How to Lay Laminate Flooring

What You'll Need

Laminate flooring boards (add 10% for waste), underlay, a pull bar and tapping block (or laminate fitting kit), a jigsaw or circular saw, a tape measure and pencil, spacers (6–10mm), and a utility knife. A rubber mallet is helpful but not essential.

Step 1 — Prepare the Subfloor

The subfloor must be clean, dry, flat, and structurally sound. Any high spots greater than 3mm over 1.8 metres need grinding down. Low spots can be filled with self-levelling compound. Remove any existing flooring, gripper rods, and protruding nails or screws.

Step 2 — Acclimatise the Flooring

Leave the laminate boards in the room where they'll be installed for 48 hours before laying. This allows them to adjust to the room's temperature and humidity, preventing gaps or buckling after installation.

Step 3 — Lay the Underlay

Roll out the underlay in strips perpendicular to the direction you'll lay the boards. Butt joints together (don't overlap) and tape the seams. If your underlay doesn't have a built-in vapour barrier, add a polythene DPM layer first on ground floors.

Step 4 — Plan Your Layout

Work out the direction of the boards (usually parallel to the longest wall or direction of light from the main window). Calculate the width of the last row — if it would be less than 50mm, adjust the first row width to keep it balanced.

Step 5 — Lay the First Row

Place 8–10mm spacers against the wall. Lay the first row of boards with the tongue side facing the wall. Use a pull bar and mallet to click subsequent boards together. Cut the last board in the row to fit with a jigsaw.

Step 6 — Lay Subsequent Rows

Start each new row with the offcut from the previous row (minimum 300mm long). Stagger the joints by at least 300mm for structural integrity and appearance. Click each board into the previous row at an angle, then press down flat.

Step 7 — Finishing

When all boards are laid, remove the spacers. Fit beading or trim along the skirting boards to cover the expansion gap. Fit threshold bars in doorways. Refit radiator pipes with pipe surrounds.