Flooring Tools

Different flooring tools are needed for different flooring projects. And most of those tools aren’t tools you would normally have in your tool box. Once you determine what the flooring project is — vinyl or linoleum, ceramic or stone tiles, wood (solid or engineered) or carpet — you can buy or rent the tools so you can accomplish a professional look in your DIY project.

 

The right tools are essential for any kind of job and especially a home improvement project. If you have the right tools for the job, then your job is made much simpler and easier, because you can do the job the way that it is meant to be done. When you are installing flooring in your home, you will need the right flooring tools to do the job. Whether you are installing vinyl flooring, ceramic tile, carpeting, or another flooring type, you will need the right flooring tools for your installation. The flooring tools that you will need are dependent upon the type of flooring that you are choosing to install in your home.


Any flooring project needs these tools:

 

  • Measuring tape — This is an essential part of installing any kind of flooring, because you will almost certainly need to cut it to fit. And remember: measure twice, cut once.

 

  • A marker — You need draw on the flooring to lay out your particular cuts, so that you will know where to cut. Grease pencils are good for vinyl flooring so you can easily wipe away any marks that show later. Pencils are good for wood, carpet and tile.

 

  • Straight edge — You can use a yardstick or other any other type rigid edge. This lets you to draw a straight line to give you a cutting guide.

 

  • Knee pads — You will be spending a considerable amount of time on your knees. This can help protect yourself from pain and knee injuries. They keep you comfortable.

 


  • Safety glasses — Debris flies when cutting, nailing or stapling flooring products. You need to protect your eyes from any possible mishap.

 

 

  • Here are items you need for specific DIY flooring projects.

 

Vinyl or Linoleum Flooring

 

  • To install vinyl flooring, you will need to following flooring tools.

 

  • Heavy-duty scissors or razor blade — This is used to cut the vinyl tiles or sheet flooring to fit your particular room’s dimensions.

 

  • Adhesive –This may be needed if your flooring choice is not self-adhesive. Be sure to pick a low VOC adhesive so you don’t pollute your room air for months or even years to come.

 

Ceramic and Stone Tile

 
Stone and ceramic tile help to give rooms a contemporary and classic feel. To install them correctly, you will need the flooring tools below:

 

  • Spacers — These are used to enable you to have uniform spaces between the tiles. They come in different widths to allow you to choose how much grout that you desire to be seen between the tiles.

 


  • Trowels — These spread the adhesive.

 

  • Adhesive — The type of adhesive that you will need depends on the room that you are installing the tiles and the particular type of tiles that you choose. Choose a low VOC adhesive to protect your air quality now and in te future.

 

  • Rubber float — This is used after you have place the tiles to get the grout in the spaces between the tiles.

 

  • Cloth or sponge — You will use this to clean the grout from the tiles so that they will not be dull. It’s a great way to clean up the mess both as you go and when you have finished.

 

  • Tile cutter — There are several different ways to cut tiles and the way that you cut your tiles is dependent upon the type of tiles that you are installing. Ask at your local flooring store how you should cut your tiles.

 

  • Tile Sealer — At the very least applying this product keeps your grout clean. Some tiles are already sealed, but others aren’t so need an initial and periodic sealant application to keep the tiles themselves clean. Without a sealant the tiles and grout can absorb oil/grease, moisture and dirt.

 

Wood — Solid or Engineered

 

  • You’ll want a variety of power and pneumatic tools for an easier wood floor installation. For any saw you use, make sure the saw blades are sharp so you cut, rather than splinter, the wood.

 

  • 7 1/4″ Circular Saw — You need this tool if you are installing a subfloor, like over concrete. It can also helpful for making base boards by ripping the wood you used on the floor. Just be very careful when using this tool for that purpose.

 

  • 10″ Miter Saw — Ask which is better for you, a Chop Saw or Dual Slide Compound Miter Saw, so you can cut lengths that will go alongside a wall or other straight surface, or cut angles. Generally the Compound miter saw is preferred for planks that are over 7″ wide.

 

  • 10″ Table Saw — This saw is especially valuable for large projects because of the amount of wood you have to rip to go alongside walls.

 

  • 15-gauge Pneumatic Nail Gun — This is what you want when nailing the sides or top of a plank of 3/4″ wood where flooring staplers can’t reach. This is also a good tool for installing baseboard, be it quarter round or another type of shoe moulding.

 

  • 18-gauge Finish Nailer — This is the tool you want for installing baseboards.

 

  • Compressor — This is a must if you are using any pneumatic tools. It can also be used to dust the hard-to-reach recesses during the sealing phase of your project.

 

  • Jamb or Undercutting Saw — If you have lots of door casings to cut so the wood flooring can slip underneath, you need this tool.

 


  • Jig Saw — This is an important saw for making irregular cuts, like around toilet drains or door casings. On small jobs you’ll appreciate this saw because you can rip the length of boards where they’ll butt against the wall.

 

  • Pneumatic Flooring Stapler — This is vital for installing hardwoods with a Janka scale greater than 2300. It’s handy for any hardwood floor installation though.

 

  • Pneumatic Stapler — This is the tool for installing engineered flooring. Do verify which stapler to use for which floor so you don’t void your warranty.

 

  • Pull Bar — This is helpful in installing the last row of planks where they needs to be tightly fitted to their neighbor boards.

 

Carpet

 

  • Carpet installation is not normally a good DIY project unless you have some experience or can get help from someone who is experienced. Most of these flooring tools can be rented at your local rental store.

 

  • Utility knife — This is used to cut the carpeting to enable it to fit into your room.

 

  • Tacking strips — These strips help to keep the carpeting in place and make it tight for maximum durability.

 


  • Work gloves — The jute-like backing found on most carpets is rough and will rub your hands raw quickly. Gloves will protect your hands from that abuse.

 

  • Rolling pin or seam roller — This will help you to get your seams affixed to your sub-flooring securely. A seam roller may be rented.

 

  • Knee kicker — This helps to pull the carpeting to the walls and tacking strips so that the carpeting is tight and secure. When carpet ripples after use or after shampooing, that’s a sign a knee kicker wasn’t used to stretch the carpet in place.

 

  • Power stretcher — This also helps to stretch the carpet for maximum tightness. It can be used in place of a knee kicker.

 

  • Other assorted tools — Depending upon your room, there may be a need for other tools, especially if you are carpeting steps, etc. Ask at both the flooring store where you bought the carpet and at your home improvement store to see if you need anything else for installing your carpet.

 

  • Having the right flooring tools can help your flooring installation go much more smoothly and easily. By researching how to install your particular type of flooring and planning ahead, you can make your flooring installation move along smoothly until you have a beautiful new floor.

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