Drop & Lock Flooring Installation Tips and Common Problems

[@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.

[@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!

[@katjones5187]

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

[@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

[@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!

[@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.

[@SS-qr4iv]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@hollymoore3621]

12 years later, and this is so helpful

[@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.

[@ramond.3569]

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

[@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.

[@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!

[@FALCO797]

Best video on KZbin. Thanks!

[@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.

[@johannesroos6653]

Understand . It comes down to a lot of accurate measuring before installing. Then, plan where the short fall is. Thanks very much.

[@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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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!

[@silkysmoothson]

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.

[@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 :)

[@cynthiadawson7095]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@LeahBuddLanternLaneCreations]

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

[@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!

[@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!

[@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!

[@TheCasanovaCrew]

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

[@TheJumboJetDriver]

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

[@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.

[@meredithbeesing7742]

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

[@kimwojo5633]

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

[@anthonyxyy9663]

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

[@Urmel2222]

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

[@karenmangkennedy7495]

Excellent video presentation, thank you! Very well done.

[@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!

[@joeyharper5049]

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

[@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.

[@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!!

[@gemmacook8652]

Great easy video to follow thank you from the uk

[@donaldbrowndyke2365]

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

[@stephenmoser141]

Best one so far!

[@dblunt3935]

Very nice video. Thank you.

[@jnunez1203]

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

[@Blackdog4818]

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

[@johannesroos6653]

Hi, Excellent video, 12 years old and still the best video. Detailed explanation as close ups to help me understand the process. I have a question. In my situation I have a hall ending in the middle of a room. I need to start the install in the hall, then run into the room, but that means that I need to install in the room from both the groove side as demonstrated as well as the tongue side. Is that possible?

[@FloorsToYourHome]

It really isn't, just because of where your hands have to be. It will take some planning, but you should start in the room, and then extend the installation of your rows when they get to the hall zone. The issue you have to contend with is that in any installation, you don't want to saddle yourself with having a row (usually at the end) where the planks need to be cut by more than half of their width. So if your room is such that you can install 7" planks until the end, at which point you'll have 2" left, instead of giving yourself that 2" final row, you'd cut 1" off the starting row, and 1" off the final row, leaving you with much more manageable 6" planks. It's an important step, and in your case you'd also need to factor in where the hallway comes in, so that you also don't have a 2" row going down one of the sides of the hallway. Basically, it will either just work out well, or it will work out badly, in which case you might have to treat them as separate installations, and use a transition piece where they meet.

[@joshg9594]

excellent vid it made my floor installation a breeze thanks

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Thanks! Glad to be of help!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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

[@jeetrawti]

Very good presentation and very helpful tips.

[@TheRpapito]

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

[@guitar101011]

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

[@duncsindevon]

Excellent and clear advice. Supper job

[@f3hunter]

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

[@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!

[@cookesflooring]

Great Video!

[@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 😔

[@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/

[@laurakondrick1635]

Good information. Thanks for the video!

[@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.

[@BrianMilligan]

Great video. Thank you!

[@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

[@coreyc1587]

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

[@bradannaraukawa4494]

agree lol

[@USMC_BABE38]

Great video

[@SupShelbs]

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

[@2Brian]

This is very helpful. Thank you!

[@kevinmcdaniel2995]

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

[@juniorantoniolenoci1795]

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

[@karinlandes5221]

Thank you for this video!!!

[@abcdee108]

simple and informative...thanks

[@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

[@jamesdemask5643]

These videos are great if you live in a one room house

[@commentsedited]

Thanks. Made the mistake at 3:40 t.s.

[@NasimMahmud]

Super. Thanks for the details.

[@futurecarslondon1109]

Sincerely Appreciated.

[@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

[@ifuh8mejcwont]

thanks for the clear instruction

[@lenny5513]

Great video thanks

[@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.

[@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

[@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 ..

[@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?

[@kulminaator]

Thanks for the helpful video

[@JohnDoe-ft2nh]

Thank you.

[@hornetIIkite3]

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

[@StAnger561to770]

Howdy got a question. Installer did not offset after row 3. Now there are tiny spaces between some of the joints. Installer said we can put some silicone there. Is this feasible? It is a high quality water resistant fiberboard. Is it ok to use silicone or polyurethane caulk between some of the open joint seams?

