How to Cut Laminate Flooring in Place

Laminate is a common flooring choice in many households due to the tongue-and-groove design, which allows installers to simply snap each board together. Homeowners typically cut laminate boards with any hand or power saw. However, once the laminate is in place, cutting it is a challenge. If you need to cut out a laminate board in place, do so with a combination of handheld power tools and manual tools.

Straightedge
Dry erase marker
Drill
3/16-inch drill bit
Circular saw
Scrap flooring piece
Safety glasses
Pry bar
Chisel
Hammer
Utility knife (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Examine the floor to locate the laminate boards that you want to cut. Place a straightedge on them and draw the cut line directly onto the board using a dry erase marker.
- 2
  Insert a 3/16-inch diameter bit into a drill and create a hole at each end of the marked line, which prevents excess splitting when the boards are cut.
- 3
  Locate a scrap piece of laminate flooring and place it under the blade of a circular saw. Raise the blade height on the saw until it extends down only the depth of the laminate board. If you don’t have a scrap board, pry up the molding along the side of the floor and use the depth of the board there to set the saw depth.
- 4
  Plug the saw into an outlet and put safety glasses on. Squeeze the saw trigger to start spinning the blade and then lower it toward the marker line. Push the blade down as far as possible and then push it gently along the entire length of the line.
- 5
  Pull the blade up and release the trigger. Wait until the blade stops and set it aside.
- 6
  Pry the desired section up out of the floor using a pry bar, the tip of a chisel or a putty knife.

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