How to Install Laminate Flooring

You can easily lay DIY laminate floors in almost every room in your home. It doesn’t have to be glued down and doesn’t involve grout or mortar. You may not have everything readily available in your garage, so you may want to pay a visit to The Home Depot Rental. Here are the materials and tools needed to install laminate flooring:

• Laminate flooring
• Foam underlayment or flooring insulation
• Rubber mallet
• Circular saw or flooring cutter
• Measuring tape
• Spacers
• Clamps (optional)

Tip: Wear eye protection and ear protection when cutting laminate planks and use knee pads when laying the planks.

Before you begin, make sure your subfloor is ready for install. Remove the existing flooring, baseboards and moulding. The base floor should be clean, level and smooth.

• If needed, fix concrete subfloors with a patching compound. For wood subfloors, remove protruding nails and replace any damaged boards.
• For slightly uneven floors, use a foam underlayment as the base for your laminate planks. If you determine you need to level the floor, sand the floor and apply a patching compound.
• If you are installing the flooring below grade or in a room with high humidity or moisture, install a vapor barrier first.

Tip: If you need to remove existing flooring, consider renting demolition tools like demo hammer carts and breakers, or floor care and refinishing tools like floor strippers and maintainers.

It’s much easier to cut the trim around doorways than it is to cut the flooring to match the moulding’s irregular shape. Once the door jamb is cut, the flooring will slip under it, leaving a more finished look.

• If needed, take a plank of flooring and a section of the underlayment and lay it finished side down next to the door’s moulding. This will show you how high up you need to cut the moulding.
• Trace a guideline along the surface of the moulding with a pencil.
• Use a jamb saw to cut along your guideline.

Tip: Use ear protection when sawing.

Knowing how to lay laminate flooring starts with choosing a pattern you like, such as herringbone or parquet. Most manufacturers include a laminate flooring installation diagram with their products. Once you choose your design, plan out the first and last rows first.

Start by installing your flooring parallel to the longest wall or focal point in the room:

• Measure the width of the room from the 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. If the last row is going to be less than 3 1/2 inches wide, consider distributing the width needed between the first and last rows.
• 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.

Tip: Leave a 3/8-inch gap along both walls to allow for expansion of the flooring.

The great thing about learning how to cut laminate flooring is the fact that you don't need a special saw. You can cut the planks using a table saw, miter saw, circular saw, hand saw or a laminate cutter. Just follow these best practices:

• Use a diamond blade. Laminate can be tough to cut through and may damage another type of blade.
• Always check the cutting instructions for your particular flooring product.
  
• Cut with the finished side up.
• Use duct tape to mark the plank more easily and reduce splintering.
• Use clamps to help hold the planks steady while cutting.

Tip: You can use a finishing blade for the cleanest cut, but keep in mind that moulding will cover all the cut edges when the project is complete.

Underlayment helps preserve and insulate the floors, dampen noise and protect against moisture. If your laminate planks are made with an attached underlayment, skip this step. If your laminate flooring didn’t come with an attached underlayment:

• Roll out two rows of your choice of underlayment and trim it to size with a utility knife.
• The underlayment should meet but not overlap, as overlaps in the underlayment result in bumps under the flooring.
• Duct tape the seam to hold the underlayment in place and help maintain the vapor barrier.

• All laminate flooring will expand and contract due to temperature and humidity fluctuations. To allow for this expansion, place 3/8-inch spacers along the wall to leave a consistent gap around the edges of the floor.
• If the door to the room is located on one of the shorter walls, start laying the planks on the door side of the room. This will ensure you have the clean, uncut edge at the threshold.
• Begin the first row of flooring by placing the planks with the tongue side facing the wall. Install the second plank next to the first by aligning the tongue into the groove and press the plank down to snap it in place.
• When you come to the end of the first row, cut the length of plank needed to complete the row.

Staggering your laminate flooring will result in a more natural look. It also gives the flooring added stability. The seams should be staggered at least 12 inches from any adjacent seam. Here’s how to stagger laminate flooring:

• At the same place where you started off the first row, start the second row of the floor. Make sure to use a plank cut to a length greater than 1 foot.
• Hold the long side of the second-row plank at an angle and feed the tongue into the groove of the installed row. Press down and snap the plank into place.
• Since the fiber in laminate flooring is susceptible to water damage, make sure there are no gaps between the seams. Some products require you to use a tapping block to close these gaps.
• Continue snapping planks into place until the row is complete, trimming the last plank to size.
• Lay each row beginning with the remaining pieces from the previous row that are longer than 1-foot until the room is complete.
• If you’re using a separate underlayment, install additional rows one row at a time as needed.

An important thing to know about how to install laminate flooring is to always refer to the manufacturer's specific instructions. Below are more installation tips:

• Allow your flooring to acclimate to the room's temperature and humidity. Place the unopened boxes of laminate planks in the space for at least 48 hours.
• Check and see if your laminate flooring already has an attached vapor barrier. This will eliminate the need to buy and lay a separate product.
• Securely connect each plank before moving to the next one.
• Vacuum up any sawdust or debris as you go. This will prevent the laminate from getting scratched.