How to Lay Laminate Flooring

To lay laminate flooring, first clear out any furniture in the room you’ll be laying the floor in. You’ll also want to tear up any carpet in the room and remove the leftover tack strips. Next, cut strips of underlayment to size and lay the strips down across the exposed floor. Underlayment will give you a flat, smooth surface to install the laminate flooring on. According to Home Depot, if you’re laying the laminate flooring in a room that’s below grade or prone to high humidity and moisture, you should also put down a vapor barrier to protect the floor from moisture. Once the underlayment is down, place ⅜-inch (0.95-cm) spacers along each wall. It’s important to leave a gap between the flooring and the wall so the planks have room to expand and contract. Next, lay down a row of the laminate planks running parallel to the longest wall in the room, and measure how much you’ll need to cut off of the last plank so it fits. Use a saw to cut the last plank to size. Hold on to the end of the plank you cut off, since you’ll use that to start the next row. Starting the rows with different-sized planks will create a staggered look, which actually makes the laminate flooring stronger. Place the first plank next to one of the walls in the corner, then snap the end of it into the next plank in the row using the built-in tongues and grooves. Continue laying down planks in that row until you reach the other side of the room. Then, move onto the next row, starting with the end of the plank you cut off earlier. Snap the tongues on the long sides of the planks in the second row into the grooves on the first row. When you reach the end of the second row, measure how much needs to be cut off of the last plank for it to fit. Cut the plank to size, then install it. Continue laying the rows like this. When you reach a doorway, you’ll need to cut the trim so the flooring is able to fit around it. Place a plank flat on the floor next to the trim, and trace a line on the trim that’s higher than the top of the plank. Then, use a jamb saw to cut the trim so the plank is able to slip under it. Repeat on both sides of every doorway you encounter. When you get to the final row, measure and cut the remaining planks to the right width so they fit before installing them. Finally, remove the spacers and install quarter-round molding along the bottom edge of each wall to cover the gaps. To learn more from our Contractor co-author, like how to let your boards acclimate in your home, keep reading the article!