How to lay a laminate Floor

A time consuming job but a transformational one, the reward is instant, tidy and cost effective with added value guaranteed as long as a good quality flooring is used.

1. Acclimatise the laminate flooring in the room for at least 48 hours. This will adjust your laminate flooring to the room temperature and conditions, if you just simply buy the product then immediately lay it you may find the flooring will bulge or buckle.
2. Clean the floor before you start laying the laminate flooring, remove any projections and refix any loose original flooring.
3. First, lay an underlay on top of the original surface.
4. Place fitting wedges along the wall, this will act like an expansion area when complete.
5. Fit the boards lengthways, with the tongue side of the board to the wall so they touch the fitting wedges, working away from the doorway to an obscure section of the room is best for the amateur.
6. Lock the next board to the first board and gently tap the edges of the board so that they fit snugly, using an offcut of the new flooring to tap against the flooring board you are laying will prevent damage to the laid board.
7. Continue until you reach the end and place fitting wedges on the side wall.
8. For the second row, you'll need to offset the boards to strengthen the laminate, offseting is in relation the the floor board ends, and equal staggering really does help the floors stability, see 9 below.
9. Start by laying the second row with half a length of the length of the board already laid.
10. Make sure that the board is locked to the previous row.
11. Tighten the boards by pushing it down.
12. When you're finished laying the laminate flooring, remove the fitting wedges around the walls.
13. Measure and cut the amount of laminate flooring trim you plan to use.
14. Apply adhesive to the trim and fit it to the skirting boards.
15. When you're done laying the laminate flooring, vacuum the area and you’re ready to move all the furniture back into the room.

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