Laminate flooring - Help!!

Locana

Hi

I've done this before, but am confused as to what the 'eck is going on??!!

I am 'trying' to lay my laminate floor, but the wood doesnt want to 'click' together as much as I bang and bang them together. They only seem to fit when I attached them at an angle, but then when I lay it flat comes apart again... What shall I do? Do you think its the weather? It has been really really cold...?

Thanks
Lo

Sagz_2

Are you sure it's the click together kind ?

Locana

Definately! Ive used it before but doesnt seem to like me today.. ive looked at the grooves and tongues and it defo is the click sort..

nalyo

it may the be the click sort but is it glueless?? some cheap ones do still require glue and hence the reduced price.

George&Ade

I find its easier sometimes for 2 people to actually lift at an angle and push the pieces firmly into place before laying flat on the ground.
Maybe thats not the correct way of doing it,but it seems to work fine.

Locana

nalyo wrote: »

it may the be the click sort but is it glueless?? some cheap ones do still require glue and hence the reduced price.

Definately is the glueless type, but will still glue once I get them together, but they wont actually go together! Will try the angle thing as that may just work - cant try till the morning though as didnt want to disturb people on Easter Sunday!

d_bravo

Some laminate flooring will only click to together if you push the piece you're trying to add at a 45 degree angle into the groove. This works best if you are kneeling on the section of floor already laid - tilt the new piece back towards you and push tongue into place. Lightly tap home by using a mallet to hit a piece of scrap wood laid parallel to the new section of flooring. This prevents any damage to the laminate but should close any gaps.

d_bravo

ajtrader100

Hey up,

make sure that the laminate can be tapped together as some dont work if you try this installation method.

45 degrees will allow the tongue to reach the deepest part of the groove, then its should just wriggle into place or snap down. Did you have the laminate outside or in a cold environment before you brought it in to fit? this could be causing some of the problems, also make sure the boards haven't bowed.

Dazza121

make sure there is nothing in the grooves (i usually run a paint brush to clear out the groove before inserting the next board) do the boards lock together if you just hold them and not on the floor ?

Is the floor flat and the first row dead straight ?

real1314

Was it really cheap stuff? I've fitted laminate that's been cheap, mid price and top end(ish) and have found that the dearer stuff tends to be thicker, have a better click-system and can be a lot quicker and easier to fit.

Did a room with really cheap stuff a couple of months ago and vowed never to go that cheap again, took me 2 days to do a 11ft sq room, whereas the dearest stuff I've used took a day to do a similar size.