Smoothing Out Your Amtico Flooring Installation

With their smooth, glowing and polished surfaces, laminate floors convey a natural, yet modern feel, to any room they are installed in. But to make the most of the wonderful transformation afforded by laminate flooring, you'll want the installation to go off without a hitch. So what are the things to look out for when putting down an Amtico flooring system?

Look underneath a well-laid laminate floor, and you will find a well-prepared underfloor surface. As with most DIY tasks, the end result is improved immeasurably by spending a little time in preparation. So make sure your underfloor is as level, and as flat, as possible, and free of protrusions. The laying of an underlay can help here, in smoothing out smaller bumps. But if the underfloor is quite rough or pitted, then the application of a self-levelling compound will be necessary.

If may need to lay a vapour barrier down- this is important if the underfloor is liable to draw moisture. Laminate floor boards are made from compressed wood residue- if wetted or dampened, they will expand – and any expansion after installation can lead to unsightly warping.

In general, with laminate flooring, you will need to allow room for expansion – so a small gap, of ¼ to ½ inch should be left around the edges of the room. But a snug fit is needed at the door jambs, so you will want the laminate to slide under them. There is usually enough space, but if not you may need to saw the jamb, using a coping saw, to gain that extra space.

The best look is achieved by laying your boards in the same direction as the longest wall in the room. The grooved side of the first board should face towards the wall- with that important expansion gap (use a strip of wood as a spacer). Then, simply abut each length, by matching tongue to groove, to build up your first row.

Each new row should be offset to six inches or so from the previous. This will improve the look, and stability, of your flooring. If possible, try and use the off-cut from the previous row to start the new row, as this will reduce wastage. No gluing to the underfloor is necessary- the natural locking and tightening with expansion will keep your Amtico flooring in place.

Finally, you should fit your chosen mouldings around the margins of your room, to cover over the expansion gap, and secure to the skirting; door jambs will need lower strips. Once done, your newly floored room is complete. But do leave a few weeks for the floor to settle in, before you undertake any general mopping. And the end result will be a beautifully enriched room.

 

Why Choose a White Chest of Drawers?

The obvious answer to the question ‘Why choose a white chest of drawers?’ is because it suits the surroundings; and where wouldn’t it? The simple fact is that white will go anywhere in any room. Well, practically any room anyway and it would have to be one extraordinary room for a piece of white furniture to look out of place.

White gives the impression of being clean and well maintained, as well as new. In terms of interior design, white is like a blank canvass; perhaps that’s the reason so many chests of drawers are now being sold in this colour. With so many options when it comes to customising your furniture to fit in with your own style there is little wonder why white chests of drawers are flying out of the showrooms everywhere.

The majority of people don’t want to do anything to their furniture when it arrives in their home but they often like to keep their options open. Obviously a bright orange, dark blue or any other bold colour have their place in some rooms but they have no versatility. You can just imagine a young child’s bedroom kitted out in lots of bright colours but as they grow older their tastes change and they prefer something in keeping with their age. This is why you see so many people painting their children’s bedroom furniture.

The thing is that you can get away remodelling a child’s storage place as a white chest of drawers but you would have to make a big decision to paint their bedroom furniture in other colours. You could well find yourself having to paint them all over again if they don’t suit the room. This is of course a complete waste of your time, effort and money.

There are also a few different types of white to consider that will give you a different finish to the surface. A matt finish is great but a glossy type coating gives a cleaner look but it does need frequent dusting which is perhaps not ideal if you want to have a white chest of drawers in a teenager’s room.

In a master bedroom or a guest bedroom they can look very nice with a mirror placed on top for dressing. This is great if you haven’t got a dressing table in the room which a lot of people tend to do without these days. There are lots of reasons to save your old chest of draws and to give it a new lease of life. It’s always nice to have new furniture but there is nothing like having memories in the home and making use of something you have had a long time is a great way to keep those memories.