During the last few years, laminate floors have positioned themselves in the market as an excellent alternative in interior design and decoration. They are quite resistant, do not attract termites, their colors are permanent, and they exist at different prices depending on their design and material. But, above all, the laminate flooring installation is easy and quick.

The first thing you have to do is to have the laminate floor install, in the number of square meters equivalent to the area where we will perform the work, being recommended to consider between 10 to 15% extra to be sure.

Recommendations before installation

The floor on which the installation is going to be made should be waterproofed.

The area where we are going to carry out the installation must be completely unoccupied. Also, old baseboards and doors should be removed.

It is good to lay the laminate flooring packages horizontally in the areas to be worked on for at least 48 hours before starting the work. In this way, we ensure the materials’ acclimatization and avoid dilatations or contractions after the installation.

What do you need?

Isolation material: this is a film placed between the surface and the laminate flooring to be installed to reduce vibrations and the sound of footsteps and impacts. They are usually made of polyethylene or neoprene but can also be marketed in other materials, such as plastic or cork.

Skirting: also known as baseboard, it is the piece of wood or ceramic placed at the base of a building’s interior walls to protect it from impacts. In the case of laminate flooring, it fulfills an invaluable aesthetic function as it covers the space between the wall and the edges of the slabs. Its color should match the color of the floor. The quantity required should be equal to space’s perimeter to be laminated plus 20% represented in waste.

• Tape measure.
• Cutting saw.
• Wood planer.
• Adhesive for skirting board.
• Pencil for marking.
• Rubber mallet.
• Rubber hammer.

In the number of square meters equivalent to the area where we will do the work, Laminate flooring installation is recommended to consider between 10 to 15% extra to be sure.

Now that you have everything you need, you are ready to start; make sure that the surface on which we will develop the installation must be completely level since any irregularity or protrusion can affect the laminate’s stability. It should also be completely free of dirt and dust, clean and dry.

Now, unroll the insulation and space where we will install the laminate flooring, trim the excess material, join the different pieces of it and glue the edges to the surface.

Trim the base of the door frame to fit the new flooring piece. Therefore, we need to place one of the laminate parts next to the edge, measure the height, mark with the pencil, and carefully pass the saw. We must be as accurate as possible so that the joint is invisible to the naked eye.

Before installing the floor itself, choose the pieces’ orientation according to the visual effect you want to achieve.

Once the decision has been made, we start the installation from the most visible corner of the room until we reach the end of the row, where we will have to measure the piece and cut it to fill the missing gap.

If that last piece is too small, it may be better to start the installation from the center of the row towards its sides so that the corner pieces look better aesthetically.

Don’t forget to allow the material to expand freely; it is essential to leave 8 to 10 mm. of space around the perimeter. If a single piece touches the wall, the installation will inevitably lift.

To lay the last row of laminate, we must cut the pieces on the long side to cover the surface. This will take a little more time and work than the cuts made to fill the ends.