Installing Laminate Flooring Pattern

How to lay laminate flooring in a herringbone pattern.

Installing laminate flooring pattern.

Laminate comes in patterns that include stone tile and wood. Sub floors are typically concrete or cement and develop weaknesses over time. Before choosing a specific pattern consider what overall statement you are trying to create in the room. Install the underlayment or vapor barrier.

A random pattern can be hard to achieve when all the planks are the same length but you can do it using offcuts from previous rows to start new rows. Laminate herringbone floors are super easy to maintain. A laminate flooring stagger pattern is ideally random with spacing between end joints between 6 and 10 inches depending on the plank width. Laying a laminate floor in a regular pattern decreases its ability to contract and expand as a whole unit and instead does so as single laminate boards often causing gaps or even lifting like a hinge.

Flooring manufacturers always recommend putting down underlayment before laying the laminate. A good example of an h joint can be seen in this image on the left. Lighter colors create a light and airy feeling in a room. Notice how every second row of boards are uniform or regularly placed.

If you place laminate flooring on a weak or uneven sub floor the new floor will be compromised and eventually buckle damage the laminate locking system creak or create micro gaps in the new floor. This thin dense foam layer helps to absorb sound provides a thermal barrier makes it easier to walk on the laminate and helps the flooring bridge minor gaps and bumps in the underlying floor.