Covering Up Ugly Rental Apartment Carpeting With Laminate Flooring How many of us fellow renters have dreamt this very same idea: covering up an ugly rental unit carpet with wood flooring? Is it even possible? Seattle renter, Sumit Basu, covered up his low pile apartment carpet with a snap-in laminate floor, sharing tips of the process with a how-to video documenting the upgrade process... Bored with the dark, bland, low-pile carpet in my living room, I decided to install a "wood" (laminate) floor to cover part of my living space. The challenge, though, was that this is a rental, so I couldn't damage/remove the existing carpet. This video shows how I did it, from the initial strategy to how to cut and assemble the pieces and finish the boundary between the laminate area and the carpeted area. Note that if you're planning on doing this in your own place, you should check with your landlord first to make sure it's okay. Sumit's results are admittedly impressive, as there's nearly nothing disheartening to a renter than ugly rental carpet (the gift that keeps on giving).

But there would definitely be concern about the long term condition of keeping a floating surface over carpet if humidity (and thus, mold) is an issue, alongside the inevitable warp/flex which would appear due to foot traffic. Also, if and when a liquid is spilled, the possibility of seepage through to the sub-flooring (the once detested carpet underneath) could cause issues.Tire Changer On Sale And make sure you're working with a hard laminate product, not the popular vinyl TrafficMaster Allure, unless you're desiring the sensation of walking on marshmallows.Yellow Lounge Curtains All these concerns spell out, "proceed with caution", with a special note to ask your landlord first about doing anything flooring related. Patio Furniture West Palm Beach Florida

You might be surprised and discover your landlord agrees it may be time to pull out the 70's orange carpet in your living room and replace it with something new and properly installed. Video and images: Sumit BasuCan you lay laminate flooring over carpet? It is possible to install laminate flooring over carpet. For a successful installation, the carpet must be fully adhered, and ideally it should be no more than one-quarter-inch thick. How do you lay tile flooring in a warehouse? How do you remove a plywood subfloor? Which direction do I lay laminate flooring? Laminate flooring is a versatile and easy-to-maintain floor covering, making it a popular option for many homes. While many outlets discourage the act of laying laminate flooring over carpeting, it can be done. Low-pile carpet, such as Berber, is the easiest option since it allows for a more secure base. Laminate on high-pile carpets makes the floor feel as if it's moving and may cause problems underfoot, so this configuration is not recommended.

Learn more about Carpentry How do you repair floors damaged by a refrigerator leak? To repair floors damaged by a refrigerator leak, examine the flooring material and determine whether it can be restored or dried out or if it needs to be r... What are some tips for installing wood flooring? When installing wood flooring, the most important tips are to properly prepare the base, acclimate the wood to the normal temperature and humidity of the h... How do you prepare a site for hardwood floor installation? To prepare for hardwood flooring, remove the existing flooring and the baseboards, and measure the door casings to ensure the flooring fits under the casin... What is the average cost of terrazzo flooring? The average cost of terrazzo flooring is $20 to $50 per square foot as of 2015. This high-end flooring can be as much as $80 a square foot. How do you get rid of fleas in carpet? How do you remove heat marks from wood? How many stairs equal a flight?

What are some popular carpet manufacturers? What types of flooring can you get at Lowe's Home Improvement? How do you find local foundation contractors?Written You can, but it's not advisable. Laminate flooring needs to be laid on its own specialised underlay. You can get both damp proof or normal, but laying directly onto carpet is a poor job by the fitter. It's not that it won't work. Just that depending on the carpet(whether it has its own underlay or not) you will probably have to much of a cushion underneath.For more commonly asked questions on flooring and carpets, try this link. It took us less than eight hours (not including acclimation time) and about $200 to remove old wall-to-wall carpeting and install new laminate floors. Laminate flooring is economical, very durable and easy to install. It is a great choice for almost any room with the exception of bathrooms and laundry rooms because laminates can buckle and warp in rooms with high humidity and moisture. They work well in kitchens as long as you clean up spills as soon as they happen and only use a damp mop not a soaking-wet mop.

Laminates can work in foyers if they're not going to regularly encounter a lot snow and rain. Start by cutting the existing carpet between rooms if you aren't doing the whole house. Use a sharp utility knife and make one straight cut through the carpet across the doorway. Carpet on padding (most common) is held down with perimeter tack strips. Gently pull the carpet at the doorway up and away from the wall. Once the carpet starts to come off the tack strips it will be easy to remove. Roll the carpet up in the short direction and remove it from the room. Carpet is recyclable if you live in an area with collection facilities. Then remove the padding the same way. The padding may have some spots directly glued to the substrate. Use a metal putty knife to scrape these spots up. To remove the tack strips, use a small pry bar and hammer. For wood subfloors, use the pry bar directly on the attachment nails. For concrete slabs, start by removing the wood portions of the tack strips so you can remove the hardened nails without chipping the concrete too much.

