What To Do When Laminate Flooring Won’t Snap Together (Picture Tutorial!)

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Last updated on February 27th, 2024 at 08:14 am

Why Does My Laminate Floor Keep Coming Apart During Installation?

Starting to install laminate flooring for the first time and having a hard time getting it to “click” together? Well, look no further because I have your answer!

To snap together laminate flooring:

Put weight on the first board
Line up the second board tongue with the first board groove at a 30-degree angle
Tap the edge of the second board into the first board
Hit the face of the second board down to the ground to create the “snap”

Now that we’ve got the basics out of the way, let’s break into the details further so you can easily snap your laminate flooring together during installation.

Let’s dive in!

Quick Navigation: How To Snap Laminate Flooring Together

Why Does My Laminate Floor Keep Coming Apart During Installation?
How To Snap Laminate Flooring Together (Picture Tutorial)
- Step Four: Hit The Second Board Down To “Snap” The Laminate Flooring Together
Other FAQs About Laminate Flooring Coming Unlocked
Final Thoughts
Related Laminate Flooring Articles

Why Does My Laminate Floor Keep Coming Apart During Installation?

When we first tried to install laminate flooring in our laundry room, we could not get the laminate flooring to “snap together”. The boards kept shifting and the tongue kept slipping out of the groove without locking together.

After several minutes of frustration, we finally asked one of our contractors to help us figure out why the laminate boards kept coming apart during installation. Here are a few reasons why this frustrating situation might be happening to you as well:

Reason One: The Edges Of The Laminate Board Are Broken

The first reason why your laminate floorboards might keep coming apart during installation is the edges of the laminate board are broken.

Sometimes the tongue or the groove of the boards gets broken during shipping or installation. If you notice any broken pieces along the edges of the floorboards then they might be preventing the flooring from locking together.

The tongue has to fully seed into the groove in order for the pieces to stay together. Otherwise, the boards will separate whenever they are walked on.

How To Fix: Use Different Boards Or Remove The Broken Piece

The only way to fix laminate flooring that isn’t snapping together because of broken edges is to pull out new pieces from the box that are not broken.

Reason Two: Debris Is Stuck In The Laminate Board Grooves

The next reason why your laminate floorboards might keep coming apart during installation is there is debris stuck in the groove.

Another common problem is the edge of the groove getting bent and preventing the tongue from fully sliding into place. Or if a piece of the tongue breaks off and gets wedged into the groove, then it might prevent the entire board from snapping together.

The inside of laminate floorboards is pretty weak, so if you hit the edges too hard with a hammer during installation, then you are going to smash the tongue and groove and render the board useless.

How To Fix: Use A Screw Driver Or Utility Knife To Remove Anything From Inside The Groove

The best way to fix laminate flooring that isn’t snapping together because of debris stuck inside the groove is to use a small flathead screwdriver or utility knife to cut out/remove the debris.

Reason Three: The First Laminate Board Isn’t Being Held In Place While The Second Board Is Tapped Into Place

The next reason why your laminate floorboards might keep coming apart during installation is that you don’t have any weight on the first row.

This was one of the problems we dealt with while learning how to snap the laminate boards together.

If the first row is not being stepped on/doesn’t have enough weight sitting on it while the second, third, or fourth rows are being hit into it, the laminate boards will struggle to snap together.

We laid the other boxes down to help hold the first row in place while we installed the remaining rows.

How To Fix: Place The Box Of Laminate Boards On Top Of The First Row While Installing The Others Or Have Someone Step On The First Piece While The Second Piece Is Being Tapped Into Place

The best way to fix laminate flooring that isn’t snapping together because the first row isn’t being held down is to use a couple of the other boxes of laminate flooring as a weight on the first row.

We laid out several boxes on the first row to hold it down and also to make it easier for us to pull from several boxes during the installation process at once. (This is important so the color variation gets mixed up evenly.)

Alternatively, you can step on the first board or you can have someone else step on the first board while you are tapping the other board into place.

My dad stood on the first board to help Adam, my husband, hit the second board into place.

Reason Four: You’re Not Holding The Board With The Tongue At A 30 Degree Angle To The Other Board While Installing

The final reason why your laminate floorboards might keep coming apart during installation is that you’re not holding the second board at a 30-degree angle to the first board during installation.

This was the second problem we experienced while learning how to snap laminate floorboards together. (This is the part the contractor taught us.)

If you don’t hold the board you are installing up at the correct angle, then the tongue can’t slide all the way into the groove. This then results in a gap between the planks and the planks will eventually separate.

How To Fix: Lift The Shorter Edge Up At A 30 Degree Angle, Then Tap It Into The Groove Before Tapping The Entire Board Down Toward The Ground To “Click” It Into Place

The best way to fix laminate flooring that keeps leaving a gap during installation is to lift the shorter edge (the tongue) up at a 30-degree angle to the longer edge (the groove).

Then lightly tap the angled board toward the second board until it seeds a little more into the flat board. Now take your mallet and hit the face of the angled board straight down to “snap” the pieces together.

The boards don’t actually make a clicking or “snapping” noise to let you know you’ve done it right. You can just feel the boards drop into place and there will be no gaps between the seams.

How To Snap Laminate Flooring Together (Picture Tutorial)

Now that we’ve covered the most common reasons why your laminate boards might not be snapping together, let’s go over the full process so you can easily snap laminate flooring together.

Step One: Line Up The Correct Edges

First, line up the correct edges together. It’s best to have the board with the groove down flat as the first row and the board with the tongue the one that is tapped into the first board.

Step Two: Put Weight On The First Board

Next, put a box or step on the first board to hold it in place while you snap together the second board.

Step Three: Lift Up The Second Board At A 30 Degree Angle & Tap The Second Board Lightly Into The First Board

Next, lift the second board up at a 30-degree angle with the tongue inserted into the groove. Then use a rubber mallet to lightly tap the edge of the second board so it further seeds into the first board.

Step Four: Hit The Second Board Down To “Snap” The Laminate Flooring Together

Finally, use the rubber mallet to hit the face of the second board down to “snap” the laminate flooring together.

You might need to tap the edge of the second board into the first board a little more while at this angle to make the gap in the seam fully disappear.

Ta-da! Your laminate flooring should be snapped together and ready for another piece to be installed!

Other FAQs About Laminate Flooring Coming Unlocked

Here are some other frequently asked questions about snapping laminate flooring together to help you install laminate flooring easier.

How Do You Keep Laminate Floors From Separating?

To keep laminate floors from separating, install the boards with a 3/8 inch expansion gap between the boards and the wall, install baseboard overtop the expansion gap, and make sure each board is fully snapped together (no gaps in seams) before moving on to the next piece.

How Do You Keep The First Row Of Laminate Flooring From Moving When Starting In The Center Of The Room?

To keep the first row of laminate flooring from moving when starting in the center of the room, nail/screw into the subfloor a “faux wall” using 2x4s to support the first row. Work in one direction of the room then remove the faux wall and work in the other direction to have the laminate flooring evenly span the distance of a large room.

Final Thoughts On Clicking Laminate Flooring Together

There you have it!

There is a little bit of a learning curve at first to get laminate flooring to click together, but once you get the feel of it, it’s super simple to repeat!

Hopefully, this article helps you solve your laminate flooring installation problem with ease.

Catch you in my next post!