How to Install Laminate Flooring: The Step-by-Step Process
Josh Jones of The Excellent Laborer walks through a full laminate flooring installation for beginners, covering acclimation, subfloor prep, cutting, row installation, transitions between rooms, and the finishing details that determine whether a floating floor holds up over time.
Laminate flooring has a reputation for being one of the more DIY-friendly flooring materials, and Josh Jones built his channel around proving exactly how approachable it is when someone walks through the real process step by step. This guide is drawn from his full installation walkthrough, covering the details that separate a laminate floor that stays tight and quiet for years from one that develops gaps, squeaks, or moisture damage.
Calculating How Much Laminate Flooring You Need
Laminate flooring is sold by the box, and each box typically covers a fixed square footage, commonly in the low-to-mid 20s per package, though this varies by product line. To figure out how much to buy:
Measure the room’s length times width for the base square footage.
Add 10 percent on top of that number.
Divide by the coverage per box to get the number of boxes.
That extra 10 percent isn’t padding for comfort. It accounts for waste from cuts, mistakes (which happen to everyone, especially on a first project), and having enough matching material left over if a plank gets damaged after installation.
Why Acclimation Time Actually Matters
Before installation, laminate flooring needs to sit inside the rooms where it will be installed for at least 48 hours. This allows the material to adjust to the room’s actual temperature and humidity rather than whatever conditions it was in during shipping or storage.
Flooring that arrives on a cold delivery truck and gets installed immediately will expand as it warms to room temperature, and since laminate is a floating floor installed with tight tolerances, that expansion after the fact is exactly what causes buckling and gaps down the road. Skipping acclimation is one of the most common corners cut on rushed installations, and it’s invisible until weeks or months later.
Subfloor Prep: The Step That Prevents Future Problems
Before any flooring goes down, the subfloor needs to be clean and reasonably flat. Depressions get filled with a leveling compound, and high spots (humps or bumps in the subfloor) get sanded down.
This matters more for laminate than some other flooring types because laminate planks click together rigidly. Installing over an uneven subfloor telegraphs that unevenness into the finished floor and puts uneven stress on the locking joints between planks, which is a common source of joints popping apart later.
Blending Shades Across Multiple Boxes
Laminate flooring can have subtle color and pattern variation from box to box, even within the same product line. Pulling planks from several open boxes at once while installing, rather than working through one box at a time, blends that variation across the whole floor instead of creating visible “zones” where the shade shifts noticeably from one section of the room to the next.
Tools Worth Buying Before Starting
Beyond standard carpentry tools, laminate installation calls for a few specialized pieces:
Tapping block: seats planks together without damaging the locking edges.
Pull bar: essential for closing the gap on the final row against a wall, where there’s no room to swing a tapping block.
Spacers: maintain a consistent gap around the room’s perimeter, typically 3/8 inch for laminate (check the product’s instructions, since the required gap varies by manufacturer).
Rubber mallet: makes seating planks together significantly easier throughout the install.
Dust mask: worth wearing during cutting regardless of whether cuts happen indoors or outside.
Preparing and Placing the First Row
The first row requires extra prep that later rows don’t: the tongue and unsupported backing section on the first piece needs to be cut off, since that side won’t have another plank locking into it and doesn’t need the interlocking edge.
Whether the row starts by sliding under existing drywall or butting up against it depends on how the drywall was cut relative to the subfloor. Sliding under gives a cleaner finished look, but is trickier to space correctly, since a standard spacer won’t fit into that gap. Angling a spacer against the wall at a slight tilt is one workaround for getting a consistent 3/8-inch gap in that situation.
Cutting Around Vents and Fixtures
Floor vents and other fixtures need to be measured and marked precisely, and it’s worth double-checking actual measurements against nominal ones. Ductwork isn’t always cut perfectly square or to the exact nominal size printed on the vent cover, so a measurement taken directly off the actual opening is more reliable than trusting the labeled size.
Vent cutouts are typically made with a combination of a circular saw for the straight lines and an oscillating tool to finish out the corners cleanly; a plunge cut with the oscillating tool is generally faster than running it along an entire line.
Undercutting Door Jambs and Working Through Doorways
Similar to other flooring types, laminate installation benefits from undercutting door jambs slightly so the flooring can slide underneath the trim for a cleaner finished look rather than butting awkwardly against it. Doorways and transitions between rooms are where installation accuracy matters most, since these are the most visible parts of the finished floor.
Installing Transition Strips Between Flooring Types
Where laminate meets a different flooring material, commonly luxury vinyl in a bathroom transition, a transition strip bridges the two surfaces at their different heights and finish types. The two materials behave differently around water, which the LVP vs. laminate comparison explains in detail.
This typically involves a metal track piece installed and screwed into the subfloor first, spaced appropriately from both flooring surfaces, followed by the transition molding itself, which snaps into the track. Getting the spacing right on both sides before securing the track is what makes the final transition sit flush and look intentional rather than like an afterthought.
Cutting Around Pipes and Fixed Obstacles
For pipes coming through the floor, the process is to measure back from a known reference point to establish exactly where the pipe will hit the new flooring, transfer that mark onto the plank, and drill the hole slightly oversized (roughly a quarter to three-eighths of an inch of clearance around the pipe) before sliding the plank into place over the pipe.
That small clearance matters for the same reason the perimeter gap matters: it gives the floor room to move without binding against something rigid.
Finishing the Last Row with a Pull Bar
The final row against a wall is where a pull bar becomes essential rather than optional. Because there’s no room to use a tapping block against the wall side, the row gets ripped to width (accounting for both the wall gap and the width needed to actually grip the plank with the pull bar), snapped into place loosely, and then driven tight against the previous row using the pull bar hooked behind the plank’s edge.
