How to Install Laminate Flooring Through an Outside Doorway

Remove the screws that secure the outside door to the frame. Assign helpers to carefully lift the door and set it aside, so you can access the jambs easily. Keep the removed screws in a bag because you will need them for mounting the door.

Lay a laminate plank on a piece of foam underlayment. Position this stacked assembly next to a door jamb in the doorway.

Position the tip of a pencil along the top of the plank and extend it along the jamb to form a straight line. Check that the line is level and straight, and extend it all the way across to the wall molding. Move the stacked assembly to the opposite door jamb and repeat the process of marking it.

Cut over the marked line along the lower end of each door jamb using a hand saw. Remove loose pieces of wood from the cut section of the jamb. Brush the surface with a hard-bristled brush to remove small pieces of wood, debris and cutting residue. Also cut along the second jamb. The laminate plank and underlayment should easily slide under the jambs.

Spread foam underlayment on the floor under the outside doorway, extending it to the corresponding room inside.

Measure the width of the doorway. Transfer the measurement to a laminate flooring plank, minus 1/4 inch for expansion. Rip the plank at the point with a saw.

Slide this plank under the prepared door jambs in the outdoor doorway. Use as many planks as you need to cover the floor through the doorway.

Install full-length planks in the room the doorway opens into. Lay each row of planks on the floor, snapping their grooved edges into the tongue edges of other planks, until you create a floating floor. Offset the seams by several inches for aesthetic appeal. Rip the planks in the last row to size so they fit the available space.

Install the outside door you removed using its original hardware.