How to...lay laminate flooring

Tools for the job:

Laminate flooring Underlay Masking tape Saw Tape Measure Spirit Level Flooring adhesive Mallet/hammer Skirting/trims Craft Knife Knee Pads (ideally)

1. Measure your room

Measure the width and length of your room and work out the total area in metres squared.

2. Prepare the floor

A laminate floor can be laid on any smooth, flat surface. If you are laying new flooring on existing floorboards make sure that they are all secure and flatten any old nails with a hammer. If you have concrete flooring, make sure that it is as even as possible and most importantly dry.

3. Lay the underlay

Before starting you should remove any inward facing doors and the skirting boards to make the job easier. You should also remove your shoes before you begin work so that you do not damage the flooring. Prior to laying the underlay you should first cover the floor with a plastic-film moisture barrier or Damp Proof Membrane (DPM) this will stop any moisture from coming up through the floor. There are a few different options available when it comes to underlay for your laminate floor:

Polyfoam- This is the thinnest type of underlay which is suitable for most types of flooring.
Combined underlay- This form combines damp proofing and underlay in one material. It is slightly thicker than polyfoam underlay so is perfect for more uneven surfaces.
Wood fibre boards- The thickest form of underlay, wood fibre boards provide excellent sound and heat proofing but will need 24 hours to acclimatise to the room before you begin laying the laminate.

Once you have decided on the best type of underlay for your circumstances follow the manufacturer’s guide to installation.

4. Lay the laminate flooring

Laminate flooring will expand and contract over time so needs space around the edges of the room to allow for this. Add plastic expansion spacers at regular intervals around the room to allow enough space for expansion. Most laminate flooring nowadays works on a tongue and groove principal where by the ends of boards fit together and are secured by applying glue to each end and fixing together. Lay the boards using this method along the width of the room until you reach the side wall, when you do you will most likely find that you need to cut the last board to make it fit, mark where you need to cut and use a saw to cleanly cut the board.

Once you have finished the first row and are happy with how it looks move onto the second. Start by laying the remainder of the cut board from the first row (to make the floor look its best you should stagger the end joints by at least 30cm). Continue to lay the boards as you did on the first row and once the second row is finished tap the rows together gently with a mallet to secure them.

As you go across the room remember to keep adding expansion spaces to the side walls of the room to allow for the expansion of the wood.

5. Awkward bits

Most rooms will have central heating pipes going beneath the floor so you will need to alter the floorboards to go around them. The best way to do this is to drill a hole about 5mm bigger than the diameter of the pipe through a board then saw a horizontal line through the centre of the hole. Once you have got two pieces, fit them back together around the pipe and secure with adhesive.

6.Finishing the floor

Replace the skirting boards and internal doors and then fit a metal or wooden threshold over the edge of the flooring beneath the doorframe.

How to...lay laminate flooring