Skipping this step, or not ripping the last row wide enough to get the pull bar behind it, is a common reason the last row ends up with a visible gap that the rest of the floor doesn’t have.
Backer Rod and Caulking for a Waterproof Perimeter
Once all the flooring is installed, the perimeter gap gets addressed with backer rod, a foam rope product, commonly 3/8 inch for this application, tucked into the gap around the entire edge of the room. A bead of 100 percent silicone goes over the backer rod and gets smoothed out, creating a waterproof seal at the perimeter while still allowing the floating floor room to expand and contract with seasonal humidity changes.
This detail matters most in kitchens and bathrooms, where moisture at the floor’s edge is a real risk, but it’s good practice throughout a laminate installation regardless of room type. For how laminate ranks for kitchen use against tile and LVP, see the kitchen flooring ranking.
What to Do If Baseboards Are Already Installed
Not every laminate installation starts with bare walls. If existing baseboard trim is already in place, common in a remodel where old flooring like carpet is being removed, the same gapping principles apply.
Instead of new baseboard covering the perimeter gap afterward, quarter round trim gets installed against the existing baseboard to cover the gap and finish the look without needing to remove and reinstall the baseboard itself.
If You’d Rather Hire It Out
Laminate is one of the more forgiving flooring types for a confident DIYer, but the acclimation timeline, subfloor prep, and the sheer number of precise cuts around vents, doorways, and transitions add up to a real time commitment, often several full days for a whole-home project once prep work is included.
If your schedule, tool access, or comfort level points toward hiring it out instead, a few of the same questions matter regardless of whether you’re doing it yourself or vetting a contractor:
Acclimation: ask any installer whether they acclimate material on-site before installing it, and for how long. A contractor rushing a same-day install is skipping the same step that causes DIY floors to fail early.
Subfloor prep: ask how they handle it, since an installer who levels and cleans the subfloor as standard practice is generally more thorough than one who installs directly over whatever condition the subfloor is in.
Perimeter sealing: ask specifically about it in kitchens and bathrooms. Backer rod and silicone at the edges is a small detail that’s easy for a rushed installer to skip, and it’s the detail that prevents moisture damage at the seams down the road.
What Laminate Flooring Installation Costs
Laminate installation typically runs $3 to $8 per square foot installed, including materials and labor, making it one of the more budget-friendly flooring options, particularly for homeowners comfortable tackling it as a DIY project, where cost drops to material only.
For a full breakdown of laminate pricing by product tier, room size, and labor, see the laminate flooring installation cost guide.
Scope | Typical Cost Range (Professional Install) |
|---|
Standard room (200–400 sq ft) | $600 – $3,200 |
Whole-home installation (1,500 sq ft) | $4,500 – $12,000 |
DIY material cost only (per sq ft) | $1.50 – $4.00 |
Material quality is the biggest swing factor within laminate as a category. Thickness (commonly measured in mm), wear layer durability, and water-resistance ratings all vary significantly between a builder-grade product and a premium waterproof laminate line, similar to the range seen across other flooring materials in the flooring materials comparison guide.
For rooms with genuine moisture exposure, it’s worth confirming a specific product’s water-resistance claims rather than assuming all laminate performs the same, particularly compared to fully waterproof options covered in the guide to flooring materials that hold up better in wet-prone rooms.
If you are still deciding whether laminate is the right material at all, the laminate vs. hardwood comparison covers durability, cost, and resale tradeoffs round by round.
More From Josh Jones and Getting Quotes
For more DIY flooring walkthroughs and beginner-friendly home improvement guides, Josh Jones publishes new content weekly on The Excellent Laborer YouTube channel and shares tips through his newsletter and website.
If you’d rather have a pro install it, comparing a few quotes is the best way to get a fair price and the right contractor. Home Upgrade Pros makes that easy by connecting you with licensed professionals in your area who offer free, no-obligation estimates. Call (877) 673-1844 or request your quotes online.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much extra laminate flooring should I buy?
Calculate your room’s square footage (length times width), then add 10 percent to account for cuts, waste, and mistakes during installation. That total determines how many boxes to purchase based on the coverage listed per package.
Why does laminate flooring need to acclimate before installation?
Acclimating for at least 48 hours allows the flooring to adjust to the room’s actual temperature and humidity before installation. Skipping this step risks the flooring expanding after installation as it adjusts to room conditions, which can cause buckling or gaps.
Do I need underlayment for laminate flooring?
It depends on the product. Many modern laminate flooring lines come with padding pre-attached to the underside of each plank, eliminating the need for separate underlayment. Products without attached padding typically require a separate underlayment layer installed first.
How big should the expansion gap be for laminate flooring?
A gap of about 3/8 inch around the entire perimeter of the room is standard for laminate flooring, allowing the floating floor to expand and contract with seasonal humidity changes without buckling against the walls. Follow the specific product’s instructions if they differ.
Can laminate flooring get wet?
Standard laminate flooring is vulnerable to moisture damage at the seams and edges, though some product lines are rated waterproof. Regardless of the product’s rating, sealing the perimeter gap with backer rod and silicone caulk is good practice in kitchens and bathrooms to protect against water reaching the edges.
How much does it cost to install laminate flooring?
Professional laminate installation typically costs $3 to $8 per square foot including materials and labor. Homeowners installing it themselves can expect material costs alone to run roughly $1.50 to $4.00 per square foot, depending on product quality.
