Laminate Flooring Installation in Marietta, GA

Before laminate flooring installation can start in a Marietta home, something usually has to come out: wall-to-wall carpet, cracked ceramic tile, a worn vinyl sheet or an older laminate that has seen better days. How much gets removed, and where the removal stops, shapes almost everything that follows, from the height of the new floor at each doorway to whether the baseboards survive.

Precision Remodeling settles those limits with you before anything is pulled up.

Deciding where demolition stops

Carpet may run from the living room into a hallway and up the stairs, and entry tile may continue under the coat closet. Before work is scheduled, we mark the exact edges of removal on a floor plan: which rooms, which closets, whether the stairs are included and where the new laminate will meet a floor that stays.

Those edges become your transition points, so they need to land somewhere sensible. A joint in the middle of an open room is hard to hide, while one centered under a closed door almost disappears. If the tear-out is part of a larger project, such as a kitchen update, our page on remodeling services in Marietta covers the rest of that work.

What each old floor leaves behind

• Carpet: the pad, the staples and the tack strip nailed around the perimeter all come out, and leftover nails and staples are pulled so nothing pokes up under the underlayment.
• Ceramic tile: removal is loud, dusty work, and the thinset left behind must be ground or scraped flat. Laminate can sometimes float over tile that is still solidly attached, if the extra height works at the doors.
• Glued sheet vinyl: older vinyl and its adhesive can contain asbestos, so material of uncertain age should be tested before anyone scrapes or sands it. Floating over it is often possible when it is flat and firmly attached.
• Old laminate: a floating floor comes up quickly, often revealing why it failed, such as a dip or a damp spot near a door.

Baseboards and edge trim come first

Edge trim deserves a decision before demolition, not after. If you want the baseboards taken off and reinstalled on top of the new floor, they are pried loose carefully at the start so they can be reused. If the baseboards stay, the laminate runs up to them and a new shoe molding or quarter round covers the gap along the wall.

Either way, trim is fastened to the wall rather than down into the planks. A floating floor needs that perimeter space to move with seasonal humidity, and nailing through it pins the floor in place.

Reading the subfloor once it is exposed

Once the old covering is gone, we lay a long straightedge across it to find high and low areas, listen for loose or squeaky panels, and take moisture readings on concrete and near exterior doors, the kitchen sink and any bathroom. Laminate has a fiberboard core that does not tolerate a persistently damp base, and the manufacturer sets the moisture limits it will accept.

High spots are sanded or ground, low spots are filled with patching or leveling compound, and loose panels are screwed tight. A floating floor follows whatever lies beneath it, and dips under the click joints are where gaps and bouncy spots begin.

Heights, doors and stairs after tear-out

Pulling up a thick tile bed or heavy carpet pad changes floor heights. With the subfloor bare, we measure the adjoining floors that remain, compare them with the new plank plus underlayment, and pick a transition for each opening. Door bottoms and jambs are checked at the same time, and casings are usually undercut so the planks slide beneath them and the cut edge stays hidden.

If the stairs are part of the tear-out, treads, risers and matching nosing are chosen along with the plank, because the nosing profile has to suit its thickness. If you would rather have real wood on the stairs or in the main rooms, read about hardwood floor installation in Marietta.

Order of work and the written estimate

After demolition and repairs, the sequence is steady. The subfloor is cleaned, a vapor barrier goes over concrete where the manufacturer requires one, and underlayment is rolled out unless the planks carry an attached pad. The first rows are set straight off a reference line, the field is laid with staggered end joints, and doorways, transitions and trim come last. Underlayment seams and plank layout get a final check.

Your estimate should list what is being removed and how it will be disposed of, the subfloor preparation included, the product and underlayment, transitions, stairs, door work and baseboard handling. It should also explain what happens if tear-out uncovers rot, a soft panel or a moisture problem: it is shown to you, written up with a price, and only repaired once you sign off.

Who to ask about permits in Marietta

Marietta is in Cobb County and runs its own Building Division. If the work grows beyond the floor to include structural, plumbing or electrical changes, check with the City of Marietta Building Division on whether that part of the project needs a permit.

Questions about tearing out an old floor

Should old sheet vinyl be tested before it is removed?

Yes, if its age is unknown. Some older sheet vinyl and the adhesives used under it contained asbestos, which can be released when the material is scraped, sanded or broken up. A lab test of a small sample answers the question. If the vinyl is flat and well attached, floating the laminate over it, where the manufacturer allows, avoids disturbing it at all.

Can my existing baseboards be reused after the new floor goes in?

Often, yes. Baseboards that come off cleanly can be reinstalled on top of the new laminate, which hides the expansion gap without adding shoe molding. Older trim that is brittle or caked with paint may crack during removal, so it helps to have spare lengths or a plan for replacement. Reinstalled trim usually needs caulk and touch-up paint at the joints.

Why does carpet tack strip have to come out before laminate?

Tack strip is a thin wooden board with angled pins that held the carpet edge. It sits right where the laminate’s expansion gap and edge trim need to go, and its thickness would lift the planks along the walls. Pulling it leaves nail holes and sometimes splinters, which are cleaned up so the underlayment lies flat to the perimeter.

Describe the floor you have now

Call 404-409-4448 and tell us what covers your floors today and which rooms are on your list. We can schedule a visit to measure, look at what lies underneath where possible, and give you a written scope that spells out the tear-out as clearly as the new floor.