Laminate Flooring Installation: Step by Step Guide

Laminate is one of the most DIY-friendly floors you can put in a home, which is exactly why so many people search for how to install laminate flooring before they commit. The good news: with a weekend, a few basic tools and a bit of patience, most confident DIYers can lay a click-lock laminate floor themselves.

Quick answer: acclimatise the boards for 48 hours, get the subfloor clean, dry and level, roll out underlay, then click the boards together row by row, staggering the joints and keeping a 10mm expansion gap around every edge. Finish with scotia or skirting to cover the gap.

What is a laminate floor?

Laminate is a layered floor: a dense fibreboard core topped with a high-resolution image of timber and a tough clear wear layer, with a balancing layer underneath. You get the look of oak, blackbutt or spotted gum at a fraction of the price of the real thing, plus a surface that shrugs off scratches better than most timber.

If you are still choosing a floor, browse our laminate flooring range to see current colours and board formats.

What type of laminate flooring do you have?

Nearly all modern laminate is click-lock: the boards have profiled edges that angle and snap into each other, floating over the subfloor with no glue or nails. That is the type this guide covers. Older glue-down laminate still exists but is rare in Australian homes now, and it is a job we would leave to an installer.

Is laminate flooring easy to install?

Honestly, yes, as DIY flooring goes. There is no adhesive, no nail gun and no finishing coat. The skills you need are measuring accurately, cutting straight lines and being fussy about preparation. A typical bedroom takes a day for a first-timer; an open-plan living area is a solid weekend.

What tools and materials do you need?

• Laminate boards, plus around 10 per cent extra for cuts and mistakes
• Underlay suited to your subfloor, with a moisture barrier over concrete
• Spacers for the expansion gap
• Tapping block and pull bar
• Tape measure, pencil and set square
• Jigsaw, circular saw or a fine-tooth handsaw
• Utility knife for the underlay, plus tape to join runs
• Scotia or new skirting to finish the perimeter

Before you start: three things that make or break the job

Acclimatise the boards

Leave the unopened packs lying flat in the room for at least 48 hours before laying, or as long as the manufacturer specifies. The fibreboard core expands and contracts with temperature and humidity, and it needs to settle into the room before it is locked together.

Prepare the subfloor

The subfloor must be clean, dry and level. Sweep and vacuum thoroughly, deal with any moisture problems first, and check for dips with a straight edge. As a rule of thumb, more than 3mm of variation over a metre wants grinding or a self-levelling compound before you lay a floating floor over it.

Plan your direction and first row

Boards usually look best running parallel with the longest wall or with the main source of natural light. Measure the room width and work out how wide your final row will be: if it would end up thinner than about 50mm, trim the first row narrower so the two edge rows balance.

How to install laminate flooring step by step

Step 1: Roll out the underlay

Lay the underlay at right angles to the board direction or as the manufacturer directs, butting edges together without overlaps and taping the joins. On concrete slabs, use an underlay with a built-in moisture barrier or lay plastic sheeting first.

Step 2: Lay the first row

Start in a corner with the tongue side facing the wall, trimmed off if the manufacturer recommends it. Place spacers between the boards and the wall to hold a consistent 10mm expansion gap. Click the end joints together along the row and cut the last board to fit, keeping the offcut if it is longer than 300mm.

Step 3: Stagger the joints

Begin the second row with that offcut so the end joints land at least 300mm apart from row to row. Random staggering looks more natural than a rigid step pattern and keeps the floor structurally sound.

Step 4: Click each row home

Angle each new board into the long edge of the previous row, lower it flat, then tap it snug with the tapping block. Never hammer the board edge directly: you will crush the locking profile. Use the pull bar to close joints near walls where the tapping block will not fit.

Step 5: Cut around door frames and obstacles

Undercut door jambs with a handsaw laid flat on an offcut so the flooring slides underneath for a clean look. For pipes, drill a hole 20mm larger than the pipe, cut through the centre of the hole, fit the board and glue the small piece back behind the pipe.

Step 6: Fit the last row

Measure the gap at several points, as walls are rarely straight, and rip the final boards to width, keeping the 10mm gap. Lever them into place with the pull bar.

Step 7: Finish the edges

Remove all spacers, then cover the expansion gap with scotia fixed to the skirting, or remove and refit skirting over the floor. Fit transition trims at doorways and where laminate meets tiles or carpet. Done.

Common laminate installation mistakes to avoid

• Skipping acclimatisation, which leads to gaps or peaking later
• No expansion gap, the single biggest cause of buckled floating floors
• Laying over an uneven or damp subfloor and hoping for the best
• Hammering directly on board edges instead of using a tapping block
• Lining up end joints too closely between rows

When to call in a professional

Stairs, large open-plan areas, badly out-of-level slabs and jobs with lots of angles or built-in joinery are where DIY laminate installs usually come unstuck. If that sounds like your project, or you simply want it done fast, our team can arrange supply and installation. Contact us or drop into your nearest Jupps store.

Weighing laminate against other hard floors? Compare it with hybrid flooring and engineered timber, or read our guide to vinyl flooring thickness if vinyl is still in the running.