The Simple Installation Tip That'll Help You Lay Your Laminate Flooring Straight

Achieving a straight and uniform laminate flooring installation starts with accurately laying the first row. It sounds pretty easy, right? Just install the planks along the wall and you're good to go. Well, what if your walls aren't straight? At that point, your easy laminate floor installation could become a headache you didn't prepare for. However, one of the things you need to know about installing laminate flooring is that you don't necessarily have to run the planks against the wall. A simple tip suggests you install the first row some inches away from the wall which makes it easier for you to ensure the boards are laid out straight.

The first thing to do is to get your measurements right. Using a tape measure, calculate the width of the laminate plank and add a quarter inch or ⅜ inches. That extra quarter or ⅜ inches will serve as the expansion gap that allows expansion and contraction of the flooring during temperature changes. Now, take this measurement (width of laminate board plus expansion gap) and mark that distance away from the wall on the floor. Snap a chalk line to mark that point across the room, then align your first row of laminate boards to the line and start your installation. Since your first row is straight, everything following after it will be. This installation works because if you have straight walls, all you need to do is install a row of boards in the space you left beside the wall at the beginning. And if the walls aren't straight, you can use a jigsaw saw to trim the edges of the boards to fit the wall contours.

Instead of a chalk line, other tools you could use to install your laminate floor and ensure it is straight are a string line or laser level. Chalk lines are great, but you'll have a faint or uneven line if you don't snap it cleanly. Using a string line is similar to using a chalk line, but in this case, you have the actual string guiding you, which makes following the straight line easier. A laser level, on the other hand, forms an optical beam in a straight line that guides the installation. This is the most accurate option.

Another tip you should consider for a straight laminate floor is a pre-installation trial. Basically, you lay out the laminate planks on the floor without locking them or using adhesives. This dry-run is to confirm the floor is straight and each plank fits perfectly before installing them permanently. Another way to achieve a straight line during installation is to secure the floor while installing. The trick here is to drill some pilot holes into the laminate planks and screw them to the subfloor for a secure installation. That way, the first row is held in place while the rest of the installation continues. However, you should only consider this method if you have a quarter-round or baseboard trim to cover the screws. If you don't, skip this step so you don't end up with visible screw holes that just ruin the final look.