The tongue and groove are important because they keep your flooring locked together.
Laminate flooring tongue or groove to wall.
Some floors click together easier than others and some floors require slightly different locking techniques.
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.
Mark planks in this last row for ripping making sure to allow for the 1 4 inch expansion gap between the flooring and the wall.
Create a more natural look with a joint stagger of 8 to 12 inches.
Also to make sure you don t end up with a tiny sliver of flooring for the last row measure the length of the room and divide by the width of the plank not including the tongue or groove to determine how many rows of planks you need.
Work evenly along the length of the plank and lightly tap the joint closed using a pull bar and rubber mallet.
A damaged tongue and groove on laminate flooring can cause improper installation or instability.
Press down and snap the plank into place.
Shaped to conform to the tongue and groove profile on the ends of laminate flooring the block sits tight against the laminate.
When installing be patient with the tongue and groove.
Align the plank you ll connect to the second to last row.
Using a full width plank as a spacer trace the contour of the wall and cut the plank to size.
Cut the final piece as needed on your miter saw leaving a 1 4 inch expansion gap.
Install the last row of ripped planks using the same tongue and groove fitting technique.
Install the planks with the groove edge facing up.
The ends and edges of all laminate flooring have interlocking tongue and groove profiles that would get crushed and ruined if you hit them directly with a mallet or hammer.
Install the long side tongue into the groove with the end joint aligned.
If you mix the two up and start with the groove side you will have difficulty completing the installation because you will essentially be.
Cut the tongue and groove off the end of each plank with a utility knife before you start.
When using laminate flooring on walls the best way to adhere it is to use two sided wood floor tape.
Since the fiber in laminate flooring is susceptible to water damage make sure there are no gaps between the seams.
Some products require you to use a tapping block to close these gaps.
Fit additional planks by angling tongue into groove and wiggling into place.
Rip the final row of planks using a circular saw table saw or jigsaw.
The procedure is easy but it calls for care and precision.
Remove the short end tongue to create a square end per instructions.
Lay your first course of tongue and groove laminate floorboards down along the starting wall with the groove side facing the wall.
Clip the boards together end to end.
Apply silicone adhesive caulk to the back of each plank.
Leave a 3 16 gap between any adjoining wall.