How to Install a Floating Floor: Step-by-Step DIY Guide

By Hybrid Floors Australia · 23 October 2026 · 21 min read

Coastal Blackbutt hybrid floorboards half laid over a concrete slab, with a broom, power tools and loose boards on the bare slab beyond

The short answer

How to install a floating floor?

Get the floor flat, to within 2mm under a 1 metre straight edge. It also needs to be clean and dry. Roll out foam underlay, unless your boards have it attached. Most hybrid floating floors have underlay attached, so you don't need more underlay. Put spacers at every wall to leave an 8 to 18mm gap, click the boards together row by row, then take the spacers out and cover the gap with scotia. A handy person can lay a room in a day.

Floating floor installation basics explained

A floating floor is never glued or nailed down. The boards lock to each other and rest on the floor below as one sheet, held in place by their own weight and the trims around the room. That makes it the easiest hard floor to lay yourself, as long as you follow its few rules: a flat floor underneath, the right underlay, and a gap at every wall.

This guide covers every kind of floating floorboard we sell: hybrid, laminate, bamboo and engineered timber. The steps are the same for all of them. The underlay and the size of the gap change, so each gets its own table. Laminate and timber need underlay first: see our underlay and floor protection. Laying hybrid? Our how to install hybrid flooring guide covers hybrid on its own.

The flatness, moisture and gap figures here come from the installation guides for our floors. Each product page links its own guide, and it has the final say for that floor.

What tools do you need to lay a floating floor?

Nothing specialised. A rubber mallet, a tapping block and a pull bar can do most of the work. The rest? Just everyday gear from any hardware store.

Tool	What it's for
Tape measure, pencil and speed square	Measuring and marking every cut
Utility knife and spare blades	Scoring the tongue off the first row, and cutting underlay
Spacers	Holding the gap at the walls while you lay
Rubber mallet and tapping block	Closing end joins without damaging the click
Pull bar	Pulling the last board of each row, and the last row, tight
Handsaw, jigsaw or circular saw	Cutting boards to length and width
Handsaw or multi-tool	Undercutting door frames so the boards slide under
1 metre straight edge, or a string line	Checking the floor is flat
Moisture meter	Checking a slab or timber floor is dry enough
Knee pads, safety glasses and a dust mask	Protection while you kneel and cut

For laminate, timber and bamboo, add foam underlay and tape, plus moisture barrier film on a concrete slab. Engineered timber also needs PVA wood glue for its joins.

Knee pads, a rubber mallet and a pull bar on a hybrid floor that is being laid — On a real install: knee pads, a rubber mallet and a pull bar beside the boards.

Shopping list for a 4 x 5 m bedroom

Here's what a 20 m² room on a concrete slab takes in our two lowest-priced floors, with 10% extra for cuts:

Our prices on 23 October 2026. Delivery is extra and depends on your postcode.
	Laminate 12mm	Hybrid 6.5mm
Boards for 22 m²	12 boxes, $572.88	10 boxes, $761.40
Foam underlay	1 roll, $40	Not needed: it's attached
Moisture barrier film	1 roll, $100	Not needed if the slab is dry
Total	$712.88	$761.40

Laminate is $9.09 a square metre cheaper on the price tag, but once its underlay and film are added, this room costs only $48.52 more in hybrid. Work out your own boxes with the flooring calculator, or see how much flooring you need.

How do you prepare the floor for a floating floor?

The floor underneath decides how a floating floor turns out. Get it flat, dry and clean before the first board goes down: it's the part of the job most worth taking your time over.

How to check it's flat

Hybrid and laminate need the floor flat to within 2mm under a 1 metre straight edge. Floating engineered timber allows 3mm. Slide the straight edge around the room in every direction: a gap under it is a dip, and a rock is a hump.

No straight edge? Use the string test from the installation guides. Hammer a nail into the middle of the floor and tie a string to it. Pull the string tight to each far corner and along every wall, then get down to floor level and look for gaps between the string and the floor.

Grind or sand down humps, and fill dips with floor levelling compound. Leave the compound to dry for as long as its bag says before you lay over it. More in how to prepare your subfloor.

Check it's dry

A moisture meter tells you. A concrete slab should read up to 2% (75% relative humidity), or up to 3.5% (80%) if it's had a floor on it before. A timber or sheet floor should read up to 8%, or 10% if it's been covered before. A new slab needs 60 days to cure before any floating floor goes on it. A higher reading needs fixing, or more moisture protection, before you lay.

