There are plenty of videos and tutorials out there that all start the same way: "Installation of Laminate Flooring is Easy".

Wrong.  Nothing is ever easy.  Ever.  Especially when it comes to home improvement.

Granted, it's probably the easiest of the types of flooring to install.  But, there are still some "gotchas" you want to watch out for.

Here are some tips that other instructions don't include that will make your job easier:

1.  Use a chalk line to snap a straight line along your starting wall, allowing for the expansion gap (usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch).  Use the line as a guide to line up your first few rows.

2. There may be some confusion as to which part is the "tongue" and which part is the "groove".  This is important since the directions from various manufacturers tell you to start with either the tongue-side or the groove-side facing the wall.  But rather than traditional tongue-and-groove, which has the tongue in the middle of the thickness of the board, newer laminate has the top part of the thickness "shifted" to the side of the bottom part.  So, you somewhat have a tongue on both sides and the groove on both sides.  As a rule of thumb, use the unfinished (bottom) part that sticks out as the tongue.

3. Lay your first row completely.  Then start the second row, staggered, of course, so there are no seams that line up from one row to the next.  In the second row, you will insert the long edge onto the first row, then lay the board flat.  The next piece of the second row will attach by inserting the long edge (just like the first piece), and sliding the board along the row up into place.  And it should just lay down on top of the first piece.  IF the short side of the new board does not simply lay onto the short side of the first piece, then you are laying the floor in the wrong direction (regardless of the directions).  Change from left-to-right or right-to-left and see if that doesn't make a difference!

4.  Make sure you are ending in a closet, if possible, so you can use up odd or short pieces of flooring.

5.  Buy a pull bar.  Don't try to get away without one.  They are cheap, and the last few rows are impossible to do without one.

6.  Do NOT try to cut the floor around trim pieces (like molding around doors).  Because you need to leave the gap, and because the board is tough to cut, it will be much more difficult.  Again, spend the money on one of those offset saws that lets you cut the trim pieces up higher.  You will not regret it.

We hope these tips help you when you install laminate wood flooring.

Linda - http://how.best-free-information.com - The "How" Blog