How to Install Laminate Flooring

Here is how to install laminate flooring in ten steps. Check the moisture level of the floor and room, let the planks adjust in the room for 48 hours or more, and prepare a flat, clean subfloor. Lay underlayment, plan your rows, and leave a gap at every wall. Click the first row together, build the floor row by row with staggered end joints, cut the last row to fit, and finish with trim. Plan a full day for a room of about 200 square feet.

The ten steps at a glance

1. Check moisture. Test the room and any concrete before anything else.
2. Let the planks adjust. Leave the boxes flat in the room for 48 hours or more.
3. Prepare the subfloor. Make it flat, clean and dry.
4. Remove baseboards and undercut door casings.
5. Lay underlayment. Add a vapor barrier first over concrete.
6. Plan the layout. Pick the direction and balance the first and last rows.
7. Set the first row. Use spacers to hold the wall gap.
8. Click the rows together. Stagger the end joints.
9. Cut the last row and fit around obstacles.
10. Add trim and transitions.

Which numbers matter before you start?

Laminate is stricter than most floors, so the numbers matter more. Every maker sets its own, and the maker's number wins. When two sources disagree, follow the stricter one.

How is laminate different from vinyl?

Laminate has a fiberboard core that swells when it gets wet, and vinyl does not. That one difference explains most of the extra care. You control moisture more closely, let the planks adjust to the room for longer, and use a moisture barrier over concrete. Laminate also chips when you cut it, so it needs a fine blade and the right cutting direction. The click-together method is much the same, and if you have laid vinyl plank, the steps will feel familiar.

How long does it take, and can a beginner do it?

Yes, a beginner can install click-lock laminate in a simple, dry room. It takes patience more than skill. For a room of about 200 square feet, a typical day looks like this:

Hire a professional if you face a damp or cracked concrete slab, a floor that needs major leveling, stairs, or a pattern layout such as herringbone.

What tools and materials do you need?

For materials, you need planks (with 10% extra), underlayment, a 6-mil polyethylene vapor barrier for concrete, tape for the seams, transition strips, and quarter-round or baseboard. Use a patching or leveling compound for low spots in the subfloor.

Click-lock or glued planks?

Most laminate sold today is click-lock, which means the planks lock together without glue and float over the underlayment. Some older tongue-and-groove laminate needs glue on the joints, and many makers do not allow laminate to be glued down to the subfloor. Check the box and follow the instructions for your product.

How do you prepare the subfloor?

The subfloor must be flat, dry, clean and solid. Laminate joints flex over dips and separate, and trapped moisture swells the core.

• Flat. Most makers want the floor flat within 3/16 inch over 10 feet. Lay a straightedge in several directions, sand down high spots, and fill low spots with leveling compound.
• Dry. Test concrete before you install. Common limits are below 75 percent relative humidity on an in-slab probe, or about 3 pounds of moisture per 1,000 square feet per 24 hours on a calcium chloride test. A wood subfloor is often limited to about 12 percent moisture content. Your product's limit controls.
• Clean. Vacuum, scrape off bumps and paint drips, and remove old baseboards.

How long should laminate acclimate?

Leave the planks in the room, in their boxes and laid flat, for at least 48 hours. Some makers ask for 72. The planks take on the temperature and humidity of the room, so they do not move after you lock them together. Run the heating or air conditioning as you normally would, and avoid a freshly painted or plastered room that is still drying.

What underlayment and moisture barrier do you need?

If your planks have an attached pad, add nothing. Otherwise, lay underlayment under the whole floor. Over concrete, lay a 6-mil polyethylene vapor barrier first, with the seams overlapped about 8 inches and taped. Over a wood subfloor, a foam, felt or cork underlayment is usually enough.

Roll the underlayment out in the direction you will lay the planks. Butt the edges together without overlapping them, and tape the seams. Use one layer only, because extra cushioning makes the joints flex and fail.

How do you plan the layout?

Pick the direction

Run the rows parallel to the longest wall. You make fewer cuts, and the room looks longer. In a long hallway, run the rows lengthwise.

Balance the first and last rows

Divide the room width by the plank width. If the last row would be narrower than about 2 inches, cut the first row narrower so both end rows match.

Here is an example. A room is 10 feet 9 inches wide, which is 129 inches. Take off 3/4 inch for two 3/8 inch wall gaps, which leaves 128.25 inches. The planks are 7.5 inches wide.

• 17 full rows would use 127.5 inches and leave a 3/4 inch strip. That is too narrow to lay.
• Use 16 full rows (120 inches) instead.
• Add the leftover 3/4 inch to one plank width: 7.5 + 0.75 = 8.25 inches. Divide by two to get 4.125 inches for each end row.

