Drop & Lock Flooring Installation Tips and Common Problems

Drop and Lock is the second of the two main types of click together installation methods for laminate flooring. In this video, Brian shows exactly how the planks lock together, and how to avoid the two most common mistakes people make when putting in their floors.
www.floorstoyourhome.com/lami...
Take a look at a drawing of the expansion gap covered by a trim piece here:
www.floorstoyourhome.com/reso...
The other, even more common installation method is demonstrated in our video on Angle Angle Laminate and Vinyl Flooring Installation Tips:
• Angle Angle Laminate a...
More resources on Laminate Flooring:
www.floorstoyourhome.com/reso...
0:28 - Two main laminate installation systems
0:43 - Getting started
0:56 - The tongue and the groove
1:37 - Common mistake #1 - Boards facing the wrong direction
2:36 - "Dropping" the end joints
3:06 - When end joints are actually locked
3:40 - Using cut pieces from the ends
3:58 - Staggering end seams
4:17 - Second row, and locking the ends
5:35 - Common mistake #2 - connecting end joints before long sides
6:51 - Third row and beyond
7:48 - Locking down the last row
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Video thrown together by W. David Lichty at plus.google.com/u/0/108827368...

[@ednadevil3330]

Best explanation of installing laminate of this type I’ve seen . Thankyou from the UK 👍🏼

[@arvid978]

Not the funniest, not the best, not the sexiest - but certainly the most helpful, time-saving and educational video I've ever seen on You Tube. And I've seen a few. Thanks.

[@katjones5187]

Thank you!! Finally! someone who properly explains a drop and lock flooring installation! Excellent video!

[@SS-qr4iv]

Loved the family noise in the background and the little sideway look he shot them lol life...good clear concise video

[@stevenharper6042]

I never put in flooring before. This is THE best video on KZbin on showing people how to install laminate flooring. Thanks for explaing it in layman's terms!

[@TheCasanovaCrew]

This was perfect! Not too long, exactly what I needed

[@FALCO797]

Best video on KZbin. Thanks!

[@meredithbeesing7742]

Thank you! We were doing all of the common mistakes.

[@KennethSettles]

Thank you for making and sharing this video. It's very informative, and explains it fully without a bunch of unnecessary fluff mixed in.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Thank you, jjurisch83. Can't tell you how gratifying it is to hear that this is actually helping people out. That's just great.

[@LeahBuddLanternLaneCreations]

Great video, specifically addressed the two questions that I had right from the beginning of the video! Thank you so much!

[@cpca3]

This vid was a lifesaver -- I was cursing my flooring yesterday for about 3 hours and swore it was defective or I was. Thanks for posting - I'm totally sorted out today and finished 2 entire rooms in about 6 hours.

[@nicoshanico7286]

I've put laminate flooring down before but was unsure how to do the drop and lock correctly but watching this made it so simple in minutes, thank you I really appreciate it.

[@michaelfragosi2256]

I have seen countless of laminate flooring installation videos, by far this is the most helpful, it is well explained and to the point. Grazie!

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kayyRdee06]

Great video! Our guys started doing a structured pattern but I knew it was more of random placement and just getting the joints covered. Thank you for you expertise!

[@CallumConrad]

Great instruction video. Logical and a good starting point for doing one's own floating floor.

[@ramond.3569]

Thank you for your clear and informative video. I must have watched ten other laminate videos that didn't answer my questions.

[@cynthiadawson7095]

So glad I watched this...made both common mistakes! Now i can get back to it and finish my floor!

[@nitahart9319]

You just helped me out big time. You are my rockstar, you are a real hero. I spent 5 hours racking my brain as to why my end joints wouldn’t stay together or how to get them to stay together.

[@bbilly28]

I never knew this type of locking system existed until I went to install some flooring I bought. I have been trying to figure it out for a week now. NOW I KNOW!! :-) ty this was very helpful.

[@SpiderChick69]

This was very helpful to me and my husband. We have never done laminate flooring and our flooring looks amazing thanks to your video. Thanks so much.

