How to Lay Laminate Flooring: A Step-by-step Guide

Step 1: Gather your tools

To lay EGGER flooring, you will need the following tools:

• Saw (circular saw, jigsaw, or hand saw). Choose a saw with the finest possible teeth and ensure it is suitable for wood processing
• Laminate cutter and cutter knife
• Tapping block
• Rubber mallet (for precise tapping)
• Pencil and measuring tape
• Spacer
• Protective equipment: Safety gloves, safety goggles, and a dust mask
• Moisture meter (for checking subfloors)
• Adhesive glue (only for UniZip installation)

Step 2: Prepare your subfloor

It is crucial to prepare your subfloor before installing your laminate flooring, not just to ensure the laminate looks its best but to make your flooring durable and prevent issues like buckling.

To prepare your subfloor, make sure it is the following:

• Clean: The subfloor must be free of dirt, dust, debris, and adhesive residue to ensure a hygienic and level surface.
• Load-bearing: The subfloor must be a sealed, self-supporting layer.
• Even: Your subfloor must be even to ensure stability. The floor should not have a gap bigger than 2mm over every 100cm. If there are large deviations, you can solve these with self-levelling compounds. Find out more with our guide on how to level a floor .
• Dry: The residual moisture must meet the standards set out in your flooring instruction manual . You can use a pinless moisture meter to check the moisture levels of your subfloor.
• The right atmosphere: Maintaining the right atmosphere is crucial for the lifespan of your boards. There should be a minimum air temperature of 18°C, a minimum floor surface temperature of 15°C, and an air humidity level between 40% and 70%.

Not every kind of subfloor is suitable for laminate flooring. The suitable ones include:

• Cement
• Screed
• Wooden subfloors
• Fibreboard
• PVC
• Linoleum
• Old ceramic tile floors
• Natural stone flooring

Bear in mind that on mineral subfloors, such as cement or screed, you should always install a moisture barrier, such as one of our underlays with vapour barriers.

If you aren’t sure whether your subfloor is suitable for laying our laminate flooring, get in touch and we can assist you further.

Step 3: Prepare your boards

To avoid problems after installation, the laminate boards must acclimate properly to the room where they are going to be installed. To do this, lay the packages flat in the room and leave them for at least 48 hours. Make sure to place them a minimum of 50cm from all walls, and ensure the following conditions:

• The room temperature must be at least 18°C
• The floor surface temperature must be at least 15°C
• The humidity must be between 40% and 70%

CLIC it! method A: Plank by plank installation for open spaces

The first method involves angling a board in, connecting its short and long sides to the already-installed planks, and then lowering it down flat. This method is ideal for open spaces and general installation.

1. Place the first board in the left-hand corner of the room, with both tongue sides facing the walls.
2. When placing the next board down, angle the short tongue of this board down into the short groove of the board already in place and press gently to lock.
3. When you reach the end of the row, measure and cut the last board to fit the space and install it in the same way.
4. Make sure the boards in the first row are straight and aligned along the long edge. To help with this, use a piece of flooring as a spacer between the wall and the first row.
5. Start the second row by angling the first board into the groove of the row you just installed. Press down with slight pressure to lock it in and tap it with a tapping block to make sure it’s completely locked.
6. After installing two rows, remove these spacers, adjust the rows so they are straight against the wall, and reinsert spacers to maintain the expansion gap.
7. To install the following rows:
1. Angle the short tongue end into the short groove of the board already installed in the same row, and press it as close as possible to the long edge.
2. Slightly lift the board you’re installing along the long side.
3. While lifted, click the long side tongue into the groove of the previous row and lower the board to lock it in place.
1. Note: When you lift a board to lock the long side, the board you just connected at the short end might lift a little too. This is completely normal — just make sure that everything clicks together properly before moving on.
4. Make sure that all joints are completely closed. You can close isolated, smaller joints by gently using the tapping block.
8. Install all the remaining boards. Adjust the length of the first or last board of any row if necessary.

CLIC it! method B: Installation in confined spaces

Method B involves angling on the long side of the board and tapping on the short side. This method can be useful in confined spaces where angling is difficult. To start, we’ll take you through the installation instructions board by board:

Board 1 . Lay it in the left-hand corner of the room with both tongue sides facing the walls.

