How to Install Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring is popular for a reason. Most homeowners and interior designers rightly see it as an inexpensive and handsome alternative to more expensive hardwood flooring. Instead of paying for materials that may run to thousands of dollars, laminates give you the same gorgeous appearance without having to pay for the materials nobody ever sees. Thankfully, laminate flooring is nearly as easy to install as it is to buy and own.

The most important thing about installing laminate flooring is to plan ahead. Because square footage can vary and rooms are often irregularly shaped, it’s important to measure twice and cut once. Wall-to-wall products such as these also require a certain degree of precision, especially particularly with a volatile substance like wood laminate that may expand or contract with age. That said, the task gets far easier once you begin.

The first step is to plan your layout, paying particular attention to where the room’s visual focal point will be. Often some walls draw the eye more than others, and you may want to play with varying widths and shades if you want to create a contour in the space. Installed items such as sinks, stoves, pipes and pillars will have to be accounted for as well, so be careful to leave an allowance for all such obstacles.

One of the most common errors is to begin working immediately after getting the pieces to your home. Such hastiness can often result in buckling or cracking, as the laminate has not yet had time to acclimate to the humidity in your house. Wait a few days for the planks to find their equilibrium first and you should get a floor that installs more consistently and lasts longer.

It’s also important to check the subfloor for bumps, gaps and excess humidity. The first two you can eyeball and remedy as necessary as you file down bumps and fill the gaps. But the third may require a humidity meter. If you don’t have access to this simple piece of equipment, you can create a watertight seal by taping a piece of plastic to the substrate. If a few days’ wait finds it beading with moisture or fogging up, that concrete surface may be too humid for a laminate floating floor.

There are some easy solutions for this problem. The quickest is to simply glue down a watertight barrier between the subfloor and laminate and plastic sheeting or rubber will work fine. You may also want to look into dedicated material called underlayment, which is essentially an insulated and watertight layer that provides cushioning and noise absorption for a more authentic and comfortable feel.

When you are ready to begin applying the laminate, the most important thing is to remember your space allowances. Most average rooms require a quarter-inch or so, but much larger spaces may require a half-inch or more. Similar gaps should surround any pipes or pillars in the room, ensuring that concentric expansion doesn’t crack the floor. Such gaps can be easily covered with other features such as wainscoting and molding, though you may want to add additional features like all-weather rugs in the case of screen doors.

Laying down the laminate is actually the easiest part of the process. Apply glue all the way around the edge (minus a few millimeters) to ensure a full and snug fit. Do a few rows on your own before taking a break, then return once they have dried. If the seals are working and everything seems to be lining up properly, you can quickly finish the entire space. Many experts advise starting with the most visible part first, as measuring problems usually arise later, rather than earlier, in the process. If the room isn’t perfectly square, an extra cut at the end is all you need to create the proper angle.

With care and some patience, you should have a dazzling new floor within a matter of hours. Good laminates can last for years without needing any maintenance, and most develop the same deep glow over time that you get from through-and-through hardwoods. For the trade-off in price, this is a hard bargain to pass up!

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