This blog post aims to teach DIYers how to lay laminate flooring through a doorway, with the fastest way possible.

Since you are reading this article, we assume that you have already installed your laminate flooring in the rest of the room, and you don't know how to continue, going through the doorway.

More detailed, the main problem is usually when the installation is almost finished and you have to get the plank under both sides of the door, without living any visible gaps.

It might sound like a quite challenging task for those who haven't tried something similar in the past, but the truth is that you don't really need any special tools, skills or experience to do it yourself. In fact, it is a very easy and manageable process and once you've seen Kenny doing it on the video attached below, you'll think: I can do that easily!

Just remember to plan carefully and follow the instructions given, without being in a rush.

But before we move onto the instructions, let's see firstly the tools you'll need to complete this task.

Image courtesy by: diy-laminate-floors.wonderhowto.com Image courtesy by: diy-laminate-floors.wonderhowto.com

Tools you'll need:

You don't really need to have any special tools for this project. All of them can be found on any DIY shop and at reasonable prices.

  • Ruler - You'll need the ruler in order to measure the furthest point from where the gap is.
  • Pencil - You need the pencil in order to mark your measurements.
  • Jigsaw - This tool is necessary for you to cut the floor board which will go under the door.
  • Push bar - The use of push bar and hammer, will ensure that the floorboard going through the doorway is secured and properly fitted.
  • Hammer

Steps for laying laminate flooring through a doorway:

At this stage I am going to describe you all the necessary steps that you need to undertake in order to lay your laminate flooring, going through a doorway.

Step 1: The first thing you'll need to do is to make sure that there is enough clearance under the door. To do that, place a plank in front of the door and check if the door opens properly.

Step 2: The next step you need to carry out is to remove the baseboard which covers the expansion gap and then place the plank in to position close to the wall.

Step 3: Then take your ruler and measure the furthest point from where the gap is.

Step 4: Once you measured the distance between the floor board and the gap, grab the pencil and mark your measurements and join them together, as shown at the video.

Step 5: Next, make another mark with your pencil at the end of the skirting board where it is going to go under. Make sure that you mark clearly the piece that you are going to cut off with the use of jigsaw, by drawing zig-zags. This will help you to avoid any mistakes when cutting the plank.

Step 6: At this step you'll need to cut off the piece that you marked on the floor board, with the jigsaw.  Just remember when cutting, get your hand held jigsaw and with a steady hand, follow your markings.

Step 7: Now take your cut piece and place it in to position under the skirting board. Once you checked that the plank fits perfectly under the skirting board, lift your piece and slot the two adjacent pieces of laminate together.

Step 8: Then, use your push bar and hammer to knock the two adjacent planks together to secure. By doing so, you ensure that the two adjacent floor boards are properly fitted together.

Step 9: Always keep in mind that when going through a doorway, you need to measure the width of the wood with your ruler and pencil. More detailed, make sure to mark the width of the wood against the width of the architrave, ensuring the ruler can go under the door. Then make the markings with your pencil and join them up. Finally, place the wood under the architrave to mark where it starts. Mark clearly with zig-zags the piece you will be cutting off.

Step 10: Once you have cut your piece using your jigsaw, place it under the architrave.

Step 11: Then lift the piece of wood at one end and slot it in to the adjacent piece until it clicks.

Step 12: Lastly, use your push bar and hammer to secure them both, as the video shows.

When you reach to the other side of the doorway, repeat the same process and voila! When your doorway is complete, make sure all gaps are closed.

Alternative method of laying your laminate flooring underneath the doorway:

An alternative method of laying your laminate flooring going through the door, is to separate the two floors with the use of a divider (is also known as t-bar).

More detailed, you can stop laying down the laminate flooring when you reach the door threshold. Then you place the barrier in the middle, where the two rooms are separating. The purpose of barrier is to cover and protect the edges of the two different floors.

As it is obvious this is a far easier method than the one described in this article, but for a better aesthetic result, we would recommend you to do it like Kenny!

Thanks Kenny!