Tips for Installing Laminate Floors

Here, we’ll try to break down the process of installing laminate flooring into a manageable six-step guide that anyone can follow at home. Always remember to seek a more experienced friend for help, even if it’s only to get you started on the right foot if you’re unsure of how to lay laminate flooring or of your DIY skills in general. Laminate flooring installation has become more straightforward as technology has improved both the boards and the methods used to install them. The laminate floors you intend to install should be exposed to the room’s temperature and humidity for at least 48 hours before you begin laying them, so keep that in mind as you read through our how-to guide. This is crucial, as the boards need time to adjust to the warmer air and lower humidity of the space where they will be installed. The boards will grow or shrink during this time to accommodate the change. You must also remove all dust and debris from the floor’s surface and clean it properly. The subfloor’s level will need to be perfect even before you can place tiles on it, and any debris left on the floor will do just that.

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Let’s get started with our laminate flooring installation guide:

What You’ll Need, Step 1

The following tools and supplies will be beneficial, if not required, in the majority of situations:

a tile spacer, a laminate cutter, protective eyewear and knee pads and glasses
tools such as a ruler and square, gaff tape, a hammer, a craft knife, a pulling bar, a tapping block, and foam underlay
Laminate flooring measurements are the next step.

Calculating the entire square footage that needs to be covered is essential for purchasing enough laminate flooring. Fortunately, laminate flooring is sold in packs (the number of boards per pack varies depending on the type you buy) that clearly label both the panel sizes and the total area covered by the group. Therefore, multiply the room’s width by its depth to determine how many boxes of laminate flooring you would need for the job. The result is the area in square meters. You may easily create square or rectangular sections even if your room isn’t exactly that shape. Now that you have a more accurate idea of the space, you can divide it by the square footage covered by each laminate flooring pack. The result is the number of packets you’ll need to buy to cover the region you’ve specified completely.

You should buy 10% more boards than you think you’ll need if there are mistakes or miscalculations. This will prevent delays in the project or the discovery that additional panels are required but are no longer available.

Step 3: Layout of the Ground

As with tiling, you’ll want to plan exactly where you’ll place each laminate board before laying the first row to ensure a smooth and even finish. Decide where you want to start putting the laminate and in what direction the boards will travel before we continue to placing the underlay. When installing flooring, it is best to begin in the area with the most natural light. After determining the location of the first row, trial-lay that row, leaving enough room between the boards and the skirting board. Use this trial row to find out how much of the end-row board needs to be trimmed away to make the flooring fit. You should plan ahead so that you never have to remove more than half the board’s depth (the short side) or less than 400mm of the board’s width (the long side). The stability of your floor will be jeopardized if you do this.

The Fourth Step: Underlayment

To keep the seams in the underlay from ever matching the joins in the laminate flooring, you should start laying it by installing the spacers and then laying the rolls at a 90-degree angle to the direction in which you will lay the laminate boards. It’s important to place the underlay without gaps or overlaps that could cause the laminate boards to sag or protrude. The desired result is a smooth, uniform coating. Masking tape can be used to secure the seams between the different parts.

Installing Laminate Flooring (Step 5)

The next step is to install the laminate flooring. Lay the laminate flooring according to the plan you created in Step 3, keeping the spacers between the flooring and the skirting board in place to allow for expansion. Installing tongue-and-groove laminate flooring is as easy as introducing each new board at a 45-degree angle to the one before it and lowering it into place carefully. The boards need to be flush with each other, and the tongue needs to click into the groove. After laying the boards, you can use a pulling bar and a beating block to coax them into place. When you get to the end of the row, and there isn’t enough room to use a beating block, you can switch to using the pulling bars instead.

The best technique to determine where to make cuts at the ends of rows is to lay out the board in its final location, then make a note on both ends to indicate where the cut should be made. A straight-cutting line can be obtained by joining the marks using a set square. Check which side of the board should be facing upward to minimize damage (this will depend on the sort of saw you are using) before cutting your laminate board with your laminate cutter or the saw you have handy. Wear protective gear to ensure your safety.

Sixth, add the final touches.

Wait at least 48 hours after installing a new floor before adding any trims, scotias, or transition bars. This will give the flooring more time to adjust to the room’s temperature and humidity, and the 10mm gap we left between the flooring and the skirting boards will come in handy when the flooring inevitably expands.

Using a miter box, you can easily make precise angled cuts in trims and scotias for use in edging around corners. In addition, transition bars can be placed at the points where your new floor meets other floors, such as entrances. These are simple to install and facilitate a seamless change.

Congratulations! You have successfully learned laminate floor installation!

If you need help laying laminate flooring, Topps Tiles is the place to go.

linda