How to lay laminate flooring step by step, without beginner mistakes

What you need

• Tape measure and pencil
• Jigsaw (Bosch or similar) with a fine blade, or a hand saw
• Utility knife and square
• Fitting kit: tapping block, pull bar and 8-10 mm spacers
• Rubber mallet
• 2 m straightedge or level
• Undercut saw for door frames
• AC3 or AC4 laminate (Quick-Step, Pergo, Egger, Kronotex, Artens), with 5-10 % extra
• 2 mm underlay, and a 0.2 mm vapour barrier if there is a risk of damp
• Adhesive tape for the underlay joins
• Threshold strips for doorways
• New skirting board or the original reused
• Silicone or filler in the colour of the floor

Step by step

1. 1

   Measure and buy

   Measure the length and width of each room, work out the square metres and add 5-10 % for cuts. Keep a spare box from the same batch for repairs. If there are angles or diagonals, add more.

2. 2

   Acclimatise the boxes

   Leave the boxes closed and flat in the room for 48 hours, at the normal temperature of the home. Do not lean them on their edge against the wall.

3. 3

   Prepare the floor

   Sweep and vacuum. Check with the 2 m straightedge that there are no dips of more than 3 mm. Sand down high spots, fill hollows and remove the skirting board with a thin pry bar.

4. 4

   Roll out the underlay

   Lay the underlay in strips at right angles to the planks, butted together, and tape the joins. Turn the underlay up 3 cm at the walls. On a damp screed, lay the vapour barrier first with 20 cm overlaps.

5. 5

   Plan the rows

   Measure the width of the room and divide by the width of a plank. If the last row would be under 5 cm, cut the first row down to balance it. Lay the planks in the direction of the light from the window.

6. 6

   Start from the longest wall

   Place the first plank with the tongue side towards the wall and 8-10 mm spacers. If the system requires it, cut off the tongue on the side facing the wall. Join the planks in the row at the short end, clicking them in at an angle.

7. 7

   Click in the following rows

   Start the second row with the offcut from the first, which must not be shorter than 30 cm. Angle the plank about 25 degrees against the previous row, lower it until it clicks and tap gently with the block.

8. 8

   Cut around frames and pipes

   For door frames, undercut the bottom using a plank as a height guide and slide the plank underneath. For pipes, drill a hole 20 mm larger than the pipe and cut the plank in two.

9. 9

   Close the last row

   Measure the remaining width minus 8-10 mm, cut the planks to size and fit them in with the pull bar and tapping block. Remove the spacers.

10. 10

    Finish with skirting board and strips

    Fix the skirting board to the wall, never to the floor. Fit threshold strips at the doors and seal pipe gaps with silicone. Wait 24 hours before moving heavy furniture in.

Which laminate to buy and what you need underneath

Laminate flooring is a high-density fibreboard with a decorative layer and a wear layer. It is laid floating, without glue. What decides how long it lasts is the abrasion class (AC): AC3 for homes with normal traffic, AC4 for hallways, living rooms and rentals with heavy use. The usual thickness is 7 to 10 mm, and the thicker it is, the more stable and the quieter.

Brands such as Quick-Step, Pergo, Egger, Kronotex or the Artens range at Leroy Merlin cover every price range. If the floor will be near water, such as a kitchen or entrance hall, choose a water-resistant version, although it is not a floor for a bathroom.

Underneath you need an underlay in polythene, foam or cork, around 2 mm thick, which levels the surface, deadens sound and acts as a barrier. On a ground-floor screed or over tiles where there is a risk of damp, add a 0.2 mm polythene sheet as a vapour barrier, with 20 cm overlaps sealed with tape. If the manufacturer sells the underlay already attached to the planks, do not put down a second one.

Preparing the floor: flatness, damp and doors

Laminate floats on whatever is underneath, which is why the subfloor is what matters. Check with a 2 m straightedge that there are no dips of more than 3 mm. High spots are sanded or ground down, and hollows are filled with self-levelling compound. A wavy floor makes the planks move and creak. Old tiles can stay, provided they are firm and the grout lines are not too wide. If the grout lines are over 4 mm, fill them, as explained in how to lay vinyl flooring.

Check for damp as well. Tape a 50 x 50 cm piece of plastic to the floor for 24 hours: if condensation appears underneath or the floor darkens, there is damp and it has to be dealt with first. On ground floors near the sea it is common. There is more information in how to get rid of damp on a wall.

Doors are the other point. Laminate plus underlay raises the floor by about 10-12 mm, and doors will rub. Cut the bottom of the frame and of the door as you lay. To shorten the door, see door rubbing on the floor.

Common mistakes when laying laminate

• No expansion gap. Laminate expands with heat and humidity. Without 8-10 mm against walls, pipes and frames, the floor lifts or buckles. It is the commonest fault.
• Not acclimatising the boxes. They need 48 hours in the room, lying flat. If you lay them cold or very dry, the joints open up later.
• Starting without planning the last row. If the last row ends up 2 cm wide, it looks bad and breaks. Cut the first row down to balance it.
• Lined-up joints. The ends of the planks must be staggered by at least 30 cm between neighbouring rows. Otherwise the floor is weak and looks poor.
• Fixing skirting boards to the floor. They are screwed or glued to the wall, never to the planks, so that the floor can move.
• Putting a heavy piece of furniture or a kitchen island on top. It blocks the expansion and lifts the floor. If necessary, the unit stands on the subfloor and the laminate is cut around it.

When to call a carpenter, and prices

A rectangular bedroom you can do yourself. Call a professional when the area is over 30-40 m², when many door frames have to be trimmed, when the subfloor needs self-levelling compound, when there are stairs or curves, or when you need the job finished in a day.

At Manitas Costa fitting floating flooring costs €10-15 per m² in labour, without materials. A 25 m² living room comes to about €250-375 to lay. If doors also need trimming, adjusting a door costs €40-70. We give a fixed price on WhatsApp with a photo, the square metres and the state of the floor. More information at carpenter at home and how much a carpenter costs.

If a plank later lifts or swells, there is the guide on how to repair laminate flooring. And if you prefer a floor that stands up to water, consider vinyl: how to lay vinyl flooring. We are in carpenter in Valencia, Alicante and Benidorm.

Laminate on the coast: damp, sun and holiday homes

In Valencia, Alicante or Benidorm the ambient humidity is high and laminate absorbs it through the edges. In homes that stay closed for months with the air conditioning off, it swells at the edges and the joints lift. Choose AC4 with sealed edges and always leave the 10 mm gap in very humid rooms. Ventilate when you arrive and do not shut the place up tight for weeks.

On covered terraces, sun rooms and rooms with a south-facing window, direct sun expands the floor and fades the print. Do not lay laminate on terraces or in bathrooms. In a holiday let, water-resistant AC4 laminate copes better with mops and suitcases.

In buildings with a comunidad de vecinos (residents' association), many statutes require sound insulation on floors. Always use a good-quality acoustic underlay and do not glue the skirting board to the subfloor: if there are complaints about footstep noise, that is the first thing they will ask for.