A laminate flooring installation is mostly preparation. The clicking together of planks is the quick part. What decides whether the floor still looks right in five years is the subfloor, the acclimatisation and the expansion gaps.
Here is what actually happens, in order, and what you should see your fitter doing.
Before the laminate flooring installation starts
Two things must happen days ahead, not on the morning.
- Acclimatisation. The packs sit flat in the room for about 48 hours before fitting, still sealed, so the boards settle to the room’s temperature and humidity.
- Wet work finished. Any plastering, screeding or painting that adds moisture must be done and dry first.
Manufacturers also specify a working range of roughly 15 to 30 degrees and 40 to 70 percent humidity. In a Cape Town winter that means heating a cold room before fitting, not after.
Clearing the room
- Furniture out, or moved room by room if the job is phased
- Old carpet, underfelt and gripper rods lifted and removed
- Skirting removed if it is being reused or replaced
- Doors lifted off if they will not clear the new floor height
Step one: the subfloor
This is where a floor is won or lost. The subfloor must be clean, dry and flat.
- Flat — high spots ground down, hollows filled. Laminate bridges dips and the joints then flex and creak.
- Dry — a ground-floor slab is tested for moisture before anything goes down.
- Clean — grit under the underlay telegraphs through as bumps.
Where the slab is out of tolerance, self-levelling screed is used and needs curing time. That adds a day and around R60 to R120 per m2, which is why it belongs in the quote as a possibility. Costs are set out fully in our laminate flooring installation cost guide.
Step two: underlay and moisture barrier
Underlay rolls out across the whole area, seams butted and taped rather than overlapped. On a concrete slab a damp-proof membrane goes underneath, or a combined underlay does both jobs.
Overlapping underlay creates a ridge you will feel underfoot for the life of the floor. It is a small detail that separates a careful fitter from a fast one.
Step three: laying the boards
Planks normally run along the longest wall or toward the main light source. The fitter sets out the room first so the last row is not a sliver of board.
- First row laid with spacers against the wall
- End joints staggered, usually by at least 300mm, row to row
- Boards tapped home with a tapping block, never a bare hammer
- Cuts made around door frames by undercutting the frame so the board slides beneath
- Final row cut to width and eased in with a pull bar
Expansion gaps are not optional
Laminate expands and contracts with temperature and humidity. Every manufacturer requires a perimeter gap, typically 10 to 15mm, against every wall and every fixed object.
- Gap left at walls, door frames, pipes and built-in units
- Expansion profiles in doorways and between rooms
- An expansion joint on long runs, commonly beyond about 10 metres continuous
- Never fill the gap with silicone or filler, it must stay free
A floor that lifts in the middle or tents at a doorway almost always has a blocked or missing expansion gap. It is the most common failure and it cannot be fixed without lifting boards.
Step four: finishing and timeline
Skirting or scotia goes on last, fixed to the wall and never to the floor, so the boards can still move. Door bars and transition profiles close the gaps at thresholds. Tile and adhesive standards are published by the South African Bureau of Standards.
- One bedroom, 15m2: usually a single day
- Lounge and passage, 40m2: one to two days
- Whole home, 100m2: around three to five days
- Add a day where screed is needed and has to cure
You can normally walk on a click laminate floor straight away. Heavy furniture is best left until the following day.
Doing it yourself or hiring a fitter
Laminate is one of the more DIY-friendly floors. Cutting a straight square room is achievable with a saw, spacers and patience.
Hiring a fitter makes sense when the room has many angles, the slab is uneven, doors need trimming, or the area runs over about 10 metres and needs planned expansion joints. Compare the sums in our laminate floor installation cost breakdown before deciding.
If you want a waterproof floor in a kitchen or bathroom instead, see vinyl flooring installation. For everything else, our flooring and tiling team offers a free assessment with no call-out fee, or you can book a site visit.
Frequently asked questions
How long does laminate flooring take to install?
A single 15m2 bedroom is usually a one-day job. A 40m2 lounge and passage takes one to two days, and a whole 100m2 home is typically three to five days. Add a day if the subfloor needs self-levelling screed, because the screed has to cure before any underlay or boards can be laid on top of it.
Can you install laminate flooring yourself?
Yes, in a simple rectangular room. Click-system laminate needs no glue or nails, and a saw, spacers, a tapping block and a pull bar will do the job. Hire a fitter when the slab is uneven, the room has many angles or curves, doors need trimming, or the run exceeds about 10 metres and needs planned expansion joints.
Can laminate flooring be installed over tiles?
Usually yes, provided the tiles are sound, well stuck down and flat. Loose or drummy tiles must be lifted or the movement will work the click joints loose. Deep grout lines should be filled so the boards are supported evenly, and you must allow for the added height at doorways and at the bottom of every door.
How much expansion gap does laminate flooring need?
Typically 10 to 15mm around the entire perimeter and around every fixed object, including pipes, door frames and built-in units. Doorways and adjoining rooms need expansion profiles, and continuous runs beyond roughly 10 metres need an expansion joint. Never fill the gap with silicone or filler, because the boards have to be free to move.
How soon can you walk on laminate flooring after installation?
Straight away with a click-system floor, since nothing has to cure. It is still worth leaving heavy furniture until the next day and using felt pads under legs when it goes back. If a glue-down system was used instead, follow the adhesive manufacturer’s curing time before putting any load on the floor.