Laminate Flooring Installation: Do It Yourself or Hire a Professional?

You’ve done your research, chosen your laminate flooring, and now there’s an important decision left: do you install it yourself or hire a professional?

Ask yourself the following questions and be honest with your answers. There’s no shame in substituting work, but the savings in your pocket may be worth it depending on how you answer the following.

1. Do you have time to do the installation? If you’re working full time, a 600 square foot area can take up a couple of weekends and many nights, and that’s if you keep working consistently. An installation team will be in and out of your home in a couple of days.
2. How is your patience level? Every job has its drawbacks and you will run into problems at some point. There’s plenty of help available online in forums, in articles, through your manufacturer, and through your local flooring retailer, so if you’re willing to push through the odds, this shouldn’t hold you back.
3. What skills do you bring to the table? Laminate flooring installation is not rocket science. If you can measure, use power tools, and know how to operate a saw, you should be fine.
4. Do you have access to the tools you’ll need to get the job done? A hand saw, jig saw, and workbench or sawhorses are the main items you’ll need beyond the basics of a hammer, pry bar, pounding block, tape measure, and spacers.
5. Do you have someone to help you? If you’re working in a space larger than 150 square feet, work will go much faster with two. One can assemble the next row while the other cuts, then both can angle the row into place.
6. What is the condition of the work surface you are installing on? This could be the deciding factor. If you are removing carpet, do you have access to a dumpster? Raising rugs can be tricky business, especially if you were glued down. Picking up old carpet kicks up dust, mold and allergens, so if you’re going to remove it, do it quickly and clean the subfloor quickly as well.

So what’s it going to be? Will you do it yourself and reap huge savings or will you hire an installer for convenience, efficiency and convenience?