Floor Installation
Laminate Floor Installation in Philadelphia, PA
Laminate is a printed image over a fiberboard core, clicked together and floating over the subfloor rather than fastened to it. It is the least expensive floor we install and there is nothing wrong with choosing it. What separates a laminate floor that looks deliberate from one that looks like a kit is almost entirely in the preparation and the edges, which is where the labor goes.
In short
Deco Hardwood Floor installs laminate floors for homeowners in Philadelphia and within 50 miles of it, flattening the subfloor first and covering the edges with base or quarter round. Laminate is a printed layer over a fiberboard core, clicked together and floating over the subfloor. It is the right call for a bedroom, a hallway or a living room that stays dry, when the budget rules out wood. The result, over a flat subfloor, is a floor that looks deliberate, though it cannot be sanded and is replaced when it wears.
At a glance
- What it is
- A printed layer over a fiberboard core, clicked and floating
- Not the same as vinyl
- Laminate has a wood core. Water is its weakness
- Where the labor goes
- Flattening the subfloor and cutting the edges
- Cannot be
- Sanded, refinished or repaired invisibly
- Material
- Supplied by us, direct from the distributor
It floats, so the subfloor decides how it feels
A floating floor is not fastened down, so every dip and ridge under it turns into either a hollow sound underfoot or a joint that works loose over time.
Because the planks lock to each other and not to the subfloor, the whole field moves as one sheet. Over a low spot it bridges, and walking on it produces the hollow click that people associate with cheap floors. That sound is a preparation problem, not a product problem.
Over a ridge the opposite happens: the sheet pivots, and the locking joints take stress they were not designed for until one of them opens. That failure shows up months later and looks like a defect in the floor.
So the work is flattening. Measuring the subfloor, filling the lows, taking down the highs, and only then laying anything. It is unglamorous and it is most of the difference in the finished result.
Nearly every complaint about a laminate floor sounding cheap is a complaint about what was left under it.
The edges are what give it away
A floating floor needs an expansion gap at every wall, and how that gap is covered is the single most visible difference between a careful installation and a fast one.
The field has to be free to move with the seasons, so it never touches a wall, a pipe or a door casing directly. That gap gets covered, and the cheap way is a thick plastic strip pinned over everything, which announces itself at every doorway.
The careful way is undercutting the door casings so the flooring runs beneath them, scribing to irregular walls, and covering the perimeter with base or quarter round that reads as trim rather than as an accessory.
The transitions between rooms are the same story. A well cut threshold looks like part of the house. A stock T-molding dropped in looks like what it is.
What laminate does not do, said plainly
It cannot be sanded, it cannot be repaired invisibly, and water that gets into the core swells it permanently, which is the difference between laminate and vinyl.
The core is a wood product. Vinyl plank is waterproof through and through; laminate is not, and a leak that sits on a seam will swell the core and leave a raised edge that does not go back down.
That makes it the wrong choice for bathrooms and for below grade, where vinyl or tile belong. In a bedroom, a hallway or a finished basement that stays dry, it does its job.
And when it wears out it gets replaced rather than refinished, which is the trade you are accepting. We would rather say that at the estimate than have it be a surprise in year eight.
When is laminate floor installation the right choice?
Laminate is the right choice for a dry room when cost matters more than the ability to refinish. It is the least expensive floor we install, and it does its job in bedrooms, hallways and living rooms that stay dry.
Worn carpet in a dry room
The carpet in a bedroom or a hallway is matted and stained, and there is plywood under it, not wood. Laminate gives a hard floor there without the cost of wood.
The budget is fixed
You have a set amount for the whole room. Laminate is the least expensive floor we install, and what makes it look right is preparation, not a costlier plank.
The laminate you have sounds hollow
A click or a drumming sound underfoot means the floor is bridging a low spot. New planks over the same subfloor will sound the same unless it is flattened first.
Joints opening or edges raised
Seams that have opened point at a ridge under the floor. Edges that have swollen point at water in the core. Neither goes back, and those planks get replaced.
A rental between tenants
The floor has to look clean and take ordinary wear, and nobody is going to refinish it. Laminate in the dry rooms is a reasonable answer. Bathrooms need something else.