What can you lay a floating floor over?

Floor there now	Lay over it?	What to do first
Concrete slab	Yes	Check it's dry and crack free. Grind humps and fill dips.
Tiles	Yes	Re-fix loose or hollow tiles. Fill grout lines wider or deeper than 3mm and let the filler dry.
Timber floorboards	Yes	Screw down loose or squeaky boards and sand any high edges flat.
Particleboard or plywood	Yes	Fix loose sheets and sand the joins flat.
Vinyl or lino	Usually	Only if it's stuck down flat and firm. Take up anything loose or lifting.
Carpet	No	Take up the carpet, its underlay, the gripper strips and every staple.
An old floating floor	No	Lift it first. It comes up quickly, since nothing holds it down.

Going over tiles? Read can you install hybrid flooring over tiles? first.

Keep the boxes flat and inside

Store the boxes flat and unopened inside the house. Never leave them in the garage, on a concrete floor, outside, or standing on end against a wall. If the room is outside 18 to 24°C or 40 to 60% humidity, it's recommended to leave the unopened boxes in it for at least 48 hours before you start. Otherwise you can start straight away.

What underlay goes under a floating floor?

It depends on the floor. Hybrid boards come with their underlay attached. Laminate, timber and bamboo go down on foam underlay, with a plastic moisture barrier under it on a concrete slab.

Floor	Underlay	On a concrete slab, or over open space under the house
Hybrid	Already attached: 1.5mm on our 6.5mm boards and 2mm on 9.5mm. Add nothing.	Nothing extra, as long as the floor tests dry
Laminate	Foam underlay	A plastic moisture barrier first
Engineered timber	Foam underlay, or an acoustic underlay in an apartment	A plastic moisture barrier first
Bamboo	Foam underlay	A plastic moisture barrier first

Diagram of the layers for hybrid flooring on a concrete slab: the hybrid board with its 1.5mm or 2mm underlay attached sits straight on a flat, clean, dry slab, with nothing in between — DiagramWhat goes under each floor on a concrete slabFrom the boards down to the slab. Hybrid carries its own underlay; the others need two layers first.

Diagram of the layers for laminate, engineered timber or bamboo on a concrete slab, top to bottom: boards, foam underlay with butted and taped joins, plastic moisture barrier film with 200mm overlaps, then the slab — DiagramWhat goes under each floor on a concrete slabFrom the boards down to the slab. Hybrid carries its own underlay; the others need two layers first.

How to lay the moisture barrier and underlay

Roll the plastic film over the slab. Overlap the sheets by 200mm, tape the joins, and run the film about 10cm up the walls, then trim it back once the trims are on. Next, roll out the foam underlay in the same direction the boards will run. Butt the edges together, never overlap them, and tape the joins.

Our Silver Foil Foam Underlay is $40 for a 20 m² roll, and our 200 micron moisture barrier film is $100 for a 100 m² roll.

Laying hybrid? Never put a second underlay under boards that already have one (unless specified otherwise). Too soft a base lets the joins flex. More in underlay for hybrid flooring: do you need it?

In an apartment, check what sound rating your body corporate needs before you buy boards or underlay. Each of our product pages links its sound test. More in acoustic flooring for apartments.

How big should the expansion gap be?

Every floating floor grows and shrinks a little as the temperature and humidity change, by about 1.5mm for every metre of floor. The gap at the walls gives it room. Spacers hold the gap while you lay, and it has to stay free once the trims are on.

Floor	Gap at the walls	In humid weather	Expansion joint when a run is longer than
Hybrid planks	8 to 10mm	10 to 18mm	12m
Laminate	10 to 12mm	12 to 15mm	8m
Engineered timber	10 to 12mm	12 to 15mm	8m

Cross-section diagram at the wall while laying: the board stops short of the skirting, a spacer holds a 10 to 15mm gap for laminate, and the plastic film under the foam underlay runs about 10cm up the skirting — DiagramWhat happens at the wallLaminate on a concrete slab, cut through at the wall. Hybrid is the same without the film and foam: its underlay is attached.

Cross-section diagram at the wall once finished: the spacer is out, a quarter-round scotia nailed to the skirting covers the gap without touching the floor, and the gap underneath stays empty — DiagramWhat happens at the wallLaminate on a concrete slab, cut through at the wall. Hybrid is the same without the film and foam: its underlay is attached.

