Getting a new laminate floor installed is an exciting experience for anyone, and the first thing you’ll want to do is put your furniture back on it after it has been installed; but when can you put furniture on new laminate flooring?
If your laminate has been installed with the planks glued together, it’s generally a good rule of thumb to wait 12 hours for normal furniture such as chairs and 24 hours for heavy furniture like sofas. If there is no glue involved, then you don’t have to wait at all.
But what exactly is the point of waiting, and why does the way that the floor was installed actually matter? Let’s take a deep dive into all these questions and more.
Always Ask First
You should always ask the installer or manufacturer whether you need to allow the floor to settle before placing the furniture back onto it.
They will usually tell you this as well, but in the case that they don’t then make sure you take it upon yourself to find out. In a lot of cases though people do forget to ask in the excitement of having a new floor added to the home.
So, if you didn’t ask – or get told – how should you determine whether to wait before placing your furniture back?
How To Know Whether To Wait If You Haven’t Asked
A lot of places will tell you that you don’t have to wait any amount of time before placing the furniture back on to laminate flooring, but the truth to this lies in the way that your laminate has been installed.
Laminate flooring is designed as a floating floor, which means that it isn’t secured to the subfloor below at all. The planks of laminate are locked together either using a manual system or with glue, or in some cases, the glue can be used to reinforce the grip.
If glue has been used to secure the laminate panels together then you should follow the guidelines above to wait before placing heavy furniture back as you need to allow time for the glue to properly stick and hold.
If no glue has been used then you don’t need to wait at all. The planks are secured in this place as soon as they are locked together so there is nothing to worry about.
Can You Walk on Laminate After It Has Been Installed?
Walking will not apply as much pressure to your laminate floor as a heavier piece of furniture, but it can still damage setting glue if that has been used to install your laminate.
Again, if the glue has not been used to fit the laminate then you’ve got nothing to worry about. And keep in mind that walking over the floor has less impact than placing furniture – so if you have no other choice the chances of causing damage to any glue is quite slim.
Acclimatizing
Another thing to consider is whether the laminate has had time to acclimatize to the environment.
Changes in temperature and humidity can cause the planks of laminate to change shape, so in some cases, the installers may ask you to leave the floor for a day or two to let this happen without unwanted contact.
This is quite rare though because usually the conditions will not change severely depending on where you live and where the laminate has been stored prior to being used.
How To Safely Put Furniture Back On New Laminate Floor
Once you’ve decided it’s time to move the furniture back you’ll need to know the right way to do so to prevent damaging your new floor. The last thing anybody wants is to damage a new floor that has only just been installed, so let’s see how you can prevent this.
Use Furniture Sliders
Furniture sliders are small pieces of material that can be placed underneath the legs of furniture, such as chairs or even sofas, that have a non-scratch bottom.
Furniture sliders are relatively cheap to buy and are definitely worth the investment to prevent your new floor from getting scratched or damaged while you move furniture back onto it.
Final Thoughts
Putting furniture back onto a new laminate floor can be quite stressful, but don’t worry.
You should always consult the people that installed your floor beforehand to get an idea of whether you should wait or not, but if you have forgotten to ask then check whether any glue has been used for the installation.
If glue has been used then it’s better to wait 12 to 24 hours to allow it to settle, and if not you should be good to place the furniture back right away.