How to lay laminate flooring

• How to buy laminate flooring
• Styles and colours
• How to lay laminate flooring
• How to care for laminate flooring
• Handy hints before you buy

Laminate flooring can be laid on pretty much any surface providing it's dry, firm and level.

For uneven floors, use a self-levelling compound to even out lumps and bumps. If the flooring is wooden, keep an eye out for loose screws and flatten them with a hammer.

TOP TIP Take you shoes off when laying laminate flooring so you don't mark the tiles with grit and dirt.

Step 1) You will need to fit underlay boards before you begin. This will help even out the floor and provide sound insulation.

Step 2) Laminate flooring expands and contracts, so leave around 12mm between the boards and the skirting, using plastic spacers.

Step 3) Homebase recommends laying the boards in the same direction as the longest straight wall. Lay the first one with the short tongue against the wall, ensuring it is parallel. Some boards will need glue, others will click together, so be sure to read the instructions carefully. You will probably need to cut the last board in order to fit the room.

Step 4) Begin the second row, starting with the off-cut from the first row. Always stagger the end joints of adjacent rows by at least 30cm. This helps to strengthen the floor.

Step 6) Finally, remove the spacers around the outside, and cover the gap around the edge of the room with laminate flooring trim. Remember, you will be fixing the trim to the skirting, not the floor, because the floor expands and contracts.

Step 7) Fit a metal or wooden threshold over the edge of the flooring in all the doorways.

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