Pergo also recommends that you remove any old wood flooring that was installed over concrete before installing Pergo flooring. If the subfloor is wood, you can install Pergo flooring over parquet, planks, or other wood flooring. [3] X Research source You might also want to go ahead and take the doors off the hinges just so they’re out of your way.
Check the installation guide that came with your planks carefully to make sure you’re undercutting the right amount of space for your flooring type. For example, Pergo Outlast+ requires a total of 6⁄8 in (19 mm) of space.
Floor leveling compound works similarly to spackling paste. Just brush or smooth it on to fill in the dips. Wait for it to dry, then confirm it’s now level. Floor leveling is normally only done with concrete subfloors. If you have a wooden subfloor, nail down any loose planks and hammer down any nails that have come up to keep squeaks to a minimum. Walk your subfloor. If it creaks now, your Pergo floor will also creak. Go ahead and fix it before you lay your new planks. Usually, all this takes is hammering in another nail on a creaky board. [6] X Research source
For wooden subfloors: No more than 12% moisture For concrete subfloors: Values less than or equal to 5 lbs/1000ft2/24-hr You can run a dehumidifier in the room to try to lower the moisture if it’s too high. This is only a temporary solution, but it might be enough if there was a specific event, such as a flood, that accounts for the extraordinary dampness.
You can mop as well if you want, but make sure the subfloor is completely dry before you bring your flooring planks in. You don’t want them absorbing any excess moisture.
The ideal conditions for Pergo flooring are temperatures of 59–71 °F (15–22 °C) and relative humidity of 30–75%. If your climate conditions are outside that range, Pergo recommends letting your new planks acclimate for at least a week. [10] X Research source No time to acclimate your planks? Just make sure there’s no more than 25 °F (−4 °C) of difference in temperature or a 20% difference in relative humidity between your home and the place where your planks were originally stored. [11] X Research source
Pergo makes a vapor barrier that’s specifically designed for the brand’s products, but you can use any brand as long as it’s equivalent.
Take an end label off one of the cartons and keep it along with the receipt so you can easily get replacement planks if necessary. [14] X Research source Open all the cartons at once. Pergo recommends mixing planks from different cartons so that any variations in shade or color are distributed across the whole floor.
Pergo products with attached underlayment typically have a “+” attached to the name, but you can also tell by reading the plank cartons or looking at a plank for a layer of foam underneath. Your underlayment will help keep your floor a little quieter. It also helps level out the underlying subfloor so you don’t have to worry about any minor peaks and dents. [16] X Research source
On the first plank, remove the tongue on the short side that goes against the wall as well. Continue to do this for any side that’s against the wall to ensure the proper expansion gap. You might want to cut down even more depending on the width of your room. If your last row is going to be too narrow, for example, cutting down the width of the first row as well as the last row gives your floor a more even appearance. [18] X Research source
All types of Pergo flooring, including Pergo Outlast and Pergo Outlast+, are designed to be floating floors. This means you don’t have to worry about attaching the planks to the subfloor.
Trim the tongue off the short side of the first plank that will be against the wall as well to ensure the proper expansion space. Once you’ve trimmed the first plank, continue down the row the same as you did with the first. You might have to trim the last plank so it’ll fit.
Remember to trim the first plank of every other row so that the joints are staggered across the entire floor. If you need to lay planks around a pipe or fixture, measure 3⁄8 in (9. 5 mm) of expansion space all the way around it before you cut your planks.
Things can be tight working right next to the wall, so you might want to put the last two rows together in pairs so you can lay them down at the same time and have a little more room to work.