You can completely replace the baseboards or leave existing baseboards and just install new shoe mold over the new flooring. Since this room had cheap and short builder's-grade baseboards, we elected to replace them. To remove baseboards, score the caulk joint between the wall and the trim with a utility knife. Pull the baseboard away from the wall with a metal putty knife to prevent damaging the wall surface or tearing the drywall paper. Then use a pry bar anywhere the baseboard is nailed. Because a floating floor is not attached to the subfloor, it is very important to  make sure that the subfloor is perfectly level. Scrape up any remnant glue or paint with a metal putty knife. Then sweep clean the room being particularly diligent to find loose tack strip nails. Use at least a 6' level to check for variations in the subfloor. Consult the manufacturer’s specifications for the maximum variation allowed. Generally accepted numbers are in the 1/4” to 3/16” range over 10'.

In some cases, using a string line will be easier than using a shorter level or for odd shaped rooms. Installing a floating floor over a poor subfloor can lead to noise and product failures. The number one complaint of floating floors is that they can feel “spongy” in spots, which is likely caused by underlying variations. If your subfloor is not even enough, level it out by sanding the high spots (in the case of wood subfloors) or using a leveling compound. Allow the flooring to acclimate in the room where it will be installed. Again follow the manufacturer's directions but since floating floors are more dimensionally stable than wood, generally accepted time frame is 2-4 days. When selecting flooring, consider the look, thickness, warranty and pre-applied padding. Single plank floors with V-edges will look more realistic. Thicker floors (10-13mm) will feel more substantial to the foot and generally carry a longer warranty. Flooring with pre-applied underlayment will also save you a step.

Before installing, check the width of the room. Generally, installing the planks parallel to the main view of the room will make the room appear larger, so check perpendicular to this angle. Measure the finished face of one plank. Divide the room width by the plank width. This not only will tell you the number of rows but also the last row cut width. Generally you want to keep cut pieces at a minimum of 2” to 3” in width. In our case, the last row would be just over 2”. If you need to, cut down the first row on a table saw to make the last row slightly wider. Under-cut door frames and any locations where shoe molding cannot be used. Flip over a spare piece of flooring on two pieces of spare underlayment and use a vibratory saw to remove the lower portions of door frames. Alternatively, you can use a hand pull or trim saw which takes a bit more technique to make a clean cut. Install the underlayment according to the manufacturer's instructions and be sure to tape the seams.

Layout the first row checking to see how long the last piece will be. Generally, you want this piece to be at least 12” on the first row. Trim the first piece in the row if necessary to make the last piece longer. Because floating floors will expand and contract some, use a spare piece of flooring vertically against the wall to create a gap. To make the first cut, flip the last board over and use a square to mark it even with the previous full piece. Then mark which side is the “drop” so you don't cut on the wrong side of the line. Use a small circular or jigsaw make the cross cut on the “drop” side of the line. A speed square can also help you make the cut straighter than just free hand. If the dropped piece is large enough, save it for the next row. When you have all the pieces for the first row, assemble them by rocking the end tongue and groove joints together. Be sure to use even and firm pressure when pushing them together. Avoid off-angle or not flush conditions because these will weaken the joint and will cause alignment issues on the next row.

When you get to a doorway, measure the length of board that needs to slider under the trim. Use a pencil to mark the top of the board in the area of the cut. Notch the board using a table saw or jigsaw. If the doorway is close to your starter row, join the boards out from under the trim. Then slide the whole assembly back under the door. When joining the next full piece, be sure the long edge is tight but the short edge isn't overlapping. Rock the board down while tapping a rubber mallet against a spare piece of flooring. Depending on the thickness of the flooring, you may need to repeat this down the length of the board. Close the gap at the small edge by tapping the opposite end again with a spare piece of flooring to prevent damaging the tongue and groove edge. Continue installing rows in a pyramid pattern. This will help keep the installation nice and straight. When near a wall, use a pull bar to close up the short gap. The pull bar allows you to strike with the mallet away from the wall while still transferring the force into the board.

A makeshift pull bar can also be made from a pry bar and piece of wood. When measuring for the boards that are close to wall, be sure to take into account the gap needed at the wall. Since we were installing new baseboard, having too large a gap is less critical. If you are installing against existing baseboard, be sure to keep the gap smaller than 1/2” so the shoe mold covers it completely. The next tricky spot will be the leading edge of a doorway. Since you can't slide a board under the door with a U-shaped notch, break this section into two different boards. We chose to install the closet board first and then slide it back under the door trim using a pry bar. For complicated cuts, make a drawing with dimensions so you can prevent cutting the piece backward which is a very common mistake. Then an L-shaped board can be cut to slide in from the other side. Tap this piece into place and then slide it under the door trim by tapping it until it joins the previous piece.