Stagger the end joints

Keep end joints at least 6 inches away from the joints in the neighboring rows, and use 12 inches if your maker asks for it. Never line up joints in alternating rows, and avoid a repeating stair-step pattern. Use the offcut from the end of one row to start the next if it is at least 8 inches long, and mix planks from several boxes.

How do you install laminate flooring, row by row?

This is how to lay laminate flooring that clicks together. Follow the order in your product's instructions, because the locking system and the edge that faces the wall differ by brand.

Step 1: Set the first row

Start along the straightest wall, and keep the first row dead straight, because every other row follows it. Walls are rarely straight, so mark a guide line one plank width plus the gap from the wall. Place spacers along the wall about every 12 inches and at the end of the row, and keep the gap you chose.

Step 2: Click the planks together

Set the edge of the new plank against the plank beside it at a low angle, press it in, and lower it flat until the joint locks. Close the joint with a tapping block and a rubber mallet. Never hit the plank edge directly. If a joint will not close, pull the plank out and check for debris.

Step 3: Build the next rows

Work across the room one row at a time, keeping the stagger. Check each plank for tight joints on both edges, and check for gaps every few rows. Keep the spacers in at the walls.

Step 4: Fit the last row

Lay a loose plank over the last installed row, set a second plank on top against the wall spacer, and trace along its edge. Cut along that line, then use the pull bar to draw the plank tight. Remember to keep the gap at the wall.

How do you cut laminate without chipping?

Laminate chips on the side where the blade teeth exit the cut. Orient the plank so that side is the back, and use a fine-tooth carbide blade, 60 teeth or more.

Put painter's tape along the cut line, score it with a knife, and support the offcut so it does not tear away at the end. For doors, undercut the casing with a jamb saw, using a scrap plank as a height guide, so the plank slides underneath. Around pipes, drill a hole 1/2 inch larger than the pipe and cover the gap with a collar.

How do you handle doorways and big rooms?

A floating floor needs room to move, so break it up where it gets long. Many makers want a transition strip or T-molding at doorways and wherever a run gets longer than about 40 feet in either direction. Limits vary by maker, from tighter figures to larger ones, so check your product's guide before you cross several rooms or a long hallway.

How do you finish the floor?

Pull out the spacers. Install quarter-round or baseboards, nail them to the wall, not through the planks, and leave about 1/16 inch of clearance above the floor. Add transition strips where the floor meets carpet, tile or another surface. Use flexible caulk or silicone only where the maker allows it, such as near a sink, and never glue the planks to the trim.

Which mistakes ruin a laminate floor?

How much does a DIY install cost?

Doing it yourself costs the price of the planks plus a few supplies. A professional adds labor of about $2 to $4 per square foot in 2026 estimates.

Add transition strips (often $10 to $30 each), trim, and any tools you need to buy, and order 10% extra planks. These are estimates, not quotes.

Quick answers to common questions

Why is my laminate floor buckling?

Buckling usually comes from moisture, a missing wall gap, or planks that were not allowed to adjust. Check that the floor can move at every wall, then look for leaks, spills or a wet slab. If the floor has absorbed water, the swollen planks often need to be replaced.

Can you install laminate flooring in a basement?

Sometimes. Test the slab for moisture first, lay a 6-mil polyethylene vapor barrier, and keep the room's humidity steady. If the readings are high or the space floods, choose a floor made for damp spaces instead.

Can you install laminate in a kitchen or bathroom?

A kitchen is fine if you wipe up spills quickly. Standard laminate is a poor choice for a bathroom because of the water. Some products are sold as waterproof, so check the maker's rules for wet rooms before you buy.

Can you install laminate over radiant heat?

Often yes, with limits. Many guides cap the floor surface at about 80 to 85°F, and makers may want the heat raised slowly. Follow your product's instructions, because exceeding the limit can void the warranty.

How soon can you walk on it and move furniture back?

You can usually walk on a click-lock floor right away. Some guides suggest waiting about 24 hours before you move heavy furniture back. Use felt pads, and lift instead of dragging.

Keep reading: laminate flooring, how to cut laminate flooring and common laminate installation mistakes.

Is a DIY install worth it?

Yes for most people with a dry, flat floor and a simple room. You can install laminate flooring yourself in a day, save the labor cost, and get a result that looks like a professional job, as long as you control moisture and follow the maker's numbers.

Hire a professional if the slab is damp, the subfloor needs real leveling, or the layout is complicated. A failed floor costs more to fix than the labor you saved.