Laminate flooring should be laid in a “random” stagger pattern. The remaining piece of one row should start the next row. Each piece must be 6 inches or greater. If the remaining piece is less than 6 inches, start the row with a full piece.
While there are no steadfast rules as to how you should stagger your laminate flooring it is best to be aware that you should be aiming to lay your floor in an irregular pattern with your stagger length to be in the region of 6-12 inches.
The rule of thumb that professional flooring installers follow is to stagger the end joint of adjacent rows by a distance equal to 2 or 3 times the width of the plank. That makes 6 inches the most common minimum spacing for 2- and 3-inch hardwood boards, but laminate planks are typically wider than this.
The Best Pattern to Stagger Laminate Flooring
The answer is that you should avoid creating a pattern at all. This is called a randomized stagger. A random stagger doesn't just happen by chance, though. You really need to pay attention to each & every new row to make sure it's different from the 2 or 3 rows before it.
When laying laminate flooring it is essential that you leave at least a 10-12mm expansion gap around the perimeter of the floor.
Staggering Floor Planks That are All the Same Length
To do this, start the first row with a full plank, install the row, cut the last plank to length and save the off-cut. Cut two more fresh boards to start the next two rows, but from the fourth row on, start using the offcuts from previous rows.
Begin the first row of flooring by placing the planks with the tongue side facing the wall. Install the second plank next to the first by aligning the tongue into the groove and press the plank down to snap it in place. When you come to the end of the first row, cut the length of plank needed to complete the row.
We recommend cutting off the tongue on this first row to avoid any problem with the expansion gap. Insert the second plank into the first at an angle pressing the short ends together; then press it down. Repeat the same procedure down the row.
Which side is the tongue, which the groove, and which goes first during installation? The tongue is the side that you will want to place against the wall as you start your laminate-flooring installation.
Overlap Wood Floor Planks by at Least 6 Inches
The basic rule to remember for creating a strong stagger is that all planks should overlap by 6 inches or more. This means that the short joint between planks should be at least 6 inches away from the nearest joint in any adjacent row.
Staggering your planks is a crucial step to creating a beautiful and lasting room. Not staggering the seams of your floor can create a disruptive pattern that attracts unwanted attention to individual planks.
Large laminate floors have to include at least one expansion joint in the middle. We recommend that you take the same approach when a laminate floor extends across more than one room. At the transition between two adjacent rooms, you face essentially the same situation as before.
With laminate or tiles, there is the requirement of a small gap between the flooring and the skirting board. Therefore, skirting boards shouldn't have any contact with the floor and should be fitted after the flooring has been installed.
You are encouraged to install PE Foam Backer in the gaps along the walls after installing the laminate flooring. This foam backer will provide enough give for the boards to expand without becoming deformed. It also serves the purpose of adding insulation and resistance to moisture.
The most common way to lay hardwood flooring is by aligning the planks parallel to the longest wall. Apart from a few exceptions like sagging joists, this is the preferred direction to lay wood floors because it aesthetically provides the best result.
Lay the first course of flooring along the wall that forms the inside of the "L." Follow the wall, keeping a gap of 1/4 inch between the flooring and the wall to allow for expansion of the flooring material and extend this course past the wall, all the way to the opposite perpendicular wall.
Start in the upper left corner of the longest wall and install the planks in the same direction as that in which the main light falls. Planks are always installed from left to right.
The recommended glue for floating installation is Tongue and Groove engineered flooring glue. Glue placement is very important. The glue must be placed along the topside of the groove the full length of the grooved side and end.
Mark the first row by placing the groove side of a board against the wall near a corner, leaving a gap of approximately 3/16 of an inch between the board and wall. Mark the subfloor on the tongue side and measure the distance between the mark and the wall.
The tongue on laminate flooring is the small flat edge on one side of the board, this is the top edge that is going to angle and lock into the bottom side of another board.
All it takes is 1⁄8″. The joint should be a firm press fit: If you have to knock the pieces together, then struggle to pull them apart, the joint's too tight. A tongue that's a hair too fat for the groove may actually seat, but it will stress the groove sidewalls and may, in time, prompt them to split.