How to lay laminate flooring

If you’ve just ordered some beautiful new laminate flooring, you’re probably feeling pretty chuffed about how perfect it will look in your home. The next step, of course, is fitting laminate flooring in your kitchen, hallway, or whatever space you’ve chosen. As flooring experts, we always think it’s best practice to let our experts fit your flooring, well – expertly! But you may have heard that learning how to fit laminate flooring is fairly straightforward to do yourself.

If you’re thinking of fitting your laminate flooring yourself, here’s a helping hand to ensure you cover all the bases. This step-by-step guide on how to lay laminate flooring has all the tips and tricks. Find out which essential tools you’ll need for laminate flooring installation, as well as some FAQs if any last-minute questions pop up before you start.

In this guide:

• Tools you will need for laminate flooring installation
• How to prepare a surface before laying laminate flooring
• How to install laminate flooring: a step-by-step guide
• How much laminate flooring do I need?
• Laying laminate flooring FAQs
• Unsure if you want to lay laminate yourself? Let us help

Tools you will need for laminate flooring installation

You will need specific tools for laying laminate flooring to make sure it lies correctly with no gaps or spaces. Check the manufacturers’ guidelines to ensure you have the right tools, as different locking mechanisms require different approaches.

Your tools checklist will likely look something like this:

• Mitre saw
• Pulling bar (optional)
• Square
• Drill with a flat wood bit (if there are pipes in the room you need to cut the flooring around)
• Spacers
• Stanley knife
• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Safety goggles and face mask
• Masking tape
• Vacuum cleaner

How to prepare a surface before laying laminate flooring

Our favourite saying here at Tapi is: ‘Fail to prepare; prepare to fail!’ We take our preparation very seriously, and you should too to make sure your new laminate flooring stays gorgeous for many years to come.

If you’ve read our laminate flooring guide, you’ll know that acclimatising your laminate flooring and preparing your subfloor are two crucial first steps. Laminate or solid wood flooring should not be laid over old flooring, as the surface may not be level and can trap moisture and dampness beneath the new floor.

Take up your old flooring and make sure your subfloor is dry, smooth, level, and free from debris. If you need any help with checking whether your flooring is up to scratch, read our guide on what makes a good subfloor. Or book a free home visit, and one of our floorologists can pop round to assess your subfloor and measure up at the same time.

How to install laminate flooring: a step-by-step guide

Now that you have a clear subfloor, you’re ready to jump into the next stage of the process – laying your underlay and the laminate flooring!

Follow these steps to learn how to install laminate flooring like an expert. We’ll walk you through each phase, including where to start laying laminate flooring in your space.

1. Check your subfloor is ready for laying laminate – Double-check your subfloor is dry, level, and free of any debris one more time! 

2. Install your underlay – Once your subfloor is ready, it’s time to install your laminate underlay. Underlay helps to insulate the space as well as well as reduce noise. For more information on the different types of underlay to best suit different subfloors, check out our FAQs below.
3. Where should you start laying laminate flooring? – To work out where to start laying laminate flooring in your room, you’ll need to consider the lock mechanism and fitting method as well as the size of the room. Avoid small or thin planks at the edges of the room! In general, it often looks best for the boards to run parallel with the longest wall in the room. Place spacers between the board and the wall with a 6-10mm expansion gap. Keep this gap consistent all around the room.
4. Adjust the length of the last board in the row – Depending on how long your room is, you might need to adjust the length of the last board in the row. Using a square, mark where to cut this board on the back. If the offcut is at least 30cm long, you can begin the next row with it. 
5. Stagger the joints as you go – As you lay each board side-by-side, make sure to stagger the joints from row to row. 
6. Fit the final row of laminate boards – To find the width of the last board, lay a plank over the previous row. Then place another plank over that, so it’s square with the expansion gap at the edge of the wall. Use this as a guide to mark a line down the length of the plank below. Cut along the line and position it in the final gap – it should be the correct width. Line up the boards and apply light pressure: the click mechanism will engage. This type of flooring is called a ‘floating floor’, which means it isn’t nailed down. To prevent the laminate from becoming damaged, it shouldn’t touch any wall, door frame or pipe. 
7. Cut the laminate around doorframes – Place your laminate neatly around any doorframes or pipes – don’t worry, we’ve got instructions on that directly below.
8. Fit your skirting boards to finish – Finally, lay scotia or install skirting boards to cover the expansion gap, and admire your handiwork! You now have a laminate masterpiece in your home. 

How to install laminate flooring around doorframes

You have two choices when it comes to fitting laminate flooring around doors – undercut the doorframe so you can slide the boards underneath, or cut the boards to fit around the door frame.

