How to Install Laminate Snap Lock Flooring Systems

Laminate floors look like real wood but are much easier to install.

Wood is a precious natural resource, so any flooring product that uses less of it without creating the impression of artificiality is bound to be successful. Snap lock laminate flooring is such a product. Laminate flooring planks have a core made of recycled wood chips that is covered by a veneer of real wood. Besides saving wood, laminate floors save money in installation costs because you install the planks simply by snapping them together. Any homeowner with moderate carpentry skills can lay a laminate floor.

Things You'll Need

• Floor-leveling compound
• Trowel
• Belt sander
• Vacuum
• Moisture barrier
• Staple gun and staples
• Tape measure
• Carpenter's square
• Pencil
• Circular saw
• Hammer
• Tapping block
• Pull bar
• Jigsaw
• Fine-tooth blade
• Baseboards

Instructions

1. Level the subfloor before you install laminate flooring. Spread floor-leveling compound in any seams and depressions and trowel it flat. When it dries, sand down high points with a belt sander. Vacuum all the dust away when you are done.

2. Lay a moisture barrier on the subfloor. You can use a piece of 4- to 8-mil sheet plastic, or buy waterproof foam under padding from your laminate flooring dealer. Staple the moisture barrier to the subfloor with a staple gun.

3. Start laying the laminate flooring planks along a straight wall, preferably the most prominent one in the room. Leave a 1/4-inch gap between the planks and the wall to allow for expansion of the wood.

4. Set the first board on the floor in the corner, then bring a second one in contact with the end. Lift and push the second board until they snap together, then lay the end of the second board back down. Make sure the boards have no gaps between them. If there is one, tap the second one towards the first with a tapping block and a hammer.

5. Lay all the planks in the first course until you reach the end. Measure the gap, then mark that distance on the back of a plank. Draw a perpendicular line with a carpenter's square, the cut through the line with a circular saw. Allow for a 1/4-inch gap between the last plank and the wall.

6. Set the last plank on the floor and pry it into the end of the board next to it with a pull bar, which is a special prying tool made for laminate floors.

7. Cut the end off the first board in the next course so the ends of the second course are staggered at least 6 inches from the ends of the first. Maintain this stagger interval for the entire installation.

8. Snap the planks of the second course lengthwise into the planks of the first course, then tap the ends together with a tapping block. Continue installing in this way until you reach the opposite wall. Cut the planks in the last course to fit with a circular saw and pry them into place with the pull bar.

9. Cut notches around doors and cabinets with a jigsaw. Mark the notch on the top of the plank, and use a fine-tooth blade to cut so you don't chip the surface.

10. Nail baseboards to the bottom plate of the wall around the perimeter of the floor. They will hide the gaps and also hold down the floor.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a plywood-cutting blade in your circular saw. It should have a minimum of 90 teeth to minimize chipping.

• Wear safety glasses when cutting laminate flooring. The saw will produce high-velocity particles of wood and plastic that can damage your eyes.

References

• Dupont: Installing Laminate Flooring