl, you need to determine whether or not an underlayment is required prior. This depends on the state of your current flooring. If an underlayment is needed, you must use Portland cement to fill in the seams. A mudding knife and a pneumatic stapler are needed to get the job done.
To install the vinyl flooring, you will need to accomplish as smooth and exact of a cut as possible. This can be achieved with the help of a floor template and hooked-blade knife for cutting, a notched trowel and special adhesive, and a heavy roller to smooth out bubbles for a clean finish.
Ceramic tile floors require a great deal of work but yield a beautiful result. This kind of flooring looks great in any room of the house and is easier to clean than wood or carpet. To install tile, you must carefully measure and cut tiles to size with a wet saw, depending on the shape of the room. Circular cuts can be made using a tile-cutter or with a pair of slip-joint pliers.
Thin-set mortar must then be mixed together and spread with a notched trowel. Rubber spacers will help keep tiles evenly spaced as you work your way throughout the room. Once this dries, mix together grout in a large bucket. You must use a grout trowel to fill the gaps between tiles with grout. As you work, use a sponge and a bucket of water to wipe excess grout off of tiles.
Laminate or floating hardwood floors are considerably less expensive and easier to install than authentic hardwood floors. Because they so closely resemble the real thing, they have become an increasingly popular choice. Installation of laminate flooring does not require nails, which eliminates a lot of tools and work. If you select pre-finished laminate, you will reduce the amount of work even further. You will still need a circular saw and jigsaw to cut boards to size. Other than that, a rubber mallet and tap block are all that is needed to secure flooring into place.
Hardwood flooring is one of the most elegant finishes to a home. To lay authentic hardwood, you will be best equipped with a miter saw for cutting the wood boards to size. A floor nailer and finish nailer, which may require an air compressor, will make easy work of securing boards into place. Before staining and applying a finish to hardwood, be sure to use a good-quality floor sander to buff it down. With the right knowledge of the materials and tools needed to install floors, your decorating options can be limitless.