Laminate Expansion Gap Size

There are important reasons to do so and we will cover them in this article.

Laminate expansion gap size. Beginning with a first row. Expert installers say that the larger the space the larger the expansion gap should be as the floor needs more space to expand and contract with temperature. This space allotment is referred to as an expansion gap. However you won t need.

When laying laminate flooring it is essential that you leave at least a 10 12mm expansion gap around the perimeter of the floor. Surely what is basically mdf won t expand or contract that much it won t be getting wet. The failure to leave proper expansion space locks in the floor and can resulting in buckling or tenting of the floor and separation at the floor joints. For standard sized rooms or areas an expansion gap of between 12mm 15mm should be left around the perimeter of the room including doorways.

So if the rails are 5mm apart the expansion joint will have a total width of 25mm. In our latest episode on american renovation our licensed and insured home general contractor tj afdasta explains the importance of expansion gap when insta. After inserting a gap with a profile you continue laying the laminate panels like at the start i e. The recommended expansion gap is a minimum of inch.

An expansion gap is essential when it comes to laminate flooring installation. These are then removed once the installation process is complete. Expansion gap when you install laminate flooring you must leave a 3 8 inch space on both sides of the transition molding. What size should the expansion gap be.

For the majority of household rooms an expansion gap of between 9 5mm and 12mm will suffice unless the room you are laminating is larger than most normal sized household rooms or the area where you live suffers from extreme hot and cold weather throughout the year even in these cases 12mm should be ok. The size of the required expansion space can range from 1 8 to more than 1 4 depending upon the manufacturer and product.