Easy install laminate flooring

Cut with the finished side up. While beginner and intermediate DIY-ers can complete this project successfully, laminate flooring installation requires accurate measurements and proper technique. Follow these steps to install new laminate floors in your home:.

Before you can install your new floor, your laminate planks will need to acclimate to the room first. This allows them to acclimate to the temperature and moisture conditions in the room before installation. Sweep or vacuum away any debris, then check that the base floor is level.

For concrete basement flooring, fix any chips in the flooring with a patching compound. For wood subfloors, make sure to remove loose nails and patch cracks, and sand uneven areas. If any planks are damaged, you may want to replace them before covering them. When you trim some wood off of the bottom of your trim, it allows your flooring to fit underneath for a seamless result.

First, place a piece of laminate over your underlayment, then line it up against the door frame. Use a pencil to mark where the top of the laminate meets the frame.

This tells you where to cut. Then, use a jamb saw to remove the small piece of wood. Before placing your laminate planks, you must install the underlayment.

This thin, dense foam is designed to help absorb sound and make your floors warmer. It can also act as a bridge over any gaps or dents in the subfloor layer underneath. Some laminate floors come with underlayment built-in; if so, you can skip this step.

If your flooring does not come with its own underlayment, start by rolling out two rows of underlayment. This can be done either in or out of the packaging.

Start in the corner of the room, leaving a 10mm gap between the walls and the board, and lay the boards across the whole room. Leave an additional 2mm between each sheet as an expansion gap. Cut the final board to fit and use the rest of the board to start the second row. This will ensure the fibreboard sheets are staggered. Continue the Fibreboard installation until your whole floor has been covered. Cut the fibreboard to size when required using a retractable knife. Remember to leave a 2mm gap between the boards and 10mm around the edges of the room.

Now continue to step Once you are happy with the positioning you can cut the sheet with scissors or a retractable knife. You can then move on to the second row. But the edges of the foam from your second row as close as possible to the foam of the first row — making sure the foam DOES NOT overlap.

The second row should now be on top of the first-row overlap foil, and the foam butted against that of the first section but not overlapping the foam. You will likely need to precisely cut the underlay around areas that are not perfectly square, or where there are other obstructions.

The final row will also need to be cut to fit. It is good practice to tape all the seams with vapor tape whether your brand has provided a tape strip or not — this will provide extra protection against potential damp problems in the future.

Now is a good time to consider your expansion gap , and how best to stagger the laminate. Begin placing the boards against the longest wall, starting from the left and working your way right, making sure to place spacers along the wall to maintain the expansion gap.

The groove edge should be facing out into the room. When cutting the final board, measure it and cut it with a circular saw or jigsaw. Remember to maintain the expansion gap.

You may need to use the pull-bar to fit the board correctly. Pay specific attention to the staggering pattern, and ensure it conforms to best practices as discussed in our article — How to stagger laminate flooring. To do this you will hold the piece of flooring at a degree angle and maneuver the tongue edge into the groove of the preceding row, then lower the flooring flat to activate the lock mechanism. Get a Quote. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

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Tip If you are laying flooring over a concrete slab or another moisture-prone surface, the flooring manufacturer may recommend installing some type of moisture or vapor barrier to protect the flooring from moisture. Tip It is always a good idea to snap a chalk line where the groove edge is going to be on the first row.

Tip Use a long straightedge, a T-square, or a chalk line to mark the long cutting lines for rip cuts running the length of flooring planks. Need more help? Talk to a flooring expert Our partners can help you compare quotes from top-rated professionals near you.

Advertiser Disclosure. The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which The Spruce receives compensation. Article Sources. The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Show Full Article. I telephone them at noon and they were here by , cut the hole in the granite for my sink and repaired some cracks in the countertop.

Nice work. Reasonably priced. The only thing I have some concern is that they seem pretty busy juggling jobs. It is good but also can impose some chal It is good but also can impose some challenge on our schedule. Great to deal with and reasonable pricing. Definitely would recommend anyone. Here is a quick list of all of the steps installing laminate flooring.

Laminate is easy to install as long as the sub-floor is clean, so make sure the sub-floor is clean. There are two ways to make the laminate flooring fit around door ways and jams — cut the floor planks to fit, or cut the trim around the doorway. We suggest that you do the latter — cut the trim around the doorways.

It is much easier than cutting the planks to fit. You will need to install the laminate flooring parallel to the longest wall or focal point in the room. A diamond blade is recommended as laminate can be tough to cut through and may damage another type of blade.

However, you can cut the planks using a table saw, miter saw, circular saw, hand saw or laminate cutter. This is pretty simple. Sometimes the flooring comes with the underlay attached, but if not then you only need to lay the underlay side by side and cute when necessary. Do not overlap. Please note that when laying laminate flooring, all laminate flooring will expand and contract due to temperature and humidity fluctuations.

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Prep the floor Prep the door jams Plan and cut the first and last rows Install the underlayment Install the first row Install the remaining boards.

Preparation Laminate is easy to install as long as the sub-floor is clean, so make sure the sub-floor is clean. Prep The Floor Remove baseboards, trim, floor vent covers. This must be flat, smooth, and clean. You either have to sand and add a patching compound or install a foam underlayment. Prep The Door Jams There are two ways to make the laminate flooring fit around door ways and jams — cut the floor planks to fit, or cut the trim around the doorway.

Lay the underlayment and plank next to the door jamb and mark the door jamb where the plank touches. This is where to cut. Use a jamb saw to cut this. Measure the width of the room from longest wall and divide the distance by the width of the planks. This will tell you what the width of the final row of planks should be. To calculate the width needed for the first and last row, add the width of a full plank to the width needed for the last row. Divide that number by two and cut each plank in the first and last row to that width.

Use duct tape to mark the plank more easily and reduce splintering. Use a finishing blade for the cleanest cut. However, moulding will cover all the cut edges when the project is complete. Use clamps to help hold the planks steady while cutting. Install The Underlayment This is pretty simple. Install The First Row Please note that when laying laminate flooring, all laminate flooring will expand and contract due to temperature and humidity fluctuations.