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Hi, TF, 1. Is it ok to use silicone or polyurethane caulk between some of the open joint seams? Yes! Won't hurt a thing. 2. (the implied) Will this solve your problem? *_NO!!_* Because it won't *help* a thing either! The problem you have is that, after your third row, _none_ of your end joints are even locked. It's the overlapping long side that locks down those short sides. Look at 5:18 in this video. Your installer either does, or should, know that, and regardless, has installed your floor improperly, and needs to uninstall it and reinstall it (after those first three rows). I'm assuming it's a Drop & Lock, given the video upon which you're commenting. Also, check your documentation, both installation instructions and warranty, for any limit on reinstallations. Some products go out of warranty if reinstalled, because it's more wear and tear on the locking mechanisms than they're designed for. Don't worry, because it's not common to be limited to one installation, and even if it is an issue, it's your installer's issue, not yours. Based on your description, they screwed this up, not you. Filling the joint seams can be a nice way to keep moisture atop the flooring for longer than normal. It's not a glue. It won't fix this mistake, and even if it was glue, your flooring doesn't need glue. It's not supposed to be glued together. It needs to be put in place the way it's designed to work. Your installers need to be called to the carpet on this one.

[@StAnger561to770]

@@FloorsToYourHome yeah thanks for the advice. I fired the installer and decided to try it again myself. The guy seemed to be an idiot. Besides not properly spacing the rows he was using a hammer and slamming the pieces together, like they were wood plank flooring. The laminate parquet goes* together pretty easily, as you know.no hammering is really required. Especially heavy hammering.

[@StAnger561to770]

@@FloorsToYourHome I pulled up one row already and was surprised that I damaged the teeth on only a few of the boards. Most seem like I can try to reuse them. Had the same guy install a water pipe and I told him it was leaking. He tried to tell me that once he closes the wall with concrete that the leak will stop. Which did not make sense to me. Sure enough after he closed the wall the water was coming through. I am a foreigner living in a foreign land so sometimes I have communication problems. But I know how to say "water leak" and I was thoroughly pissed about this. Had to hire another guy to come in an re open the wall. Seems like he did a better job. The first guy was apologizing to me and trying to tell me some more nonsense that once they put a spigot on the wall that the leak would have stopped and that if I had told him that he would have re done it. But for me that was unacceptable and I told him I do not need his help with anything else. I subsequently spoke with a neighbor who knows the guy from years before and they said his work is shoddy, over priced, and that he does not listen to how the customer wants things, which was also my experience.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Sorry, The Foreigner. Every business has its schmucks, I'm afraid. Your original guy sounds like a class A bum. It also sounds like you may know someone you can ask for advice on people to hire, your neighbor. That's gold.

[@StAnger561to770]

@@FloorsToYourHome yeah well unforytunately it like dealing with tweedle dee and tweedle dumb over here for me. i am planning to pull up the floor soon and re lay it. The right way this time.

[@ashstevens3361]

What about when you’re up against the wall?

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Good question. We show this in some of our other videos, but not this table-top one. When you start an installation, it's possible to start the first 3-4 rows away from the wall, get them locked together, then slide those rows up against your wall spacers, once there is enough product to not slide around as you press new planks in to make new rows. Take a look here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKPSeKN_fdt9d9Em32s

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Thank you, Mr. Harper!

[@myhealthtoo]

I am in the process of installing so I am 1/3 done but I have a slight bend in end joint of luxury vinyl flooring is there a way to fix this without pulling it out ? Thanks

[@FloorsToYourHome]

That's tough, thetruth. Are you able to share a picture? It would really help if I could get a good look at what you're facing, then I'll do my best to answer.

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Glad to be a help!

[@420livetoride]

How do you reverse this floor to avoid transition pieces from room to room? Is there a method to reverse the tongue and grooves?

[@FloorsToYourHome]

_Mostly_ ... no, I think. t's hard to perfectly envision what you're trying to do, but when installing, tongues must be inserted into grooves; the groove end cannot be slipped onto the tongue. We probably should have filmed that to show why, because I can't figure out how to explain it. I say 'mostly' because, really, you *can* do it simply by starting your installation along a different wall, if that plank direction is your most important concern, and there aren't better reasons not to. Figure out how you want your planks to lay, hold the plank as you'll want it with yourself on the groove side, tongue facing out, and look up - the tongue side is pointing at your starting wall. But if that sounds wacky, then I have probably misunderstood your question.

[@KingTJL]

Thankyou Very helpful

[@FloorsToYourHome]

Thank you very much!