[@craftycraftings1037]

Thank you so much for this video, I have literally made every mistake you mentioned in the video and was about to give up but I decided to look for helpful video's so I am going back to rectify my mistakes and hopefully it will be easier :)

[@superdataman]

Very nice instructional video! :-) As a total novice to laminate flooring installation, I went looking for a video to help me learn how to do it right the first time. I viewed a few other videos and then found this one. I am laying a laminate floor in my daughter's room and your tips will be very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to produce and post this video. God Bless!

[@karenmangkennedy7495]

Excellent video presentation, thank you! Very well done.

[@2Brian]

This is very helpful. Thank you!

[@bthompson2192]

Thank you, thank you... for explaining which side of plank starts against the wall. This is the only video that shows 'Up Close' what the sides are called. Using an example board layout instead of real floor, also let everyone see up close exactly how and why - when done right - flooring should be easy as you continue connecting flooring. Thanks.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Thanks so much, B. Very glad it helped you out. That's the goal. - David

[@f3hunter]

Thank you for the video-It definitely made my installation much easier.

[@TheRpapito]

thank you so much. I exactly had these problems by my own doing. Watch the video and perfect now!

[@BritFireOnYoutube]

Thank you! When mine curved up and bowed I was so upset that my wood was defective and I wasted money on 100sqft of it but the weight factor makes sense! Can’t wait!

[@jennakhivkapratt8751]

Thank you! I knew there were 2 different methods for installing and I done both but I didn't know the correct method depended on the particular lock system a product uses. Thank you for explaining that part. The guy at the store mansplained installation as angle angle and I have a drop and lock. This is the 4th home I'm putting laminate in and I never had so much trouble. Was at my wits end with this product. Now it's under control!

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Best comment ever. Nothing makes me happier than knowing what we show here has actually helped, and if you don't know that difference, it's a puzzle as unsolvable as it is ultimately simple. It's unfortunate that people won't check this for their customers, though there was a time when even some manufacturers were slipping the angle angle instructions into their drop & lock floors, and we had to catch that for our customers - we always check the flooring itself.

[@baddestmofo3724]

Right watched the vid now time to try it...wish me luck lol...thanks for the video...best one I've seen.

[@sirenvy]

You guys are awesome. Seriously. I am new to this flooring thing, and I am just one of those guys who knows what hes doing, but watches videos to make sure. lol.

[@marcelouriasministryvideos6684]

Thanks for this video. It saved my project. I was three rows down when I got suspicious I was going backwards....if it wasn't for this video, I was in for a day of grief.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Marcelo Urias Glad to have helped!

[@TheJumboJetDriver]

Good video and helped with answering a lot of questions..

[@joeyharper5049]

very helpful will be doing flooring this weekend and that video helps out a lot.

[@laurakondrick1635]

Good information. Thanks for the video!

[@kimwojo5633]

Thank you so much!! When I get frustrated, I watch the video . . . again. :)

[@donaldbrowndyke2365]

good job,this was great.and further more it's nice to see simple easy to follow instructions.

[@abcdee108]

simple and informative...thanks

[@guitar101011]

this video really helped me out. thanks for the video. it was easy to follow.

[@lazomaniac]

This is the only method that worked for me even though the manufacturer instructions say you should lock the short side first

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Yeah, sorry about that, on behalf of the planet. When Drop & Lock first got really popular, we caught quite a few manufacturers putting the other method's instructions in those boxes. It's why we made this (and keep it on our Drop & Lock product pages). It's _such_ an easy method, as long as people are given the right directions.

[@jeetrawti]

Very good presentation and very helpful tips.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Thank you, Mr. Harper!

[@BrianMilligan]

Great video. Thank you!

[@karinlandes5221]

Thank you for this video!!!

