How to Install Laminate Flooring

Beginner · 1–2 days

Click-lock laminate is the floor most first-timers should start with: it floats over the subfloor with no glue or nails, the planks snap together by hand, and a single room is a realistic weekend project. The two things people get wrong are skipping acclimation and forgetting the expansion gap — both let the floor buckle later. Get those right and the rest is mostly cutting and clicking.

What you'll need

• Laminate planks (use the calculator to size boxes including waste)
• Foam underlayment (or a combo plank with attached pad)
• Spacers for the expansion gap and a tapping block + pull bar
• Circular saw or miter saw, plus a jigsaw for notches
• Tape measure, speed square, and a sharp utility knife
• Transition strips and quarter-round or baseboard to cover the gap

Steps

1. 1

   Acclimate the planks

   Leave the boxes flat in the room for 48 hours so the laminate adjusts to the home's temperature and humidity. Skipping this is the number-one cause of buckling.

2. 2

   Prep the subfloor

   The subfloor must be clean, dry, and flat to within about 3/16 in over 10 ft. Sand down high spots and fill low ones; remove old base shoe.

3. 3

   Roll out underlayment

   Lay foam underlayment across the room, seams butted (not overlapped) and taped. Skip this if your planks have a pad already attached.

4. 4

   Plan the layout

   Measure the room and dry-lay a row so the last row won't be a sliver — aim for at least a few inches wide. Plank direction usually runs parallel to the longest wall or the main light source.

5. 5

   Lay the first row with spacers

   Start along the straightest wall with the tongue side facing it. Set 1/4–3/8 in spacers against every wall to hold the expansion gap the floor needs to move.

6. 6

   Stagger and lock the rows

   Cut the first plank of each new row so end joints are offset at least 8–12 in from the row before — staggered seams are stronger and look right. Angle each plank into the previous row and tap home with the block.

7. 7

   Finish edges and transitions

   Rip the final row to width, leaving the gap. Pull out the spacers, install transition strips at doorways, and cover the perimeter gap with quarter-round or reinstalled baseboard — fastened to the wall, never to the floor.

Pro tips

• Buy 10% extra (15% for diagonal or busy patterns) so you have matching planks for cuts and future repairs — the calculator adds this waste factor.
• Mix planks from several boxes as you go so any shade variation between dye lots blends instead of clustering.
• Never fasten trim through the laminate. The floor must float freely or it will buckle when it expands.
• Save a full box of leftovers — dye lots change, and a matching spare plank is gold years later.

FAQ

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