Laying Laminate Flooring

Fitting the Underlay

Laminate flooring needs a resilient underlay whether you're laying it over a timber or a concrete subfloor. Your flooring supplier will recommend what to use - usually it's thin foam. Unroll the underlay across the room, trimming it with a craft knife to fit round any obstacles, and tape the lengths together along the seams with heavy-duty adhesive tape.

Laying the Planks

1. Check whether you'll need to cut any planks lengthwise. Lay the first row of planks against the wall, with the tongue side facing out and the spacers provided with the flooring against the skirting board. Use a sliding bevel to transfer the angle of the end wall to the first board so that it can be sawed to fit. When you reach the other end of the room, measure and saw the last plank to size, allowing room to add a spacer at the end. Slot the plank into place and use the plank puller and a hammer or mallet to make sure that all the joints between the planks are tightly closed.
2. Start the next row with the offcut from the previous row to ensure that the end joints between planks are staggered. Apply PVA wood adhesive along the grooved edge of each plank, fit it under the tongue of the adjacent plank, and use the tamping tool or a board offcut to protect the edge as you tap the plank against its neighbour.
3. When you reach the far side of the room, measure the distance between the last row and the skirting board, then cut planks to the width required, less about 6 mm (1/4 in) to allow room for the spacers. Use the plank puller to ensure the last row of planks fits tightly against those in the previous row, and insert the spacers against the skirting board.
4. If you need to trim a sliver off the bottom of the door frame to insert the flooring, use a tenon saw held parallel to the floor. Cut the plank that will fit at the side of the opening to shape and slip it into place.

Fitting the Beading

1. When you have finished laying all the planks, saw lengths of quadrant beading (wooden moulding that in cross section is a quarter of a circle) and fit them to the skirting boards all around the room to conceal the expansion gap.
2. At the corners, saw the beading at 45° (you'll get best results using a mitre box, where the saw is guided at set angles) to create a 90° angle where the two pieces meet.
3. Fix the lengths of beading to the skirting board (not the floor) with panel pins or instant-grip adhesive.