Laminate Padding Installation

Vapor Barrier

• Prior to installing the laminate padding, determine whether or not a vapor barrier is necessary, and if so, whether to use a padding that has a built-in barrier or a separate padding and vapor barrier. The barrier prevents moisture from making its way up from the subfloor and into the laminate flooring. It is necessary to block moisture on concrete and ground-level floors, but optional on plywood subfloors that are on the second story or higher where moisture is not much of a concern.

Preparation

• Complete all of the recommended preparation for installing the laminate floor as recommended by the manufacturer before installing the padding. This typically includes leveling the subfloor, undercutting doorways, removing baseboards and cleaning the subfloor to remove any debris. If you are using a separate vapor barrier, install it after the preparations are complete, but before the padding. Roll out a single strip of the vapor barrier film, overlapping any seams by at least eight inches.

Installation

• Read the manufacturer's instructions regarding installation before beginning since improper installation can sometimes void the warranty on the entire floor. In general, start in the corner where you plan to lay the first row of planks and roll the padding out along the length of the wall. Make sure the padding butts up against the wall. Don't attach it to the subfloor unless specifically instructed to do so in the manufacturer's instructions. Lay the laminate planks, taking care not to shift or create wrinkles in the padding, until the planks reach its outside edge. Roll out another strip of padding the length of the room, making sure the edge of the first and second strip are pushed up against each other.

Seams

• While vapor barrier film should overlap along the seams, padding generally should not, even if it includes a built-in barrier. The exception to this rule is if the padding has an overlap strip incorporated into its construction. This usually consists of a thin strip of vapor barrier film along the edge that is meant to go underneath the subsequent layer. Follow manufacturer instructions, but standard padding typically only needs to be taped at random intervals along seams to keep it in place while the planks are installed. Padding with a built-in barrier that lacks an overlap strip is usually taped along the entire seam to create a moisture barrier along the seam.