When it comes to installing laminate flooring, an expansion gap is crucial. To ensure the longevity and stability of your floor, it is recommended to have a minimum expansion gap of ¼ inch around the perimeter of the floor. In fact, installation experts suggest that the size of the gap should increase as the surface area of the floor does, allowing for the necessary expansion and contraction with temperature changes.
Why Does Laminate Flooring Need an Expansion Gap
Laminate flooring is a floating floor, meaning it is not attached to the sub-floor and rests on top of the underlayment. Without an expansion gap, your floor will lack the necessary space to accommodate these movements, putting it at risk of issues like buckling. Don’t take any chances – keep reading to find out more about the importance of an expansion gap for your laminate flooring installation.
What Happens If I Don’t Leave an Expansion Gap?
To prevent damage to your laminate flooring, it is crucial to have the correct expansion gap. Without it, the floor will not be able to expand freely and adjust to temperature changes, leading to buckling, gapping, squeaking, and irreversible damage.
To achieve the correct size of the expansion gap, we recommend using installation spacers from an installation kit. These spacers should be placed between planks and the wall to provide the required expansion space. Spacers will also help ensure that the gap size is consistent throughout your installation. Please refer to the installation instructions included with your flooring for important guidance on installing your floor. Keep in mind that different floors may require a larger gap.
It’s important to note that the expansion gap should also be maintained in front of built-in cabinets, fireplaces, pipes, pillars, transition moldings, or any other object permanently attached to your floor.
How Do I Cover the Expansion Gap?
In most cases, your moldings will fit perfectly and cover the gap. To achieve a seamless finished look, we recommend installing a shoe molding or quarter round at the bottom of your baseboard. Be sure to nail all moldings to the wall or other moldings, and never to the flooring planks, to allow for expansion and contraction.
When installing your flooring, it’s important to ensure that your moldings are wide enough to fully cover the expansion gap. Having a gap that’s too big can cause problems and affect the stability of your flooring, potentially leading to bowing or warping over time. It can also be unappealing if the gap is visible from the edges of the room. Furthermore, a large gap can make cleaning more difficult as it can trap dirt and debris. So, it’s crucial to choose the right moldings to ensure a seamless appearance and easy maintenance.
Learn More: Types of Moldings for Laminate Flooring Installation
By following these guidelines and ensuring you have the proper expansion gap, you can protect your laminate flooring and avoid costly replacements.
Do you have more questions about laminate flooring installation? We will be happy to help! Post your question in a comments below!
Learn More:
- Where to Start: Beginning a Laminate Flooring Installation
- What is a Floating Floor?
- Buckling Laminate Flooring: How to Repair Laminate Flooring
92 comments
Hello and thank you for your time. We removed all our carpet and have vinyl plank flooring to install. We know we need to use spacers and our question is about those. The trim/baseboard is still on the wall and the spacers can obviously only go to that. But the trim is higher up above the flooring and the planks slide back further under them and hit the wall if we didn’t have the spacers. We are using 1/4″ spacers all around the room. However, what happens when we remove those spaces and the boards are able to move farther under the trim? Should we be lowering the trim first or is it ok and that extra space to the wall is accounted for? We’re will be adding quarter round as well, would that somehow hold everything in place? Thank you for your time, it is appreciated!
Thanks for the question. Having a gap beneath the baseboards is ideal. You should have a .25″ gap from the wall to your planks. Planks should stay in place once installed…they should only move with expansion and contraction. Trim is fine where it is. Usually it’s recommended to remove the baseboards to easily install the first and last rows. The quarter round will sit right above the planks and cover the expansion gaps.
HI Alana,
I am using going to use “Home Decorators Collection Embossed Silverbrook Aged Oak 12mm think laminate flooring in my house. Baseboard Moulding 5/8″ thick x 5.25″high. The longest length, running from entry to end of living room, is 37′-2”. Would 1/4″ gap at the walls be enough?
What would be a good way to calculate the expansion/contraction for 12mm laminated floor?
Thanks.
Hi Donald, thanks for the question. This is quite a large space gap, so you could go anywhere up to .5″ if you’d like. The larger the piece that needs to float, the more square footage that needs to move. There is no “real” way to calculate, so it is always better to play it safe.
Alana,
Thanks for your advice.
When you stated “go anywhere up to 0.5″. Do you mean 1/2″ gap on both ends? or 1/4″ gap on both ends total 1/2″ gap combined?
In my case, I have an entry/living room area (inverted L shape). The entry is 244″L x 74″W, connecting to a Living Room which is 202″L x 171″W. If the laminate flooring in the entry/living room is lay in the same direction, the max length = 244″+202″=446″=37′-2”. Would you suggest placing a “T” transition between the entry and living room to reduce the long run?
Donald
Hi Donald, yes it would be a .25″-.5″ perimeter around the complete room. In this case, yes, I would add a t-molding transition between the rooms. That is a standard practice to add room to room, so I don’t think it will take away from the beauty of your new floors. Give us a call at 800-520-0961 if you have additional concerns!
Currently laying laminate click clack flooring down and have encountered an area where we cannot place it to the wall cause of the built in kitchen (it has space underneath which is too small for the flooring) we are leaving a massive space under there. Is this okay?
Hi Liam, thanks for the question. You should never install flooring under a cabinet or built in. You will need an expansion gap around the full perimeter, so I don’t see this being a problem. You will just need a quarter round or molding to cover the gap.
Hi Alana Kane
Overall I thing your guideline gives me better idea how to installing laminate flooring. Thanks to you for sharing your idea with us.
Glad you found it helpful!
Hey, thanks for the help. So, I removed carpet and left the base boards. The gap under the base boards allows for the laminate planks to side under, so I was originally going to have the planks under the baseboard and leave an expansion gap (hidden) under the baseboards. Then I realized the last row was be a problem to install and click in place. I don’t want to remove baseboards. So, if I’m just going to add 1/4 rd, does it matter about the gap. Should I just leave 1/4 in perimeter gap and don’t worry about the fact the planks can side under? Or lay them flush and let the gap be my expansion space? Thoughts?
Hi Brian, great question. I think you will be fine cutting it flush to the baseboard, however, you may not be able to have it perfect and could see some gaps. A bigger expansion doesn’t really matter – and we actually recommend .5″ for larger projects. When we use moldings, they don’t attach to the floor, so they will just be sitting under the perimeter moldings regardless. Hope that helps!