[@PonySixfinger]

fantastic video. really informative and put my mind at ease after looking at other videos. I installed a full room in a few hours and it wasn't as hard as i thought.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Thanks for the comment! Drop & Lock is very, very easy, but almost as easy to not _quite_ get, and Brian did a nice job of targeting the two issues some have. This seems to be one of our most helpful productions, and I'm glad it helped you! - David

[@joshg9594]

excellent vid it made my floor installation a breeze thanks

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Thanks! Glad to be of help!

[@ifuh8mejcwont]

thanks for the clear instruction

[@swaggabeatsTV]

Omg. You are the boss if been trying to lay my floor four hours and this has made my laying flooring 1000 Times easier. Thank you bro

[@FloorsToYourHome]

You bet, glad to help!

[@gemmacook8652]

Great easy video to follow thank you from the uk

[@NasimMahmud]

Super. Thanks for the details.

[@anthonyxyy9663]

So many other vids starting ass backwards never say nothing about which side goes against base board . Good one

[@lenny5513]

Great video thanks

[@duncsindevon]

Excellent and clear advice. Supper job

[@robertmanning6531]

Thank you for this excellent video. Trying to install 500 sq ft of Mono Serra laminate with drop and lock. The ridiculous pictogram instructions indicate to SLIDE the two tongue and groove ends together. This is not only impossible to do and lock the long side, but resulted in knocking off the glued on end strip. Your video instructions made it simple to complete what was promising to be a horrific job. Thanks again!

[@juniorantoniolenoci1795]

complimenti molto chiaro.... fantastic it's very clear

[@stephenmoser141]

Best one so far!

[@joshtemple8616]

I've always done angle angle, bought some drop and lock remnants for a closet and thought I was losing my mind. Good to know the difference. Great video.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Yeah, it's a subtle, but pivotal, difference. And we've discovered mis-illustrated instructions before too! They show the short end connecting before the long end (if that was your issue). Very glad to have helped!

[@Blackdog4818]

Thank you...wasn't sure how to do #2.

[@kulminaator]

Thanks for the helpful video

[@cookesflooring]

Great Video!

[@jnunez1203]

Wow no tapping block,no hammer..no mallet usage,make it seem so easy..great method .

[@dblunt3935]

Very nice video. Thank you.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Thank you very much!

[@SupShelbs]

good video very informative and will help me a lot when i lay my drop and lock laminate :)

[@scottsnider3560]

Old video or not - I enjoyed hearing the kids - always makes a video seem more personal and human! :) Back to the subject, I've put down angle-angle many times and have always been frustrated with any row longer than about 6 feet. By the time one board is down and the joint is tight at the end, it has inevitably separated slightly on the long side. I ended up doing entire rows at once to alleviate it, but what a pain. I'm looking forward to laying this version - should be much easier.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Scott, it is a much easier way to lay flooring. A lot of people get frustrated because general installation demos show the other method, and that won't work with Drop & Lock (and sometimes the manufacturers insert the wrong instructions!) but you should be all set after seeing this. It's one of our most liked and positively commented-on videos, so I think Brian must have hit the nail on the head with it. - David

[@realgdman4u1]

Thank you! My first try at laying a floor was an Angle Angle floor in one room. Then a year later, ended up with a Drop & Lock for the next room. I wanted a thicker sturdier floor in the that room. Even though the boxed instructions seem to suggest that it was Angle Angle, the install went smoothly using the Drop & Lock method. I didn't have any of the problems that you mentioned after doing that.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Glad to be a help!

[@kevinmcdaniel2995]

Wish I would've seen this before I started on my daughter's bedroom.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Thank you!

[@tomys12]

Great video.

[@futurecarslondon1109]

Sincerely Appreciated.

[@USMC_BABE38]

Great video

[@KingTJL]

Thankyou Very helpful

[@FloorsToYourHome]

In this video, Brian shows exactly how drop-n-lock planks lock together and how to avoid the two most common mistakes made when putting in the floors.

[@JonJurisch]

Great Video - happened to install my first row and it wasn't working quite right so hit up KZbin... turns out I made mistake #1 and was planning on making mistake #2!

