Pro Tips and Tricks for Installing Laminate Flooring

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Start With a Smooth Subfloor

Laminate floor systems do not function well on uneven surfaces. Before starting any flooring work, inspect the subfloor. Crawl around with a straightedge to find any areas that are more than 1/8-inch high or low. Subfloor seams are the usual suspects.

A belt sander sporting a coarse-grit belt will knock down seams pretty fast, but you may have to rent a commercial floor sander to grind down severe peaks.

A dip in the floor will cause a soft, spongy section in the laminate floor. Most dips can be taken care of with a trowel and vinyl floor patch. Buy a fast-drying variety if you want to start laying the floor the same day.

“Avoid self-leveling floor compounds, especially on older homes,” says Jay, our flooring pro. “An out-of-level floor could take a whole truckload of self-leveling compound to flatten out. And oh, yeah—this is the time to screw the plywood to the joists anywhere there’s a squeak.”

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How To Cut Laminate Flooring

Cutting laminate with a miter saw gets pretty noisy and dusty pretty quickly, and walking back and forth to your miter saw isn’t very efficient. Instead, cut the planks with a laminate shear quietly and cleanly right where they’re going to be installed.

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Where To Start Floor Installations

Installing flooring around doorways is one of the thorniest issues you’ll deal with. Simplify it by starting on the wall that has the most doorways. Of course, you’ll still have to undercut jambs and trim, but it’s a lot easier starting at a doorway than ending up at one.