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The Basement: Installing The Laminate Floor

by - Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Given that HandyMan and I have installed laminate flooring before (in his old condo), you'd think installing the laminate in our basement would have been easy peasy. Uhm, not so much. Let me share with you what we learned about how to install laminate flooring and save you some frustration.

How to Install Laminate Flooring


We picked Kamina Oak for the basement. It had that whitewashed, beachy look I was going for and the planks were nice and wide. It also had a locking technology which meant the floor could be installed without the use of nails or glue. 

Most installation guides (including the one that came with our laminate) describe the process as fairly easy: 
  • butt the long side of the plank against the previous row
  • put it in the short groove
  • tilt up the board, and push down to "lock it". 

But our laminate had two grooves and it was only after countless google searches, watching dozens of youtube videos, and a long hour of frustration that we found out how to install it properly.

So on the slim chance you're installing two-groove laminate and have no clue how to do it, maybe this will help.

What You Should Know Before You Install Laminate


Before you jump right into the installation, here's a few tips to keep in mind:
  1. Allow your flooring to acclimatize in your home for at least 48 hours
  2. Have at least 10% extra square footage to account for cuts and damaged boards
  3. Laminate flooring will have four of five different repeating patterns in a box. Be sure to mix up your boards so that repeats are not placed beside each other.
  4. Use your off cuts at the end of one row to start the next row. This minimizes wastage
  5. An installation kit with tapping block, pull bar and mallet is helpful to have.

UPDATE: For installing a subfloor and laminate floor, see this post for additional tips.


DIY Laminate Flooring Installation

how to install laminate floor, laminate installation, DIY laminate floor

how to install laminate floor, laminate installation, DIY laminate floor

how to install laminate floor, laminate installation, DIY laminate floor

how to install laminate floor, laminate installation, DIY laminate floor

You might want to put a weight (we used unopened boxes of laminate) on the boards to the left of Board A, to prevent your whole floor from popping out. Argh.

how to install laminate floor, laminate installation, DIY laminate floor


how to install laminate floor, laminate installation, DIY laminate floor

You can use a tapping bar (placed along the long side) and mallet to help get the board snug against the previous row. As with most renovation projects, once we got the hang of it, things went pretty smoothly and quickly - but that first hour of bumbling... its a miracle HandyMan are still married and speaking to each other ;) I couldn't be happier with the floor though so it was all worth it.

Tell me, has any renovation project ever tested your patience?

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