How to fit laminate flooring

Laminate flooring is considered the easiest type of flooring to fit, therefore it’s perfect for enthusiastic DIYers, or those on a tighter budget. There are no specialist tools required so you should have everything on our tool list below. Don’t forget that you will also need to purchase expansion strips, scotia beading (to hide the expansion gaps) and finishing profiles, also known as door bars, for any doorways and transitions to other floors.

Tools required:
Spaces | Saw | Adhesive tape | Ruler | Pencil | Tape measure | Pull bar | Wedges | Tapping block | Rubber mallet

This guide is suitable for the fixing of the following laminate flooring ranges: Heddal, Fyn, Louns and Orsa. For our Oslos range see our herringbone laminate installation guide instead.

Acclimatisation – the boards will need to be stored at room temperature for at least 48 hours in the unopened packaging before you start the installation.

Before and during installation, the room temperature should be between 18-30°C and the relative humidity should be maintained between 30-65%. After installation, the room temperature should be kept between 15-35°C at 30-65% relative humidity.

For all laminate flooring installations, portable heaters are not recommended as they might not heat the room or subfloor sufficiently and Kerosene heaters should never be used.

Prepare the room – laminate should be installed as a floating floor which means it should be able to move. To accommodate this, follow these steps:

Remove skirting boards and furniture from the room. Leave a 10mm expansion gap to the walls and any fixed constructions. Measure the area to be installed, the board width of the last row should not be less than 50mm, if so, you’ll need to adjust the width of the first row to be installed.

Do not install laminate floor under fixed constructions (such as kitchen cabinets or built-in closets). Do not screw or glue the floorboards to the subfloor.

Underlay – our laminate flooring ranges have an integrated underlay, so this step isn’t required.

Make sure you use the correct side of the plank. If cutting with a jig saw, the laminate surface should be face down. If you’re using a hand saw, the laminate should face upwards.

Always cut in a ventilated area and it’s best to use protective equipment such as a dust mask.

Our laminate flooring ranges use an angle drop system which allows for quick and easy installation.

Begin by laying in the left-hand corner, with the grooved edge visible and facing outward. Use spacers between the wall and floorboard to keep a 10mm gap. Insert the end tongue on the short side of the second plank into the end groove of the first plank, rotating downward to assemble, make sure both planks are perfectly aligned.

Note: if you notice both planks aren’t the same height or are not well locked together, follow the disassemble instructions and then check if any debris is stuck inside the lock.

When you reach the end of the first row, leave a gap of 10mm to the wall then measure the length of the last plank to fit. Insert the short side and tap it closed, using a pull bar.

When starting a new row, you can use end cuts if the plank is at least 300mms long. When an end cut is used it will create a stair step pattern. Starting plans of random lengths will create a more aesthetic random stagger (short end joints must not be closer than 200mm to each other).

From the second row onwards, the most common laying method is to click the long side of the plank at a slight angle into the previous row (1).

Sliding it against the spacer on the wall on the left and placing an installation wedge under the board (2).

Then you will need to place the short end of the plank at an angle against the short side of the previous plank and fold down (3).

Slide down the long side of the board into the locking groove of the adjacent floorboard in the previous row (4).

Once the whole row is complete, remove the wedge and fold the row down (5).

Finally, use a tapping block and rubber mallet to gently tap the long side until the joint is closed tightly with no gap showing (6).

To complete the installation, position a loose board exactly on top of the last row laid. Place another board on top, with the tongue side touching the wall, and draw a line along the edge of this board marking the first board.

Cut along this line to obtain the required width and insert this cut board against wall. The last row should be at least 50mm wide. Using a pull bar and hammer, work evenly along the length of the plank, lightly tapping the joint closed. The spacers can then be removed.

For door mouldings and skirting, you’ll need to lay a board (with the decorative side face down) next to the door moulding and saw. The floorboard should then slide under the door moulding. Remember to leave an expansion gap under the door frame of 10mm to allow for movement.

If you’ve laid the floor in a bathroom, before replacing the skirting, fill the expansion spaces but do not use acrylic sealant.

Nail the skirting to the wall surface, not the flooring. In areas where the flooring planks may meet other flooring surfaces, use a transition scotia to cover the exposed edge, but ensure not to pinch the planks. Leave a 10mm gap between the planks and the adjoining surface.

For joints around fixed objects or building elements, use a Fillertwine first and then finish with elastic filler, this will allow the floor to move and the filler shouldn’t crack.

If you need to remove a plank to adjust it or simply taking your floor with you when you move, you can disassemble laminate flooring carefully. Separate the planks by simply lifting them one by one following the opposite sequence of installation.

Now you’ve installed your new laminate flooring, learn how to keep it clean and in tip top condition with our laminate cleaning guide.