DIY Laying Laminate Flooring

Preparation

• Give your base floor a thorough cleaning, and check to make sure it is level or at least flat, without any bumps or holes. Make any necessary repairs to the concrete or wood subfloor prior to the laminate flooring installation.
  
  Measure the width and length of the space where you want to install the laminate flooring. Rather than make the final calculation yourself, take the measurements to your flooring supplier and ask him to add a little extra to account for the cuts you may need to make.
  
  Bring your flooring material into the space and allow two days for it to sit, uncovered. The flooring material will adjust--expand, contract or absorb moisture--to the air and temperature of the room.
  
  

Vapor Barrier and Doorjambs

• Carefully remove the existing baseboards, because these can be put back after the job is done. Laminate plank flooring, which resembles hardwood flooring, requires the installation of a vapor barrier over the concrete or subfloor. Vapor barriers are usually installed along the longest direction of the room. Some are overlapped, while others simply meet at the seams. It is recommended to tape the vapor barriers together at the seams when installing over concrete, to prevent moisture from seeping through at these seams.
  
  Take a plank and lay it next to a doorjamb or the doorway casing. Using a coping saw, let the blade rest across the plank to keep it at the right height when making the cut at the bottom of the jamb. This cut will allow the laminate flooring to neatly slide under the doorjamb. Repeat at each doorway in the room.
  
  

Laying the Laminate Flooring

• Lay the first row of laminate flooring along the wall with the longest length. Also, check to make sure this is the way that the main sunlight enters the room, because the plank flooring looks better if it's in line with the sunlight direction. Leave about ¼ to ½ inch gap between the flooring and the wall for possible expansion and contraction. Hold this gap measurement with spacers placed every 12 to 18 inches apart.
  
  Install the tongues of the second row into the groves of the first, using a piece of flooring and a mallet to gently tap it into a snug fit. For a stronger floor system, offset the pieces so that the in-between joints do not line up. Some flooring instructions may recommend applying glue along the tongue-and-groove sides of the planks for a durable bond.
  
  You may encounter curves and corners that require custom cuts to your laminate flooring. Use your pencil to mark the cut on the plank, then use a handsaw to make the cut. Continue installing the pieces, making the cuts to fit in the last pieces of each row, until you reach the last row.
  
  At the last row, measure the distance between the existing row and the wall, then subtract ¼ to ½ an inch. Check the measurement along the entire length of the wall before making your cut. Using a table saw--or for the skilled person, a circular saw--cut down, or rip, to size the last pieces of laminate flooring, then install into place.
  
  Remove the spacers along the walls, and reinstall the base molding around the room. Install any necessary door saddles or thresholds to conceal the edges, and secure the laminate flooring at those points.