So, you want to know how to lay laminate flooring?
Well, you’ve come to the right place.
Whether it’s in your kitchen, living room or hallway, laminate flooring always looks good. It comes in a selection of styles and colours, meaning you’ll be spoilt for choice!
Playing interior designer can be fun, but once you’ve made your purchase, you’ll quickly realise that your laminate floor will need installing. And by who, you may ask?
Well, that is going to be you.
Don’t panic! Flooring installations can seem difficult at first but have no fear. We’re here to help you get that sleek, easy-to-clean laminate floor installation you’ve always dreamed of.
So, where do you start when laying laminate flooring?
Table of Contents
Tools to install laminate flooring
Before we show you how to install laminate flooring, you’ll need to do a few things first. Gathering your tools and products is a good place to start.
The main tools you need are as follows:
- Tape measure
- Combination square
- Pencil
- Flooring spacers
- Hammer
- Tapping block
- Chisel
- Knee pads
- Handsaw/jigsaw
- Pull bar
- Underlay
- Trim and pins
- Threshold bar (if required)
- Drill and spade/flat wood drill bit (if required)
- Grab adhesive (if required)
You might be asking yourself, does laminate flooring need to be glued down?
Since it’s a floating floor, you’ll be glad to know you don’t require any glue to secure it. The clever tongue and groove system is what fastens the boards.
How to install laminate flooring
Now you have your tools sorted, time to begin.
It’s important to note that the installation processes can vary slightly depending on the boards you have. Always make sure you follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Step 1: Acclimate your laminate flooring
Before installation, your laminate floor will need to be acclimated. This means leaving the boards in the room of installation and letting the air get to them. It’s not difficult, but it allows them to adjust to the temperature and humidity to prevent expansion or contraction when laid. You will usually need to acclimate the boards for around 48 hours, but you should always check the manufacturer’s guidelines to make sure.
Step 2: Work out how many boards you need
Planning out your rows and measurements is a great way to avoid common mistakes when laying laminate flooring. Determine the room’s length and width. Multiply the length by the width to get your square footage, then compare that to your pack. It’s worth adding an extra 10-15% to compensate for wastage. To work out the number of rows you need, divide the length of the board by the width of your room.
This is a good time to choose the direction of your floor. Experts advise you to install from left to right along the longest wall, which is often an exterior wall.
Step 3: Prepare the floor
Before we lay the acclimated boards, prep your floor. It should be clean, level and dry. Floor preparation is key to a seamless installation. The presence of any debris and dirt can result in uneven floors, which no one wants. You can also remove your skirting boards if needed.
Step 4: Mark and cut your door and doorframe
With a pencil, mark out your laminate against your door and cut it to size using a handsaw or jigsaw if required. This way, it will easily open and close after installation. Be sure to account for the underlay in this process.
Do the same to both sides of the doorframe, using a hammer and chisel to remove the wood. We’ll come back to these gaps later.
Step 5: Install your underlay
Now it’s time to install your underlay. Underlays absorb moisture and keep laminate flooring dry, though some brands have added sound and heat insulation.
Finding the right underlay for your floor is essential. Some laminate flooring will include a built-in underlay but generally, concrete sub-floors require an underlay with an integrated damp-proof membrane, and wooden sub-floors benefit from a fibreboard underlay. Discover our range of underlays and find the right one for you.
Lay your underlay perpendicular to your boards. Trim as required to meet walls and corners, ensuring that edges do not overlap. Some underlays include tape, but the manufacturer often advises you on any necessary tape for fixing.
Step 6: Lay your first row
Finally, we can begin laying the floor. Starting from the left corner, line up the first board. Make sure you use adequate spacers to create a gap between the board and the wall, which will permit any extra expansion post-installation.
Once you’re happy, you can lay the next board. Align it with the first and click it into place. Depending on your boards, you may need to use a hammer and a tapping block to get those joints tight. Keep it straight, adding your spacers where needed, and repeat until the first row is complete. You’ll likely have to cut the last board to fit, in which case simply flip it over, mark it out with a pencil and combination square, and then cut it to size.
Step 7: Lay subsequent rows
If the offcut from your last board is around 300mm long, you can use it to start the next row. If not, cut another board to an appropriate size. We never want joints to align between rows. A staggered effect is much more authentic and increases the stability of the boards.
Using a similar process to the first row, click the boards into place and connect the tongues of the second row to the grooves of the prior row at a suitable angle. To install your laminate flooring at the edges of the room, you’ll find that using a pull bar is easiest.
For the final row, your boards will often need trimming to fit. If this is the case, measure the space between the last full row and the wall, cutting the boards to size and laying them in the same manner as before. Don’t forget to accommodate your spacers.
Step 8: Fitting your floor to pipes
You might find that, along the way, you need to fit your laminate floor around a pipe. Place your board next to the pipe and mark where the centre of the pipe will be. Rotate the board front onto the pipe and do the same, marking where it intersects with your first line. This point is where you will make an appropriate-sized hole using a spade/flat wood drill bit, allowing space for board expansion.
Take your combination square and mark two straight lines at a slight angle from the edges of the hole to that of the board. Cut along these lines with your handsaw or jigsaw and remove the wedge. Now you can fit your board around the pipe, placing the wedge back on the other side. You can secure it using grab adhesive and a pipe surround for a nice touch.
Step 9: Fitting your floor to the doorframe
To bridge the space between your boards and the door, use your tape measure to determine the distance between both sides of the doorframe. Next, measure the space between the first row and the door. Mark the measurements onto the board and cut, allowing an expansion gap at either end. You can use a pencil for your markings, or some people find that white tape is preferable for a darker board.
Press the board against the doorframe and mark where the ends need trimming, letting you slide the board beneath the frame using the gaps we made earlier. For vertical laying, do this to all the boards that touch the doorframe.
Step 10: Finishing touches
If you didn’t remove your skirting boards, you can now pin down a trim to conceal your expansion gap from view. While the gap is useful, it can look pretty unsightly, so this can give the edges of your new laminate flooring a neat finish. For corners, remember to cut your trim at a 45° angle.
When fitting a threshold bar between rooms, ensure your choice is right for your flooring. Measure the width of the door frame, remembering your expansion gap on both sides. Cut and secure with grab adhesive or screws and, as always, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for more advice.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it! How to lay laminate flooring for an installation that looks as good as you dreamed.
Your first time installing laminate flooring might be tricky, but you’ll get there. The first few rows are often the hardest. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be an expert in no time.
Remember to be precise with measurements, to keep your joints tight, and to follow any recommendation provided by the manufacturer.