It’s Easy to Install Laminate Flooring With Basic Skills

Laminate flooring has a reputation for being easy to install. But that all depends on what level of experience you have. These guidelines will help you assess what skills you need to properly install laminate flooring and determine how easy your particular project is if you plan on “doing it yourself.”

Remember, everyone is different – and these are just guidelines.

Beginner

This level requires only hands and eyes, some knee pads, safety goggles, a dust mask and some hand tools.What can you do at this level? Plenty!

Move furniture and remove the old flooring
Remove the tack strips (if the room was carpeted)
Conduct a simple test for moisture in concrete subfloor with a mat test
Purchase and load the laminate flooring
Arrange and acclimate the planks
Read the installation instructions
Inspect the condition of the laminate planks
Roll out, cut and install the laminate flooring underlayment
Lay out the planks and engage the locking system to install
Measure, mark and cut planks
Apply and clean up glue if needed
Apply silicone sealant, especially in areas where moisture may be more likely (where sinks, toilets, bath tubs, refrigerators and washing machines will sit; in front of entrances from outside; etc.)

Take care of and maintain your beautiful laminate floor!

Advanced Beginner

With a little simple carpentry work under your belt, and a scroll or hand saw in their tool box, most advanced beginners also can do the following:

Make subfloor corrections (leveling out the subfloor with a leveling compound)
Under-cut a door casing
Build a laminate flooring “island” with proper expansion gaps and transition moldings (for heavy objects)

And one last tip for any beginner: Practice installing laminate flooring under a door jamb on a closet door where, if the outcome isn’t quite as perfect as you’d like, only you will notice!

Intermediate

At this level you will need to have worked with wood and have a certain level of comfort with it. You’ll need to have handled an oscillating blade tool and a pneumatic nail gun. You should be able to do the following tasks with relative ease:

Install laminate flooring in a hallway
Do trim and detail work
Compromise the locking system on a laminate plank for special installations
Approach a stone fireplace hearth, scribing and cutting around an uneven vertical obstruction
Box steps (on the higher end of the Intermediate level)

Expert

At this level you should be either a near-professional or outright professional. People at this level have built or remodeled rooms using their carpentry skills and experience. They should be able to do such tasks as:

Install sophisticated stair components (shadow box or waterfall effects, spindles)
Replace damaged laminate-flooring planks
Perform advanced humidity testing on concrete subfloors with electronic moisture meters

Know your laminate flooring installation limitations

Laminate flooring is a beautiful and versatile flooring system that you can install yourself. Or, if you don’t feel you have the skills, you can have a professional do it for you.

If you decide to install your laminate floors yourself, we recommend that, no matter what level you are, always work safely; practice common sense; read and understand the installation instructions before you begin; give yourself adequate time; and never attempt more than you feel comfortable doing. Then be extremely proud of your accomplishment when you step back to enjoy the beautiful laminate floor you’ve just installed!