How to lay laminate floors

Practical, cheap and easy to lay, laminate flooring is a great way to give a stylish feel to a room without having to break the bank. 'Click Lock' style laminate flooring makes the job even easier. Here's what you need to do to lay a good laminate floor.

Level of difficulty

Level 2: Intermediate

What you need

• Gloves
• Hammer
• Vacuum cleaner
• Laminate flooring kit
• Underlay
• Fitting wedges
• Saw

The steps to follow

1. Acclimatise the laminate flooring in the room for at least 48 hours. This will adjust your laminate flooring to the room temperature and conditions.
2. Clean the floor before you start laying the laminate flooring.
3. First, lay an underlay on the surface.
4. Place fitting wedges along the wall
5. Fit the boards lengthways, with the tongue side of the board to the wall so they touch the fitting wedges.
6. Lock the next board to the first board and gently tap the edges of the board so that they fit snugly.
7. Continue until you reach the end and place fitting wedges on the side wall.
8. For the second row, you'll need to offset the boards to strengthen the laminate.
9. Start by laying the second row with half a board.
10. Make sure that the board is locked to the previous row.
11. Tighten the boards by pushing it down.
12. When you're finished laying the laminate flooring, remove the fitting wedges around the walls.
13. Measure and cut the amount of laminate flooring trim you plan to use.
14. Apply adhesive to the trim and fit it to the skirting boards.
15. When you're done laying the laminate flooring, vacuum the area and you’re ready to move all the furniture back into the room.