Laminate Flooring Installation

In this article we will cover

installing laminate flooring and

applying finishing touches

Before installing your laminate it’s important to ensure it has been acclimated to the conditions of the installation room.

Leave your boxed Sisu packs in the room for 48 hours, laid flat and under the typical heating conditions of the room (ideally 15- 22°C at a relative humidity of 30-75%). The temperature must also be maintained for at least 24 hours after installing to reduce any movement due to heat expansion. If climate conditions are outside of this suggested range, we strongly advise leaving the opened packages for a week prior to installation.

Keep the boxes in the middle of the room where the floor is to be installed, away from heat (such as radiators) and moisture (such as recently plastered walls or damp basements).

There are a variety of interesting flooring patterns that can be implemented when installing laminate flooring. Take a look at some of the most popular <flooring patterns>

Laminate flooring is ready as soon as it is installed.

Laminate Click should be installed with a 5mm expansion gap at the perimeter of the room and around objects, pipes, between adjacent flooring types and under doors. This is critical in ensuring that there is space for the laminate flooring to expand and contract with changes in weather.

Begin the first row with a whole board. It’s recommended to lay Laminate Click from left to right as it is much easier to install tongue into groove than vice-versa. Check all boards before installation for any visible defects and mix boards to make sure that you do not end up with too many similar, light or dark boards, close to each other.

Determine the direction you want the flooring to run. Typically the length of laminate flooring will run with the length of the room or floor plan. Carefully cut the tongues off the wall-facing boards for your first row.

Begin by laying along the longest wall. Place 5mm spacers between the boards and the wall to ensure that the expansion gap is wide enough.

Continue to lay the first row along the length of the wall, clicking together the short edges. Use as many full boards as possible.

The last board in the row will most likely have to be cut to size. To do this, measure the remaining gap between the last full board and the wall, remembering to exclude 5mm for the expansion gap. Mark this length on the board with a straight line in pencil. Use this as guidance when cutting.

To ensure a clean line, cut with the patterned side face down if using a jigsaw, sabre saw or circular saw, and face up if using a handsaw or crosscut saw. We recommend using a fine-tooth saw blade, as they cut much smoother without significantly chipping the laminate surface.

Begin laying the second row. Click the tongue into the groove of the neighbouring board by holding the board at around a 20-30° angle and pushing forward. Lower the board until it lies flat against the ground.

You can tap the boards securely into each other without having to lift them. Use a tapping block and mallet to secure the boards neatly in place. Make sure that this is a gradual and gentle process so that the boards remain undamaged.

In areas where this is difficult, you can use a pull bar and a mallet to ensure that the boards are tightly positioned. If done correctly, the end joints should be tight with no gaps.

Repeat steps 1-5 until completed, remembering to leave 5mm expansion gaps between the flooring and the wall using a spacer.

Remove all spacer tabs.

Don’t let room elements and obstacles daunt you; there is an easy way to finish your flooring around aspects like these. Kitchen islands should be installed before flooring and not placed on top of the laminate boards.

Before starting, cut holes in the underlay to fit around the tubes. Measure and mark on the board where the pipe will sit once installed (taking into account the expansion gap at the wall). Using a drill bit at least 5mm wider than the diameter of the pipe, drill through the marked area. Draw two angled lines from the hole to the edge of the board and cut this section out. Lay the board, fitting the pipe into the hole that has been drilled.

Reinsert the cut shape behind the pipe (wood glue can be used). The same steps can be followed for multiple pipes or other similar obstacles. A circular pipe cover can be used to hide the expansion gap around the pipe.

To install Laminate Click around a door frame, the frame may need to be trimmed in order to fit the board beneath it. A handsaw can be used, using an offcut of your laminate as a guide for cutting at the correct height as shown. A board should now be able to fit neatly beneath the frame. When installing close to doors, ensure that there is at least a 10mm space between the board surface and the bottom of the door.

To join Laminate Click with other flooring types, lay the boards up to the doorway, leaving a 5mm expansion gap between the laminate and the other floor covering. Once installed, a profile strip can be installed to cover the gap. Never fix a profile or threshold directly to Laminate Click boards as they need to be able to expand under heat. Instead, fix to the exposed subfloor in the expansion gap, leaving a small amount of space between the profile and the board for heat expansion. If Laminate is being used across multiple rooms, lay the boards up to the doorframe on both sides, leaving a 10mm expansion gap.

Lay a board of Sisu laminate on top of the last full board. Take a discarded offcut and push it against the wall. With one side against the wall, rest your hand on the other side of the offcut, drawing the curve onto the board below with a pencil as you move along the contour of the wall. Once the curve has been drawn, cut along the line with a jigsaw. This piece should now fit into the curve. Allow a 5mm expansion gap.

When fitting a skirting board, do not attach the board directly onto Sisu boards. Leave a gap between the bottom of the skirting board and the laminate in order to allow for natural movement during heat expansion. Install the skirting over the laminate board at the wall, ensuring an expansion gap beneath. Alternatively, if using pre-installed skirting, fit the laminate boards alongside the existing skirting. Use our effective scotia to cover any expansion gaps.