How to Fit Wood Flooring Underlay and Laminate Flooring Underlay
Fitting Laminate Flooring
These are some general guidelines to fitting a laminate floor. Always remember to follow the manufacturer's instructions and, if in any doubt, use a professional installer.
Laying Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is becoming more popular every day, and there are many good reasons to buy it. Once the choice has been made between the different styles, materials and finishes then the next stage is to ensure that the laminate flooring is installed correctly.
Each laminate floor manufacturer can have specific installation requirements, so it is important to follow the manufacturer's instructions where appropriate and, if in any doubt, to use a professional installer. However, fitting it is not hard and these general guidelines are intended to help you get started.
Fitting Laminate Flooring - the Preparation
The very first thing to do is to checking the flooring that you have received. Check for blemishes, damage or any similar problem, and return any planks or tiles that have defects - once they are installed the warranty will not cover them. You should also ensure that you have received all the items you ordered.
Next, and this really is the most important step, is to prepare the floor. It must be flat and even or the planks will not lie flat; it is pointless laying laminate flooring on a surface that is uneven or structurally unsound. Hammer any protruding nails into wooden underfloors and screw in protruding nail heads. In fact, if the floor has a lot wrong with it then you should apply a floor levelling screed.
Newly concreted floors and screeded floors must be completely dry.
The final preparation is to consider your skirting boards. If you can remove them then you can fit the laminate flooring up to the wall (with an expansion gap around it) and then can refit the skirting boards on top of the laminate. The advantage is that they will then obscure the gap, and give you a highly professional finish.
Acclimatising Your Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is porous and will absorb humidity from the air as it adjusts to the conditions of the house, which will cause it to expand. So, a key measure is to let it acclimatise.
If the floor were to be laid without allowing time for it to acclimatise then it could lead to the planks or tiles swelling, which will reduce the quality of the fit or even cause buckling. However, by letting the laminate adjust to its surroundings it will retain its shape once it is fitted.
To make sure there are no problems, store the new flooring in the same room where it is to be laid and not in an adjacent room where the humidity levels may differ. It helps to take the flooring out of the box it was delivered in so that every plank or tile can 'breath'. Keeping it in the room for a 2-3 days is usually sufficient.
Laminate flooring remains porous even when laid, so it will experience normal expansion and contraction as humidity and temperature levels vary. For this reason you should leave a small expansion gap between the edge of the room and the laminate.
Installing Your Laminate Flooring in Six Easy Steps
Most laminate floors are click-system types which are very easy to install - the planks fit together like jigsaw pieces.
Provided these guidelines are followed and the manufacturer's instructions are studied to establish the exact procedure to follow for each floor, you should have no problem installing your laminate floor yourself.
Installing laminate flooring in your home is not too difficult providing you follow seven essential steps.
Step 1: Measure Your Rooms
You need to know how much laminate is actually needed; to help you we have a page with advice on Measuring Your Room . Once you have worked out the area you should add 10% to cover waste. If your laminate comes in packs, divide the area by the coverage of each pack and then round up to get the number of packs you need.
Step 2: Get Your Fitting Materials and Tools
Before you start the job, make sure you have everything you need to do the work. This includes:
Tools
- pulling bar
- spirit level
- scissors or knife
- ruler
- try square
- saw (hardpoint handsaw, or jigsaw with laminate blade, or circular saw)
- knee pads
- safety goggles
- dust mask
- fitting wedges or spacers
- trim cutters
Materials
- damp proof membrane (if it is not part of the underlay)
- underlay
- laminate flooring
- masking tape
- threshold strips and laminate trim
- trim adhesive
Check out our accessories page for our Laminate Fitting Kit .
Step 3: Prepare the Sub-Floor Surface
As mentioned it is vital to make sure the surface to be laminated is completely flat. If it is not level by even a small amount then you will end up with creaking floorboards that are very hard to fix. Use the spirit level to check all areas of the floor, level it using appropriate materials such as a levelling screed, and ensure it is free of any small bits, pieces or lumps.
Concrete, asphalt, vinyl, quarry or similar tiles subfloors should have a moisture barrier. If you are using Duralay Timbermate Excel as an underlay then it includes a Vapourstop membrane.
If you are using a different underlay, or want a belt and braces approach, then you can also lay a damp proof membrane first. Trim the membrane to fit and, if more than one sheet is used to cover the subfloor, overlap the sheets and tape the seams together using vapour tape.
Step 4: Install Your Underlay
All flooring installations should use an appropriate underlay. Over a concrete subfloor you will need to use an underlay which has a built in damp proof membrane, like Duralay Timbermate Excel . For installations over underfloor heating we recommend using Duralay Heatflow Wood & Laminate underlay .
Measure out how much you need and make sure you've selected the right type. You should make sure that the underlay extends up the wall by at least 5 cm.
Make sure everything is dry, clean and smooth. On concrete, lay the underlay with the vapour barrier side down and tape the seams of the underlay on the top side with vapour tape.
On wooden and other types of floor lay the underlay with the rubber side down, and again tape the seams with an appropriate underlay tape.
When fitting the underlay leave a 5-10mm gap around pipes.
Step 5: Install the Laminate Flooring
This stage may vary depending on which brand of flooring you buy. However, the basics are the same.
Start on one side of the room and work towards the other, placing spacers along each wall. It is usual to work from the left side to the right as it is easier to click the boards together.
Place your first laminate floorboard down and make sure it is square with the wall, and with the short tongue against the wall. You are going to fit a long thin strip from left to right across the wall facing you, so line up the short end of the next board and click it into place by lining the short tongue of the second board into the long tongue of the first board at about a 30 degree angle. Quick tip - place a spacer where the two boards join, this will help to make sure your first row is straight.
Keep going to the end of the wall on the right. You will probably have to cut the end of the last board to fit. To do this, turn it round 180 degrees and lay it next to the previous board. Make sure there is a spacer between the last board and the wall, and then draw a line across the last board level with the end of the previous board. Cut across this line, turn the board round, and click into place.
If you have between a third and two thirds of a board length left then it can be used to start the next row; otherwise, cut a board in half.
To start the next row, put the cut end against the left hand wall (with a spacing wedge, of course) and angle the long edge of the board into the row that is already down. Press forward and fold down at the same time to click it into place.
Add the next board's short edge into the previous board. Once the short edges have clicked into place, angle the long edge against the row that is down and push until the long edges are together, then push the boards down.
For the final row, you might need to cut the boards lengthways to make them fit. To cut the final row to size, place the board to be cut exactly on top of the last full row. Now use a third board on top which is pushed up against the wall (with a spacing wedge). Mark the edge of that third board onto the board sandwiched below it. The mark on that board is where you need to cut. Make sure it is the right way round so that the grooves will click together.
When finished remove all the spacing wedges.
Step 6: Finish the Trim
If you have taken off your skirting boards then you can refit them now above the laminate floor. This will cover the expansion gap.
If you are using laminate flooring trim, then measure and cut the trim. Try to make sure cuts are at exact angles, such as 45% when butting together in corners. Apply trim adhesive to the back of the trim which will go against the wall or skirting board - DO NOT GLUE IT TO THE LAMINATE FLOOR .
Press the trim into place, and if needed keep them in place while the glue sets using something heavy.