[@Saynt614]

Man I'm nervous... watching every video I can until I tackle this myself. Just got my Rockwell portable tabletop saw in today and I'm off to the races soon! Wish me luck!!

[@Jazsnap_]

so helpful tfs!!

[@TF-te7gi]

i know this is an old video but it was very informative. i was wondering about the "bow" that was happening after my first 3 rows and now understand that i need more weight. I was about to rip it apart and start over.

[@coreyc1587]

If only I watched this video FIRST! Lol great video thank you!

[@bradannaraukawa4494]

agree lol

[@JohnDoe-ft2nh]

Thank you.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

The other issue is that different manufacturers have their own versions of both Drop & Lock and angle to angle installations, so you might find a manufacturer who does indeed say to lift the previous plank, line up the ends, and then lock the long side of the new plank. With the Drop & Lock floors we have, that would make installation pretty difficult, but we certainly don't sell every floor on the market. Always follow YOUR directions. This video is for general demonstration and tips. - David

[@driftingclouds6084]

Thank you for this video guide. I learned a lot about how to do this.when I get my own home I’ll remember this. Unfortunately, my father is a stubborn fool and even though my mother and I tried to show him this he’s still trying to to do it his own way. Installing this floor will take forever 😔

[@kdogtv]

I am currently working with this flooring for a small room in my house, and I WISH it was this easy. Its funny what NO ONE SHOWS US is how to get those end pieces in when its a real tight fit! What a PITA! I mean I have spent a lot of time trying to get my cut pieces into place when its the last piece going in against the wall, how do you "Slide" those into place? B. I bought a spacer kit and they are spacers with a straight back but angled front and the stupid things keep falling forward over my boards, they wont even stay up against the wall for me to straighten my boards. I'm going to post the video of how to get those tight wall pieces in place when I figure it out. Videos like this are near useless, shows us the tricky parts.

[@ferguslogic]

they sell tools to do this but I just use a hand held prybar. I stick it against the wall and just pull on it a hair and it locks it right in place. I know this is a late reply but it ma help someone else.

[@tommcfarlin1018]

instead of the wedges use a piece of 1/4 " plywood about 2" wide the length of the wall screw it into the wall in two places to keep it from falling over.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

You pull the spacers out at the end. The gaps left between your flooring and your wall is what will be hidden under your side boards and trims. Those gaps all around your floor allow it to slip further under your trims, and then pull back away as the floor expands and contracts with changes in temperature and humidity. I've put a link in the video description to a page showing what that can look like, a space covered by a trim. - David

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Ahmet, the best starting point would be the bottom of the U, then once you hit the divide, you basically just have 2 smaller rooms to finish. If you start at the top of the U working down, and there is *any* difference in the room's length (going up the sides of the U) from one side to the other, then when your two floors meet after the divide, one may actually be an inch or so ahead of the other, and they may not line up (vertically). - David

[@hornetIIkite3]

Thank you for this. My tiles came with this system. Cursed for an hour that the seems didn't click

[@FloorsToYourHome]

You should see seams in the laminate; it's a beveled product. Some laminate flooring is made to lay flush from plank to plank, to give you a perfectly smooth, flat floor you can slide across in your socks. Others will have bevels, where the edges are cut to form between any two pieces a groove ranging from 45 to 90 degrees. Some people just prefer an apparent separation between planks. Most French Bleed laminates, for instance, are also beveled. - David

[@frozentootsiepop]

Very informative and well made video. Thanks. I plan on installing drop and lock flooring in a bedroom next week. The room has no trim. Should I install the trim first, then install the floor with the expansion gap and then install the quarter round on top? Or install the floor then just count on the trim to cover the expansion gap and skip the quarter round?

