How to Install a Laminate Floor

Removal steps vary depending on the flooring. Here are a few quick tips for removing some flooring types.

• Laminate: Use a pry bar to remove existing boards. Pry the first board up a bit, grab the edge and shake it loose from the next board. Repeat for the other boards.
• Vinyl Planks: Some vinyl planks lock together like laminate flooring. You can remove them in a similar fashion.
• Vinyl: Sheet vinyl flooring will usually be secured to the subfloor with adhesive, so you’ll need to scrape up the flooring and adhesive. Carefully cut the flooring into strips with a utility knife to make it easier to handle. Some vinyl plank and tile flooring may be affixed to the subfloor in a similar fashion or locked together like laminate.
• Hardwood: Set a circular saw to cut to the thickness of the flooring. You may need to pry up a board along an edge to determine the thickness. Cut along the ends of the boards and then carefully pry them up. Remove the nails as you go. If you’re not trying to reuse the flooring, you can cut it into more manageable sections.
• Carpet: Tack strips around the room perimeter usually hold carpet in place. Pull the carpet up and cut it into manageable strips. Then remove the padding. Finally, remove the tack strips. Be careful. The tacks are very sharp.
• Mortar-Set Tile: Use a masonry chisel and hammer to break up the grout and chip away the tile and mortar.

To undercut the door frame and get the height of the cut, stack a piece of the underlayment and laminate next to the door frame and cut it with an oscillating saw.

Some flooring comes with a pre-installed underlayment on the planks. If yours does not, now’s the time to install the underlayment. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the underlayment you’re using. Here are some general tips for the underlayment we used for this project.

• Perform a moisture test.
• Place the underlayment so the seams will be perpendicular to the laminate seams.
• Beginning in a corner of the room, place the underlayment along a wall. One edge might be designated for overlapping — it should face into the room.
• Place the next row of underlayment, overlapping and sealing the seam according to the product instructions.
• Follow the same procedure for the remaining rows, making sure you seal all the seams properly.

To provide an expansion gap, put spacers around the perimeter of the wall. Use a plank as a guide to ensure the spacers are close enough to provide the correct gap around the perimeter of the room. Tape the spacers to the baseboards to prevent them from moving around during installation. Check your manufacturer’s instructions on what size spacers to use.

Multiply the width of the room by the length to get the square footage, then add 10% more to account for any waste or mistakes. This will determine the amount of flooring you need.

You can also use our Flooring Calculator to estimate the square footage of laminate needed.

When you’re happy with the layout, cut the tongue off the long side of all the pieces. You’ll also want to cut the tongue off the short side of your first piece as it’ll need to fit in the corner against the spacers.

Before assembling the first row and putting it into place, lay out the second row, tongue-side toward the wall again. Be sure to offset the boards by at least 6 inches to avoid H joints. Then, cut the boards to length as needed.

When installing the planks, use an alternating pattern by staggering the planks, going two rows at a time.

Most laminate floors have a click-lock system, which makes them easy to install by inserting the tongue on one board into the groove along the long side of another board, then rotating down until they lock in place.

Do the same for the next two planks, joining the short ends first. To close the gap on the long side, lift the outside edge of the plank about an inch, and push in firmly until the edges meet. Then rotate down to lock.

When installing a floating laminate floor, you don’t need to use any adhesive, nails or staples. Slide the first two rows into their final position, and repeat steps 5 and 6 above, using the same alternating plank technique to complete the process.

Starting at least 8 inches from the end of the plank, use a tapping block and hammer to gently tap along the long side to close the joints. Move to the short side and, again, tap gently so you don’t damage the flooring.

For the last row, you may have to cut the pieces to fit. Measure the width needed, subtracting the expansion gap and cut lengthwise.

Insert the tongue into the long side, align the short side, then use a pull bar and hammer to lock the last row in place and tap the short side closed.

When installing around a doorway, slide the plank at least 1/4 inch under the door frame, leaving a concealed 3/8-inch expansion gap. Next, with your tapping block or pull bar, tap the long side closed first, then tap the short side closed.

For wall-to-wall waterproof protection, fill the expansion gaps with compressible PE 3/8-inch foam backer rod.

Apply a thin coating of 100% silicone sealant over the backer rod. Make sure the silicone connects from the edge of the floor to the wall.

Watch How Do I Use Caulk? for tips on applying caulk and sealant.

Install any baseboards, trim and shoe moulding to the walls, and be sure not to drive any nails into your new floor.