• Tapi Top Tip: Hand sawing the door frame is a simple way to achieve a neat finish. Be sure not to cut off too much of the door frame by measuring the depth of the boards first!

For radiator pipes, you can use a flat wood bit to drill a hole, followed by cutting a keyhole shape with a mitre saw around the pipe. Most radiator pipes require a 30mm hole, so ensure the hole is big enough that none of the laminate boards will touch the pipe, and there's an adequate expansion gap.

• Tapi Top Tip: Save the piece you cut out – you’ll need to pop the piece back in the gap and secure it with silicone, then slip a pipe collar around the pipe. 

How much laminate flooring do I need?

This is the section where we will need to do a little maths! Follow these steps on how to work out how much laminate flooring you need:

1. Measure the width of your room using a tape measure.
2. Measure the length of your room.
3. Multiply the length of your room by the width.
4. Add 10% to account for any errors.

How many packs of laminate do I need?

To work out how many boxes of laminate you’ll need to cover your entire room, you're going to divide the room area by the pack size.

So, if the room is 15m² and the laminate you’ve chosen comes in a pack size of 2.3m², you'll divide 15 by 2.3 to get an answer of 6.5. This means you’ll need 7 boxes of flooring.

Apply this same formula to different box and pack sizes to figure out just how many packs of laminate you'll need. 

How much does it cost to install laminate flooring yourself?

If you’re hoping to save money by fitting your laminate flooring yourself, there are other costs you’ll need to consider on top of the price you pay for your laminate boards, which is covered in detail in our laminate cost guide.

You may find that if you choose to fit your own flooring, the cost of purchasing all the necessary tools may outbalance the cost of a professional fitter who comes with all the tools. It’s just about weighing up the cost-to-benefit ratio!

Laying laminate flooring FAQs

The laminate flooring fitting process can look complicated at first glance, and there are certainly a lot of steps to consider to do it right. If you still have questions about the dos and don’ts of laying laminate flooring, we’ve got you covered. We’ve answered some of the most common questions we hear from our customers about laying laminate themselves:

Can you lay laminate over carpet?

No, you must always take up the carpet before laying any laminate. A thick plush carpet isn’t stable enough to support a laminate floor. Before laying laminate, always check the quality and standard of your subfloor to ensure that it’s stable, strong, and dry enough to keep your laminate safe.

Can you lay laminate on concrete?

Yes, you can definitely lay laminate flooring over concrete. Concrete and other smooth surfaces are highly recommended as good subfloors for laying laminate – however, if you’re laying fresh concrete, ensure it’s completely dry and smooth before you lay your underlay. Allow a minimum of one day’s drying time for every 1mm in the depth of concrete laid.

Can you lay laminate on wooden flooring?

Yes! Wooden flooring is a great option for laying laminate flooring over, however, there are a couple of requirements you must be aware of before you start rolling out the underlay.

• We recommend laying a ply sheet on top of wooden flooring to ensure a smooth surface for the underlay and laminate.
• Check that the floor is as smooth as possible – if any wooden floorboards aren't firmly screwed down, secure them.
• Remove raised nails with a hammer.

How long does screed take to dry before laying laminate flooring?

If your subfloor is uneven, part of the preparation process will involve smoothing and levelling out your subfloor so the top layer is perfectly flat, ready for installing your new laminate flooring. For large scale commercial and industrial projects, this will usually be done using screed. Screed is typically made from a concrete and sharp sand mixture that requires levelling out and takes around a minimum of 24-48 hours to dry. As a rule of thumb, it’s a day’s drying time per 1mm of thickness. To fully dry out, screed can take several days or even weeks – and who can wait that long?

For homes and smaller residential projects, you should use a smoothing compound or self-levelling compound to achieve an even subfloor. It’s quick to apply, quick to dry, and has a much smoother finish. Fast-drying smoothing compounds often take only a few hours to dry, but we’d always recommend following the manufacturer’s instructions on drying time before installing your new laminate flooring.

Unsure if you want to lay laminate yourself? Let us help

When you're buying laminate flooring with Tapi, you don't need to worry about fitting it yourself. We use local independent fitters who are experts in their field (not to mention, really lovely people!) who will make quick work of laying your laminate flooring.

Why not book a free home visit or visit your nearest store to speak to our team and see what we can do for you? We have so many collections to choose from, including gorgeous, water resistant Quick-Step laminate flooring .

If you’ve decided to jump headfirst into DIY, check out our tips on caring for your laminate floor to find out more about looking after it properly for the future. You won’t want your masterpiece to get covered in scratches! Or if you fancy a challenge, read our tips on how to lay herringbone flooring.