How to lay laminate flooring – step by step

Laminate and other click floors are laid floating: the floor rests loosely on an underlay and is held together by its click joints. What matters most is a flat, dry subfloor, an 8–10 mm expansion gap at every wall, a straight first row and end joints staggered by at least 30 cm. Here is the whole job, including radiator pipes and door frames.

1. Before you start

Acclimatise. Lay the unopened packs flat in the middle of the room for 1–2 days, or as long as the pack says. That lets the floor adjust to the room’s temperature and humidity. Skip it and the floor can gap or buckle later. Mix planks from several packs as you go, so small colour differences spread out.

Check the subfloor. The most common reason a floor creaks or gaps is a poor subfloor. It must be:

• Flat: no more than about a 2–3 mm dip under a 2 m straightedge. Sand down high spots and fill dips in concrete. Replace broken floorboards.
• Dry: new concrete or screed must be fully dried out. If in doubt, do a moisture test.
• Clean: sweep and vacuum. A single small stone under the floor can cause a creak.

Tools: a saw (jigsaw, mitre saw or fine-tooth hand saw), spacers, tapping block and pull bar, tape measure, pencil and square, utility knife, hammer, knee pads, dust mask and safety glasses.

2. Underlay and vapour barrier

You need a vapour barrier on concrete and screed, and where the floor sits over a crawl space or a cold basement. It stops moisture coming up from below. The usual choice is 0.2 mm polythene sheet (a damp-proof membrane) with about 20 cm overlap, taped at the seams and turned up a little at the walls. Many underlays have the vapour barrier built in, and then you need no extra sheet.

On a dry timber floor in a heated home you usually don’t need a vapour barrier. A normal underlay is enough. If in doubt, follow the instructions for your floor.

The underlay (foam or an acoustic underlay) is rolled out over the whole floor, edge to edge with no overlap, with the seams taped. It evens out small bumps and reduces footstep noise. If your planks already have an underlay attached to the back, don’t add another.

Over an old floor? Vinyl, linoleum, tiles and wooden floors usually work as a subfloor, as long as they are firmly fixed, flat, clean and dry. Carpet and other soft floor coverings must come up.

Underfloor heating? Check that your floor is approved for it; it says so on the pack. The surface temperature usually must not exceed about 27 °C, and the first time you turn the heat up, do it slowly.

3. Direction and the first row

Planks usually look best running parallel with the light from the largest window, because the joints then cast fewer shadows. In a long, narrow room the floor looks calmer with the planks running lengthways, and there are fewer cuts.

The first row sets up the whole floor, so take your time:

• Leave an expansion gap at every wall, pipe and threshold using spacers, usually 8–10 mm (vinyl about 5 mm). Without it the floor can buckle as it moves with the seasons.
• Start in a corner by the straightest wall. Most click floors are laid tongue side to the wall, with the protruding tongue sawn off. If your pack says otherwise, follow the pack.
• Count the rows before you start. If the room isn’t a whole number of plank widths, the last row will be narrow. Then rip the first row too, so the first and last rows are the same width. How to work it out is on Last row too narrow?
• Check with a string line that the row is dead straight.

Tip: it is easier to lay 4–5 rows, push the floor towards the wall and fit the spacers afterwards.

4. Click together and stagger the joints

Short side: press it down onto the previous plank, or tap it together with the tapping block, depending on the floor. Long side: hold the plank at about 20–30° from above, hook the tongue into the row beside it and lower it until it clicks. Then press down along the whole plank so the lock fully engages. A gap means the joint hasn’t clicked all the way. Never hammer a plank that is lying flat, as that damages the lock.

Start each new row with the offcut from the last one to cut waste. End joints in neighbouring rows must be at least 30 cm apart, or whatever your pack says. If the offcut is shorter than that, cut a new plank.

5. The last row

Measure to the wall, subtract the expansion gap and rip the planks lengthways. Check it with the trade trick: lay a plank on top of the second-to-last row, slide it against the wall and mark it. Walls are rarely perfectly straight. Pull the planks in with the pull bar. If the last row is narrower than 10 cm, glue the short ends.

For angled walls and L-shaped rooms, Parquet Planner’s cutting list shows exactly where every cut goes, with saw templates you can print.

6. Radiator pipes

1. Measure where the pipe is and mark its centre on the plank.
2. Drill a hole that is the pipe diameter + 20 mm, so there is 10 mm of space all round for the floor to move. Use a hole saw or a spade bit.
3. If the pipe sits where two planks meet along the long side: click the planks together and drill on the joint.
4. If the pipe sits in the middle of a plank: saw a wedge from the edge of the plank to the hole, lay the plank around the pipe and glue the wedge back behind the pipe.
5. Clip a pipe collar (a two-part ring) over the pipe to hide the hole.

7. Door frames and flooring through a doorway

Cut the frame, not the plank. Lay a plank upside down on the underlay as a height guide and saw the bottom off the door frame and architrave (door casing), so the floor slides underneath. Keep the expansion gap to the wall behind the frame. Never cut the plank to the shape of the frame.

The plank under the frame goes as close to the frame as possible and is tapped in from the short end. If you can’t angle it in, plane off two thirds of the locking strip and glue the joint.

A strip in the doorway, or straight through? The manufacturers’ safe choice is to divide the floor in the doorway with an expansion joint under a threshold strip. The track is screwed to the subfloor, never to the floating floor. Always divide when:

• the floor runs longer than about 8 metres across the planks or 12 metres along them (or whatever the pack says),
• the rooms form an L, lie in a row, or are a hallway with rooms on both sides,
• only one of the rooms has underfloor heating.

If two rooms together form a simple rectangle, the floor can run straight through, but some manufacturers require a strip in every doorway. Read your pack. Parquet Planner suggests a strip or straight through for every door you draw.

8. Skirting and care

Remove the spacers. Fit skirting boards to hide the expansion gap and fix them to the wall, never to the floor, because the floor has to be able to move. Where the floor meets another floor, fit a threshold or transition strip.

Sweep or vacuum regularly, because grit is what scratches most. Wipe up spills at once and use a well-wrung mop. Put felt pads under furniture.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a vapour barrier under laminate?

Yes, on concrete and screed, and where the floor sits over a crawl space or a cold basement. It is moisture from below you need to stop. On a dry timber floor in a heated home you usually don’t. Many underlays have the vapour barrier built in. Always follow the instructions for your floor.

Can you lay laminate over vinyl or tiles?

Yes, if the old floor is firmly fixed, flat, clean and dry. Vinyl, linoleum, tiles and wooden floors usually work as a subfloor. Carpet and other soft coverings must come up.

How big should the expansion gap be for laminate?

Usually 8–10 mm at every wall, pipe, threshold and door frame. Vinyl usually manages with about 5 mm. The skirting hides the gap.

How long can a laminate floor run without a transition strip?

Allow about 8 metres across the planks and 12 metres along them, unless the pack says otherwise. If the floor is longer, it needs an expansion joint, preferably in a doorway under a threshold strip.

Which way should laminate flooring run?

Usually parallel with the light from the largest window, or lengthways in a long, narrow room. The joints then show less and there are fewer cuts.

How far apart should the joints be staggered?

At least 30 cm between end joints in two neighbouring rows, or whatever your pack says. Some wood floors require 50 cm.

More guides

• Laminate flooring calculator – planks, packs and waste.
• Last row too narrow? – how wide the last row gets and when to rip the first row.
• Flooring waste calculator – how much extra to buy.