How to Install Laminate Flooring in a Mobile Home

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Things You'll Need

  • Floating floor planks

  • Vacuum cleaner

  • Foam padding

  • Jig saw

  • Wood trim

  • Hammer

  • Finishing nails

Image Credit: Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images

A mobile home is a small enough space that you can easily tackle many do-it-yourself projects, such as installing laminate flooring. Flooring options with laminate come in many designs, so you can choose the style that best accents your décor. In addition, because it's laminate, it's more affordable than many other types of flooring. When you install laminate flooring in a mobile home, you can easily update the look of your floors and increase the value of your house with a product that can last much longer than carpet.

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Step 1

Inspect the rooms and hallways where you will install mobile home laminate flooring. Determine which direction will be easiest, and most aesthetic, to run the plank. For example, if you have a long hallway, it may be easier to install your mobile home laminate flooring planks so they run parallel to the hallway walls. That makes it much easier to install, with fewer cuts required. Make sure the planks run the same direction throughout the entire mobile home for a consistent look.

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Step 2

Lay down foam padding on the subfloor where you want to install laminate wood floors. The padding acts as sound insulation and it helps prevent your mobile home laminate flooring from wearing out because it acts as a cushion between your laminate flooring and the subfloor. To cut the foam padding to size, you can use regular scissors. Use duct tape to seal any seams you may have in your foam padding.

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Step 3

Place your first laminate flooring plank on the ground in the place where you want the installation to begin, usually in a corner. Place the tongue side up against the wall.

Step 4

Insert the tongue of your second laminate flooring plank into the corresponding groove on the first plank. Snap the second plank down so it sits flush against the subfloor. Repeat this process until you install all of your laminate flooring planks. Use a circular saw to cut your laminate flooring planks to size, if necessary.

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Step 5

Install your laminate flooring planks with a 5/16-inch gap between the flooring and the wall. Some types of laminate flooring can react to temperatures and will expand or contract as temperatures change. The 5/16-inch gap, which you will conceal with wood trim, allows the floors to move around as needed without causing damage or buckling.

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Step 6

Nail wood trim around the edge of the wood to hide the gap and to camouflage any uneven cuts or discrepancies that might show up without the trim.

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