How To Start Laying Laminate Flooring

A laminate floor is a floating floor meaning it is not fastened directly to the subfloor.

How to start laying laminate flooring.

It can be installed over any other tightly bonded flooring making it ideal for retrofits. In order to keep the floor straight and square start laying the laminate away from the wall because the wall may not be straight. The first thing to know when learning how to lay laminate flooring is that all laminate flooring will expand and contract due to temperature and humidity fluctuations. This will ensure the joints between planks in a row are staggered from the joints in adjoining rows.

To lay laminate flooring first clear out any furniture in the room you ll be laying the floor in. To allow for this expansion place 3 8 inch spacers along the wall to leave a consistent gap around the edges of the floor. Installing laminate flooring is a snap literally. Always start hardwood flooring along the most prominent and noticeable wall in the room.

This way if the room is out of square the crooked cut will be hidden under the cabinet s toe kick. Install second row use the short trimmed section of the previous row to start the next row. Flooring manufacturers always recommend putting down underlayment before laying the laminate. Install the underlayment or vapor barrier.

This thin dense foam layer helps to absorb sound provides a thermal barrier makes it easier to walk on the laminate and helps the flooring bridge minor gaps and bumps in the underlying floor.