Board 2: Place the long side tongue of board 2 (which has been cut to length) at a slight angle from above into the long side groove of board 1 and lower down carefully.

Board 3: Angle the long side into board 1, just like before. While the board is still angled, slide board 3 as close as possible towards board 2 so its short tongue rests on board 2’s short groove. Then, lower board 3 to lock the long side and lightly tap the short side with a tapping block or hammer. Be gentle and avoid directly hitting the board surface.

Board 4: Angle the long groove under the tongue of board 3. Then, slide board 4 toward board 1 so the short tongue lines up with the groove, and lower to lock the long side.

Boards 5, 6, 7, and 8: Repeat the same process as the boards above. Boards 5 and 7 follow the same steps as board 3, while boards 6 and 8 follow the same steps as board 4.

After board 8, continue installing the first two rows of laminate flooring by adjusting the first and last board lengths as needed for the room size. Once the first two rows are complete, check the alignment along the wall to ensure precision. You should also place spacers between the flooring and the wall to maintain the expansion gap.

Begin the third row by angling the first board diagonally into the groove of the row below it, then lower it down with light pressure.

After locking the board along the long side, secure the connection gently with a tapping block. Then, follow the steps below for each new board:

1. Angle the long tongue of the board into the groove of the row below and slide it so its short tongue meets the short groove of the board to its left.
2. Lower the board to lock the long side.
3. Gently use a tapping block to fully close the joint.
4. Repeat this process for the rest of the row.

CLIC it! method C: Installing row by row in tricky areas

Method C involves installing laminate flooring row by row, angling on both the long and short sides. This option is best for working backwards into tricky areas, such as alcoves and narrow corridors.

Place the first board in the left-hand corner of the room.

1. To install the first row, angle the short tongue side of the second board into the short groove of the first board and press down gently to lock it in place. Cut and fit the last board of the row as needed and install it the same way.
2. Once the first row of laminate flooring has been installed, check the alignment to make sure the boards are straight along the long sides. You can use a piece of flooring as a temporary spacer.
3. Continue to the second row and install the first board of the new row by placing the long tongue of the board loosely over the groove of the previous row, but don’t lock it in yet.
4. Connect the next boards in the row by angling the short tongue side into the short groove of the previous board. Keep the long side of the tongue resting over the groove while doing this.
5. Go back to the starting board of the row and slightly lift it along the long side, then press down to click the long tongue into the groove. Continue this process from left to right until the full row is connected and flat.
6. Check the boards are aligned and gently tap with a tapping block to tighten the joints.
7. Repeat for each row, cutting the first or last boards of any row to fit if needed.

UniZip method A: diagonal installation

Method A involves installing the laminate diagonally in the room.

1. Start in any corner of the room and alternate boards from packs A, B, and C as you go.
2. Prepare the first board by removing the click connection (on the tongue long side, groove short side).
3. Make sure to leave an 8mm to 10mm gap between the board and the wall.
4. Glue all click connections of the first herringbone assembly using EGGER adhesive .
5. Prepare the second board by removing the tongue on the long side of the board.
6. Angle the second board with the short side into the long side of the first board.
7. Angle the third board with the long side into the first board, then tap the short side into the second board using a tapping block.
8. Continue installing the first herringbone row diagonally across the room until you reach the opposite corner. Once finished, use wedges to hold this row in place.
9. Continue laying the laminate flooring to the left and right of the first herringbone row, and continue until the pattern is finished.
10. At the wall edges, cut the boards to size, leaving an 8mm to 10mm expansion gap along all sides.

UniZip method B: Installing from the centre

This parallel laminate installation method involves starting from the centre of the room and expanding outward in both directions.

1. Mark a centerline in the room with chalk. To achieve a symmetrical look, move your starting point 6cm right of this line and mark this point.
2. Ensure that you keep a distance of 8mm to 10mm between the boards and the walls.
3. Place board 1 flat at your marked starting point and angle the short side of board 2 into the long side of board 1.
4. Angle board 3 with the long side into board 1, then tap the short side into board 2 using a tapping block.
5. Continue installing the first row of herringbone toward the opposite wall, and secure it with wedges to prevent shifting.
6. Expand the pattern to the right and left of the first herringbone group and keep going until you reach the walls.
7. Cut the last boards to fit, leaving an 8mm to 10mm expansion gap around all edges.

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