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Hiya, +frozentootsiepop , If your trim will function as a vertical surface, basically as a wall, then you could put it in first, put the expansion gap between it and the floor, and then hover your quarter round over it, just as you've described (shown in the link below). But you're also right about the other option. Leave the baseboard off, install your flooring with the expansion gap between the planks and the wall itself, and then you can put the baseboard in over the flooring, functioning as a quarter round, covering that gap. You *can* skip the quarter round. It is both functional, and fashionably allowable, my homeowner colleagues tell me. - David www.floorstoyourhome.com/resource-center/trims-and-moldings/baseboards/

[@FloorsToYourHome]

If you mean to ask "are Uniclic and Valinge Drop & Lock systems" the best answer is "they can be". Your biggest difference in click together installation systems for laminate floors is the difference between any Drop & Lock (or Fall Down Click) and any Angle Angle. Uniclic and Valinge can actually be either system - it depends on the product they are producing.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

I don't know which exact floor you're installing, Matt. The most common type of laminate installation is another method called angle to angle, and with that one would do as your instructions indicate. We show that in our video on angle to angles at about 5 minutes in. The link is in the description. The ratio with these methods is around 1 to 4 against Drop & Lock, maybe more, so most will find themselves with an angle to angle floor. - David

[@FloorsToYourHome]

(pt. 2) If you're asking if a certain Drop & Lock system on a brand of floor you have is an exact match to the Drop & Lock system on flooring we have, the answer would be that you definitely shouldn't count on it. Each manufacturer can have their own versions of Angle Angle and Drop & Lock, or many versions, so you should never expect to be able to lock together different brands, types, styles, or even the same brand purchased some time later, like a year or so after your initial purchase.

[@Yannis2022]

How would you go about when installing a drop and lock flooring transitioning as one uniform continuous flooring between multiple rooms where it is not possible to start from one wall working to the other side of the room due to walls not being square? Would you mark out a middle line and drop and lock the floor in two directions from that middle line, with one of those directions being what you in this video describe as the wrong way?

[@dexivoje]

This video just resolved a lot of dispute. My floor has been pulling apart showing lipping at the corners indicating that the shorter edges are not fully locked and joined. The installer is blaming manufacturer defect claiming that short edges need to click when pressed, otherwise nothing will keep the planks together and over time they will pull apart. The inspector hired by the manufacturer blamed poor installation particularly inadequate stagger because it is in only 6-8 inches (in some places only 5) and never 12 as indicated in the insert coming with the planks. The installer dismisses the insert claiming that manufacturer's training manuals require 4-6 inch stagger, which I think is flat out lie but whatever. So, dispute back and forth; meanwhile the floor is slowly falling apart and the worst thing is that that particular floor not made any longer, so not even a chance to replace damaged planks. After watching this video I am confident that installers are plain incompetent.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Sorry to hear that, dexivoje. Not all of them are, but following the specific documentation that comes with a specific product, over any more generalized direction, is Installation 101. That's why we put the documents right up on the site, so do-it-yourselfers can see _exactly_ what they're in for, because 'exactly' is how you install flooring.

[@pankajnaik2708]

Do I need to put spacers on all 4 sides of the wall ?

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Yes, indeed! Good question.

[@pankajnaik2708]

Floors To Your Home (.com) Thanks for your reply and amazing video . Your explanation inspired me to do flooring on my own .. First time I am doing something in my life on my own. Never ever replaced bulb of light on my own in last 32 years of my life ..

[@ritawashere5787]

I will be installing flooring on my own. All alone LOL is the drop and lock easiest? I just want to make sure before I order flooring. Thank you. I love this video!

[@ritawashere5787]

I saved this video to Pinterest. I am hope that's okay.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Of course!

[@gges1605]

Its a good idea to work with 2 rows at a time so you can avoid having a ladder effect in the joins this happens when you just use the cut piece from end of row to start next row

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Interesting tip. Thanks, Gary!

[@FloorsToYourHome]

You would always want to get a sample first to make sure your additional flooring will work with your existing flooring. (sorry for the triple post - KZbin has a character count)

[@hotdiggityayo]

If you go to 6:00 into the video where you talk about not doing the end joint first. in the instructions it says to do the end joint first by lifting up the board to the left, clicking in the end joint and then click in the seam... doesnt make sense