Steps to Glueless Uniclic Laminate Floors

Tongue and Groove

• All Uniclic flooring products are manufactured with a tongue and groove design. Tongue and groove laminate features boards with two differently designed edges. The groove edges of the boards feature an indentation while the tongue edge features a protruding piece of wood. The boards' design allows them to click together without the need for laminate glue.

Preparing the Floor: Concrete Subfloor

• Avoid DIY disaster when laying down your laminate flooring by properly preparing the space. The first step is to discover what type of subflooring is present in the room. Concrete and wood are the most common types of subflooring and both types of flooring are appropriate for Uniclic laminate. For concrete subfloors, it's important for newly poured floors to completely cure before beginning to install the laminate. Quick Step recommends allowing concrete to cure for a minimum of seven days per centimeter of thickness. Unroll a thin plastic layer known as an underlayment after allowing the concrete floor to properly cure. Run the underlayment up the wall about 1 inch before cutting it off.

Preparing the Floor: Wood Subfloor

• For rooms with a wood subfloor, be sure that all areas of the floor are properly secured. Secure any loose areas of subflooring by using a nail gun. If necessary, apply a leveling board to the floors. Also be sure to remove and repair any areas of the floor that are wet. Remove anything from under the room’s crawl space that may block ventilation. Unroll your underlayment, cutting it off about 1 inch from the end of the floor.

Laying Down the Floor

• Quick Step flooring recommends starting the flooring project by cutting the tongue-edges off of a whole plank of floor. Place the plank on the floor with the cut edge against the wall. Insert spacers between the plank and the wall. Hold your next plank at a 20- to 30-degree angle to the previously installed plank. Move the board back and forth until it clicks into place. Set the plank flat against the floor. Always use spacers between the ends of the boards to allow for the floor’s natural expansion.

Installing in Tight Spaces

• When installing the boards in tight spaces, you'll have to alter your installation method slightly. Use a pull bar and a tapping block to install boards when you don't have the space to use the angle-in method. Place the board flat on the floor and tap it gradually until the edges of the boards click together. You'll frequently have to cut boards to the proper size using a jigsaw or a table saw. Jigsaws are helpful for cutting the boards to fit around pipes.

Tips and Tricks

• When installing Uniclic laminate over wooden subflooring, Quick Step recommends placing the planks on the floor running in the opposite direction of the subflooring’s wood grain. Be sure to remove any carpeting, felt or other porous substance from the subflooring before beginning your installation project. After completing your installation, glue baseboard molding to the walls, leaving the edge where the floor and molding meets unglued.