A room that will be redone anyway
You plan to renovate in some years and do not want to pay for a floor meant to last decades. Laminate is honest about being replaced when it wears.
How to get laminate to look like a floor and not a kit
Measure the subfloor
Flatness first. This decides how the floor will feel.Flatten it
Fill the lows, take down the highs. Most of the labor is here.Let the boxes acclimate
In the room, in the conditions the floor will live in.Undercut the casings
The flooring runs under the trim, not up against it.Lay with the expansion gap
The field never touches a wall, a pipe or a casing.Trim the perimeter
Base or quarter round, not a plastic strip at every doorway.
What a laminate floor installation includes
The quote covers measuring and flattening the subfloor, the planks, the undercutting of the door casings, the installation and the perimeter trim. Most of the labor is in the flattening and the edges, so both are written in.
Included
- A visit from the owner to measure the room and check the subfloor for flatness
- Laminate supplied by us at the distributor's store price, or installation of planks you already bought
- Flattening of the subfloor: low spots filled, high spots taken down
- Door casings undercut so the planks run beneath them
- Planks laid with an expansion gap at every wall, pipe and casing
- Base or quarter round at the perimeter, and thresholds cut to fit between rooms
Not included, or quoted separately
- Bathrooms, and basements that do not stay dry. Vinyl or tile belongs there, not laminate
- Any future sanding or refinishing. Laminate is a printed layer and gets replaced when it wears
- Invisible repairs later. A damaged plank can be replaced, but the repair tends to show
- Responsibility for the planks themselves when you bought them elsewhere, as the terms state
What changes the price of laminate floor installation
We set the price after seeing the room. With laminate, most of the labor is under the floor and at its edges. What moves the number is how much flattening the subfloor needs, how many doorways there are, and what has to come up first.
| What changes it | How it moves the price | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subfloor flattening | Filling the lows and taking down the highs is most of the labor. A flatter subfloor means a smaller job. | A room over sound, flat plywood may need little. An old floor with a hump along a beam needs real work before any plank is laid. |
| Doorways and casings | Every casing is undercut and every doorway gets a threshold. More openings mean more cutting. | A hallway with five doors takes longer per square foot than a bedroom with one. |
| Removal of the old floor | Carpet, pad, tack strip and staples have to come up before the subfloor can even be measured for flatness. | Carpet lifts in one piece. A glued floor, or a second layer hiding under the first, adds labor. |
| Plank grade | A higher AC rating and a thicker plank cost more as material. The installation labor stays about the same. | A plank made for heavier traffic costs more than an entry grade one, in the same room with the same preparation. |
| Perimeter trim | New base or quarter round is material and cutting. Scribing to walls that are not straight takes longer. | A square room with straight walls trims out quickly. An old rowhouse wall that wanders needs each piece fitted. |
What to ask before hiring a laminate floor installer
These questions apply to any contractor, including us. Laminate planks are much alike from one installer to the next. The preparation and the edges are not, so that is where to ask.
How will you check and flatten the subfloor?
A good answer includes a straightedge, filler for the lows and sanding or grinding for the highs. If the answer is that the underlayment takes care of it, the floor will sound hollow.
Do you undercut the door casings?
The planks should run under the casing. The fast alternative is cutting around it and hiding the gap with caulk or a plastic strip, which shows at every door.
How is the expansion gap covered?
Base or quarter round reads as trim. A thick plastic strip pinned over the edge reads as a shortcut. Ask which of the two is in the quote.
Is this plank right for this room?
Laminate has a wood based core. A contractor who will put it in a bathroom or a damp basement without comment is selling the floor you asked for, not the right one.
What is the AC rating of the plank?
The AC rating describes resistance to abrasion. It should be on the quote along with the plank thickness, so two quotes can be compared on the same product.
What happens at the transitions to other floors?
A threshold should be cut to the height of the floor it meets. One stock molding dropped into every doorway means nobody measured the height differences.
Why homeowners hire Deco Hardwood Floor
Deco Hardwood Floor is owner operated: the person who quotes laminate floor installation is the person responsible for it, and the material comes with the labor in one number.
Material and labor in one number
We buy the flooring direct from the distributor and pass the store price through, so you are not sourcing wood on your own between quotes.
