How to install a floating laminate floor

Laminate is easy to install, stands up to all kinds of wear and tear, and is relatively inexpensive. It doesn’t require removal of any type of existing flooring except carpet, and in most cases, no special prep work is needed to install a floating laminate floor.

What Is a Floating Laminate Floor?

Laminate floorboards are made of densely pressed wood fiberboard, topped with a layer of paper or other material that looks exactly like wood, then covered with a durable coating that protects the look and gives it its durability. It’s often generically (and mistakenly) called Pergo flooring, but that’s only the trademark name of the company that pioneered the laminate-floor product.

Before You Install a Floating Laminate Floor

You will need to purchase both laminate floorboard and foam underlayment, which acts as a cushion for the flooring, giving it resiliency and dampening sound. To determine how much laminate flooring and foam underlayment you’ll need to buy, multiply the length of the room by the width. That’s your square footage. Each box of laminate flooring is labeled to tell you how many square feet it will cover.

Buy 20% more than you need, so if your room is 400 square feet, buy 480 square feet. The extra flooring will cover any miscalculations or mistakes. To trim the flooring pieces, use a handsaw or carbide-tipped blade, and cut into the good side of the flooring so that any tearout or splintering won’t mar the face of the board.

Because they have interlocking tongues and grooves, most laminates don’t require glue. If there’s any chance of water or dampness, such as in a mudroom, entryway or kitchen, run a light bead of waterproof wood glue along each tongue before mating it to the groove.

What You’ll Need to Install a Floating Laminate Floor

• Laminate flooring
• Foam underlayment (sold in rolls, usually 36 to 42 inches wide)
• Six-mill plastic sheeting if installing over concrete (sold in rolls, usually 10 feet wide)
• Duct tape
• Installation kit: pull bar, tapping block, spacers
• Rubber mallet
• Handsaw or a carbide-tipped blade installed on a power saw
• Flush-cut saw for undercutting doorjambs
• Threshold
• Waterproof glue (optional unless installing in an area that may get wet)
• Knee pads for comfort

How to Install a Floating Laminate Floor

1. Carefully remove and set aside the baseboards.
2. Lay a piece of the new underlayment and flooring next to the doorjamb. Draw a line at the height of the new flooring and undercut the jamb to allow the new underlayment and flooring to slide underneath.
3. Sweep the existing floor carefully.
4. Measure the length of the room, then divide by the length (usually 36 inches) of the boards. If the result is more than eight inches, start laying boards. If it’s less than eight inches, trim the corresponding length from the left-hand (starting) edge of the first board to avoid a too-short board at the end. The first and last boards in each row should be at least eight inches for visual appeal.
5. Prepare to lay the last row of flooring, measuring carefully. You’ll likely need to trim the board to fit, as the remaining space may be narrower than the width of an uncut board.
6. If you’re installing laminate over a concrete floor, you’ll need a vapor barrier to prevent moisture from damaging the underside of your new flooring. Choose a foam underlayment that’s also labeled as a vapor barrier, or put regular foam underlayment on top of six-mill plastic sheeting. Plastic sheeting is sold in 10-foot widths and rolls of 25-foot increments, generally at about $1 per linear foot (a five-foot roll will cost around $25). Roll out the plastic sheeting and butt the edges together, duct-taping all the seams.
7. Roll out foam underlayment, butting the edges together and joining with duct tape.
8. Beginning at the left side of the room, install the first board with the tongue side to the wall. Leave a ¼- to ½-inch expansion space between the walls and the flooring around the perimeter of the room. This will allow the flooring to expand and contract with changes in humidity. Place spacers from the installation kit between the first row and the wall to keep the space uniform.
9. Install the rest of the first row, using spacers to keep the boards away from the wall; with the tapping block and mallet, tap each board into the end of the previous board for a gap-free fit.
10. For all subsequent rows, stagger the boards so the end seams don’t line up. For example, if you began the previous row with a whole board, start with half a board so the end seams are staggered. With the first board of the next row tipped upwards about 45 degrees, engage the tongue with the groove of the boards in the previous row. Lower it gently, keeping it engaged, and press flat to the underlayment. Tap the boards back to the left as you progress to the right.
11. Use the pull bar and mallet to tap the rows snugly together. When you reach the last row, measure each board for width as you go - rooms are rarely perfectly square, so you may have to custom-cut each board to fit. Remember to maintain the ¼ – to ½-inch gap, using spacers.
12. Reinstall the baseboards; they should be fastened only to the wall, not to the flooring, with construction adhesive or finish nails. This allows the floor to expand and contract with changes in humidity.
13. Allow the floor to settle for at least 24 hours, especially if you’ve used glue.

Tips

• Keep the leftovers in case you need to make a repair.
• The easiest way to make detailed cuts for pipes and other obstructions is with a handheld rotary tool, such as a Dremel, with a cutting bit installed.
• Pull boards from several boxes at once to mix and hide any color variations.