Top Tips for Laying Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring comes with plenty of advantages. It’s a beautiful alternative to hardwood floors for the majority of your home, including your living room, office space, bedrooms, and even your kitchen and bathrooms! However, when it comes to laying laminate flooring, the task can be a little daunting. After all, you’re tackling a project that affects a part of your home you use every single day. Don't worry though, our tips below on how to lay laminate flooring will make sure you do it like a pro!

What is Laminate Flooring?

Laminate flooring is a composite flooring material, made up of 3 different layers. More often than not, it’s designed to look similar to hardwood flooring. The three layers of laminate flooring include:

Tools for the Job

First things first, you need to gather your materials. Here’s what you'll need:

What to Look for When Choosing Laminate Flooring

There are many different options for laminate flooring on the market. You need to make sure you choose the best one for you. Here’s what to look for in laminate flooring:

How Thick Should Laminate Flooring Be?

Laminate flooring is usually available in 7mm to 12mm thicknesses. Thicker laminate flooring resists bending from uneven areas in your subfloor. It also reduces noise.

What Finish Should Laminate Flooring Be?

For laminate that mimics hardwood, you can choose from a long list of finishes. That includes walnut, pine, hickory, maple, chestnut, oak, and cherry.

What Abrasion Criteria (AC) Rating Should Laminate Flooring Have?

The AC rating corresponds to durability and wear resistance on a scale of 1-5. The higher the rating, the higher the durability of the laminate flooring. In high-traffic areas of your home, look for laminate flooring with a rating of AC 3 or 4. Light to medium foot traffic areas only need a rating of AC 1 or 2.

Should I Get Waterproof or Water-Resistant Laminate Flooring?

Waterproof laminate flooring is one of the options on the market. However, it often comes with its own set of installation instructions, including using a silicone sealant. Water-resistant usually means moisture needs to be cleaned within 30 minutes of hitting the floor.

Our Top Tips for Laying Laminate Flooring

How to Lay Laminate Flooring Around Doors

When it comes to laying laminate flooring around doors, use a piece of underlay and an offcut of the laminate as a “depth gauge” to judge the amount that needs to be trimmed from the bottom of the architrave. Place a multi-saw or a fine-toothed saw on your “depth gauge” and trim the required amount. Test it with a board to make sure it fits. If your door has a saddle, you need to remove it. Once you’re finished with the entire room, screw or stick your door trim in place on the door threshold. If you’re screwing, check the area with a 3-in-1 detector. Be sure to avoid using long screws.

Laying Laminate Flooring Around Corners

If you need to lay laminate flooring around corners, mark the depth and width of the corner on the board, first. Then trim off the excess using a jigsaw.

What Direction to Lay Laminate Flooring

Usually, you want to lay laminate flooring parallel to the long side of the room. This creates a more natural flow as soon as you walk into the room. It also accentuates the length of the room, which is great for smaller spaces.

Things to Remember

As you gear up to lay your laminate, be sure to keep these critical things in mind:

How to Match Laminate Flooring?

One of the best methods to match laminate flooring is to track down the laminate you’re already using. Check the manufacturer’s name and the model number on the box you’re using. Do a quick search online to find the same laminate.

If you don’t have the box of laminate, you can remove a small, inconspicuous edge piece of your flooring from along a wall. Take it to a flooring store or a home project store like Woodie’s. A professional at the store should be able to match your flooring with samples to come up with matching laminate.

Is Laminate Flooring Good for Kitchens?

Laminate flooring can go just about anywhere in your home. The great thing about laminate is most options are water-resistant. This makes them an excellent option for a busy kitchen!

Can You Install Laminate Flooring Over Wood Floors?

Yes, most of the time, laminate flooring can be installed right over the top of wood floors. Usually, you don’t even have to take extra steps for preparation. If your selected laminate already has an underlay built-in, you can install it right on top of wood floors.

If your new flooring doesn’t have the underlay built-in, follow steps 3 through 5 in the guide above. Sometimes hardwood is in rough shape. If yours has nails or fasteners protruding, be sure to pull those before laying your laminate boards.

What to Do with Old Laminate Flooring?

If you have large amounts of laminate flooring to dispose of, the best thing to do is take them to a recycling centre or a local landfill with recycling capabilities. If you must, they can be thrown away. However, it’s best to try and recycle them.

How Much Water Can Laminate Flooring Take?

Most laminate flooring is not waterproof, but instead, it’s water-resistant. There’s a certain amount of water laminate flooring can take for a short duration. Usually, you need to wipe up any moisture on the floor within 30 minutes of it first touching it.

However, in desperate situations, open edges will still maintain their shape even after 2 hours of being submerged in water. At 4 hours, the flooring begins to soak up the water which can cause the boards to swell and warp.

Installing laminate flooring is a great way to upgrade your home. It’s a relatively easy project to tackle over a weekend, too! And with so many options available to you, it’s easy to find laminate flooring that looks great and is durable against daily wear and tear.

Ready to get started? We’ve got everything you need to lay laminate flooring here!

Please note: These methods serve as a guide only. We encourage you to take full caution when undertaking any project within the home.