Samples come to your house
Samples and larger offcuts come to you, so the color gets chosen in your own light instead of under a showroom lamp.
Stairs and railings built in house
Treads, risers, handrails and newel posts are drawn and built by our own crew. Most flooring crews subcontract stair work or decline it.
The owner quotes the job
The person who measures your floor is the person responsible for the work. There is no salesperson in between.
Measured before it is promised
Remaining thickness is measured at the edge of a board before we say a floor can be sanded, and no price is firm before we have seen the room.
Told straight, including the limits
Vacuum extraction catches most of the sanding dust and not all of it. We tell you that before the job instead of after.
More about who we are and what we will not claim on the About Deco Hardwood Floor page.
Questions about laminate floor installation
Is laminate the same as vinyl plank?
No, and the difference matters. Laminate has a wood based core that swells if water sits on a seam. Vinyl plank is waterproof through and through. For a bathroom or below grade, vinyl.
Why does laminate sound hollow?
Almost always because the subfloor under it was not flat. The floor floats, so it bridges low spots and the sound is the gap, not the product.
Can laminate be refinished?
No. It is a printed layer, and when it wears it gets replaced. That is the trade against wood.
Can it go in a basement?
Only where the basement stays genuinely dry, and vinyl is the safer answer below grade. We will tell you which situation you are in rather than sell you the floor you asked for.
Can you install laminate I already bought?
Yes. The preparation is the same and it is where the result comes from. Material we did not supply is outside what we cover, which is written into the terms.
Is laminate flooring worth it?
Yes, in a dry room where the budget rules out wood and you accept replacing the floor when it wears. Laminate floor installation gives a hard, clean surface, and it is the least expensive floor we install. It is not worth it in a bathroom or a damp basement, where one leak swells the core and the planks have to be replaced.
How long does laminate floor installation take?
It depends on the subfloor more than on the planks. Laying laminate is quick once the floor under it is flat. Removing the old floor, filling low spots, taking down high ones and undercutting each door casing is where the time in a laminate floor installation goes. Deco Hardwood Floor gives a schedule after measuring the subfloor, not before.
Laminate or engineered hardwood: what is the difference?
Engineered hardwood has a layer of real wood on top, and laminate has a printed image of wood. That is the whole difference in what you see up close and in what can be done later. A thick engineered wear layer can be sanded. Laminate cannot. Laminate floor installation is the honest choice when the floor is meant to be replaced, not kept.
Is laminate a good floor with dogs and children?
It holds up to traffic and poorly to water. The surface of a laminate floor is made to resist abrasion, and a higher AC rating resists more. What it does not forgive is a water bowl that overflows or an accident left sitting on a seam, because the core swells. After a laminate floor installation in a house with pets, wipe spills up early.
What should I do before the crew arrives to install laminate?
If you bought the planks yourself, have the boxes in the room ahead of time, in the conditions the floor will live in. Before a laminate floor installation, clear small and fragile things from the room and its closets, and agree on who moves the furniture. Deco Hardwood Floor measures the subfloor at the estimate, so the flattening is already in the quote.
Laminate Installation terms, defined
- AC rating
- An abrasion class, written as AC and a number, that grades how well a laminate surface resists wear. Higher numbers are meant for heavier traffic.
- HDF core
- The high density fiberboard at the center of a laminate plank, made of wood fibers and resin pressed under heat. It carries the locking joint and swells if water reaches it.
- click-lock
- A profile milled into the edges of each plank that snaps into its neighbor, so the floor holds together without glue or nails and floats over the subfloor.
- expansion gap
- The space left between a floating floor and every wall, pipe and door casing, so the whole field can move with the seasons. Trim covers it.
From the blog
Prefinished or site-finished
You will be told the difference is dust and drying time. The difference that lasts is the bevel and whether the floor can ever be matched.Waterproof flooring, and what the word actually covers
The plank is waterproof. The floor is a plank, a joint, a subfloor and a room, and water only has to beat one of them.
Related work
Send a photo and we will tell you what you are looking at
Laminate Floor Installation starts with someone reading the house. We quote every job ourselves, with no salesperson in between, and a photo of the floor gets you a straight answer faster than a form does.
