Good Morning Guys! I am so excited to have this tutorial all about how to install laminate flooring here for you today. Changing the flooring in a room makes such a huge impact, and laminate has gotten better and better over the last few years. There is some very realistic looking hardwood inspired laminate these days, and the best thing is that it is often quite affordable!
My hubby Matt has done quite a bit of flooring installation over the years. He did it as a side job on a few different occasions when he was in college, and also replaced all of our flooring in our first house. That guy really is handy. When it came to our Maker House Renovation, we went with a laminate style floor in just over 50% of the building. It is amazing how it transformed the entire feel of the place!
The great thing about laminate is that it is a floating floor, with a click and lock system so it requires very little prep and just a few tools. You want to make sure your subfloor is level, dry, and clear of any debris.
Tools
- circular saw
- laminate tapping block
- laminate pull bar
- spacers
- hammer or mallet
- optional: mitre saw and table saw
Supplies
- laminate flooring with 5-10% extra for waste
- underpad
- optional: laminate glue for first row
Be sure to allow your boxes of flooring to acclimate prior to installation, just check the instructions from the manufacturer, as this can vary based on the type of flooring you select. Essentially you will let the boxes of flooring sit in the room(s) they will be installed in for 2-4 days.
To get started you will need to measure your room, and decide on which way to run your floors. Take the width of your planks and divide your room width by that number to figure out how many boards you will need, and to make sure you are not left with a tiny piece at the end. It is possible that you will need to rip down your first row on a table saw, if your last row will be less than 2″ thick.
I’ve put together an informative 2 minute video on how to install laminate flooring.
My quick tips:
- install your boards in a random pattern, making sure that the same patterns don’t repeat side by side.
- allow at least 6″ of seam overlap through three rows for floor stability
- get a quality underpad
- a 3 person crew is very efficient, but a 2 person crew works well too! Someone to install and mark the boards, and another person to make the cuts
- to minimize waste utilize end cuts as starter pieces where possible
I hope you find this helpful, and at the very least informative! It’s always interesting to me to get a behind the scenes look at how things are done!
Have you ever installed laminate flooring- or perhaps another type? We installed engineered hardwood throughout our main floor addition. It is white oak, and I just love it! it is definitely more time consuming than laminate though, as every board needs to be nailed in place. You can also catch my full tutorial for painting wood floors here and all the details on our barn door install here.
Thanks for stopping by today. If you have a moment I would appreciate a thumbs up on the video, and if you feel inclined please subscribe to my channel. Hope you are having a wonderful day!
-Miss Ash
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GREAT job on the flooring, the laminate looks fantastic !!!🤗💫
thank you mizz d. xo
Did you lay the baseboard after installing the flooring? How would you complete the flooring if you already have a baseboard installed?
Good Morning Sarah you will need to pull your baseboard out to install the flooring, and then re-install your baseboard. You need to leave spacing around the perimeter of the flooring- as you see with the spacers- and the baseboard will cover that space when you complete the install. Hope that answers your question!