How to Install Laminate Flooring for Beginners

Break the room into sections and measure each one separately, then add those numbers together for total square footage. You need laminate planks (buy 10% extra for waste), underlayment to go beneath them, and quarter round molding if the baseboards are staying on.

Measure the baseboard around the whole room to figure out how much quarter round to buy. Grab transition strips for any doorways where two different floors meet.

The subfloor has to be clean and flat before anything goes down. If the room had carpet, there will be leftover tack strip nails and staples stuck in the concrete or plywood. A pry bar pulls those out fast.

Sweep up all the debris so you're starting on a bare surface. Any bumps or nails left behind will show through the laminate and cause problems later.

Underlayment goes between the subfloor and your laminate planks. It acts as a moisture barrier and helps with sound. Roll it out starting from one wall, working across the room.

Some brands have adhesive tape built into one edge. Peel the backing and stick it to the next sheet so the seams stay sealed. If yours doesn't come with tape, pick up a roll of seam tape at the store. Cover the entire floor with no gaps or overlaps.

Pick the direction for your planks. Running them along the longest wall usually looks best, but it's a matter of taste. Then cut a few small strips of scrap laminate on the miter saw to use as spacers.

These spacers create an expansion gap along every wall. Laminate expands and contracts with temperature changes. Without that gap, the floor will buckle. Place spacers along your starting wall before laying any planks.

The first row sets the foundation, so take your time. Cut the tongue off the planks that face the wall. It gives a cleaner edge against the spacers.

If door trim is in the way, use an oscillating tool to undercut it so the plank slides right underneath. Put painter's tape on the laminate before marking your cuts. The tape makes pencil lines easier to see and reduces chipping when you cut.

Stagger the joints between rows for a natural look. Start the second row with a half-length plank, then the third with a quarter-length. After that, use whatever cutoff piece you have to start each new row.

To connect planks, slide the tongue into the groove at an angle and snap it down flat. When you reach the end of a row, flip the plank around to mark your cut line, then make the cut. Use a scrap piece of laminate as a tapping block and tap the joints tight with a rubber mallet as you go.

The final rows against the far wall are the hardest part. There's no room to swing a mallet, so use a pull bar instead. Hook it over the end of the plank and tap the other end with a hammer to pull the joint snug.

If you're working around a door frame you couldn't undercut, it takes some patience. But the quarter round molding will cover small gaps along the wall, so don't stress about perfection here.

Cut all the quarter round pieces before you start nailing. Miter every corner at 45 degrees for clean joins. A pin nailer is the best tool here. It leaves tiny holes that disappear under a dab of caulk later.

Where pieces join on a straight run, cut those joints at a miter angle too. It looks much better than two blunt ends butted together. Cap exposed ends with a mitered return for a finished look.

Where laminate meets another floor at a doorway, you need a transition strip. For two floors at the same height, use a T-molding. Drill the metal track into the subfloor at the doorway, shimming it up if needed so it sits at the right height above both floor surfaces.

Hammer the transition piece into the track. It snaps in and holds with tension. The strip protects the exposed edge of the laminate and gives a clean dividing line between rooms.

Run a bead of caulk between the quarter round and the baseboard, and around any door trim. This is also when you fill all the tiny pin nail holes. Smooth caulk over them with your finger and wipe the excess.

For any larger gaps under the trim, caulk makes them look finished even if it's not a structural fix. Once the caulk dries, sweep up and the room is done.