Leave the same gap wherever the floor meets something fixed: door frames, kitchen cabinets, pipes and heating vents, not just the walls. In a humid climate like Brisbane's, work to the bigger gap.

Long runs need an expansion joint: a break in the floor, usually at a doorway, covered with a T-moulding. Hybrid needs one when a run is longer than 12 metres, and laminate and timber when it's longer than 8 metres.

How do you install a floating floor, step by step?

Here's the order the job goes in. Keep your floor's installation guide open as you work: it's on the product page.

The job at a glanceFour stages, about a day for a bedroomThe same order for every floating floor. Only the underlay and the gap change.

1PrepareFloor flat, dry and clean
2UnderlayFoam first, unless it's hybrid
3LaySpacers in, click row by row
4FinishSpacers out, trims on

Step 1: Plan which way the boards run

Run the boards along the longest wall or toward the main window, and keep one direction right through open-plan rooms. Measure across the room to see how wide the last row will be. If it would be a thin sliver, cut the first row narrower so the two edges match. Order 10% more than the room's area for cuts, or 15% for herringbone.

Step 2: Clear the room and undercut the door frames

Take out the furniture, any carpet and its gripper strips, and any old floating floor. Take the doors off their hinges. If a door won't clear the new floor, trim its bottom before you hang it back.

Then undercut the door frames so the boards can slide underneath. Lay a board upside down against the frame, on a piece of underlay if your floor needs one, as a height guide, and cut the frame with a handsaw or multi-tool. More in installing flooring around door frames.

Newly laid French Oak hybrid floor in a bedroom, with the door off its hinges and leaning against the wall — Doors come off before the floor goes down. Hang them back once the trims are on, trimming any that catch.

Step 3: Lay the barrier and underlay (skip this for hybrid)

On a concrete slab, or a timber floor with open space under the house, lay the plastic moisture barrier first. Then roll out foam underlay over the whole floor, in the same direction as the boards, with the edges butted and taped.

Gloved hands laying laminate floorboards on silver foil foam underlay, over black plastic moisture barrier film on a concrete slab, with the underlay roll in front — On a slab: plastic film first, with its joins overlapped and taped, then foam underlay with butted, taped joins, then the boards.

Step 4: Lay the first row

Score off the tongue along the long side of each first-row board with a utility knife: run it along a few times and the tongue snaps off. Start in a corner with that cut edge facing the wall and spacers between the board and the wall.

Click the end of the next board into the first and tap it closed with the rubber mallet on a tapping block. Keep this row dead straight, using a string line if the wall isn't, because every other row follows it.

First row of laminate floorboards along a wall, with grey plastic spacers in the gap at the skirting, black film turned up the skirting and foam underlay across the floor — The first row runs along the wall with spacers in the gap. On a slab, the film stays turned up the skirting until the trims go on.

Step 5: Cut the last board and start the next row with the offcut

Measure the last board in the row, allowing for the gap, and cut it. With a handsaw, cut with the face of the board up. With a jigsaw or circular saw, cut face down so the top doesn't chip.

Start the next row with the offcut if it's at least 20cm long. That staggers the end joins, which should sit at least 40cm apart from row to row.

Plan view diagram of floating floorboards laid correctly in a room corner: end joins at least 40cm apart from row to row, a row started with an offcut of 20cm or more, and spacers along both walls — DiagramHow to stagger the end joinsSeen from above, in the corner where you start. Spacers sit at both walls.

Plan view diagram of floating floorboards laid wrongly: end joins lined up across three rows, joins too close in the next rows, and a row started with an offcut shorter than 20cm — DiagramHow to stagger the end joinsSeen from above, in the corner where you start. Spacers sit at both walls.

Step 6: Click the rows together

Hold the next board at 15 to 25 degrees, push its long edge into the row before, and lower it. It clicks in with light pressure. Do the long side first, then tap the end join closed. Never hit a board directly: the mallet always goes on a tapping block, or you'll damage the click. Work from several boxes at once so the colours mix, and check every join is tight as you go.

Gloved hands holding a hybrid floorboard tilted into the long edge of the row before, on a concrete slab, with a rubber mallet and tapping block nearby — Tilt the board, push its long edge into the row before, then lower it: it clicks in.

Step 7: Fit around pipes, vents and frames

Lay the board beside its spot, measure, and mark where it meets the pipe or frame. Cut it out with a jigsaw, leaving the same gap around the pipe as at the walls, and slide boards under the undercut door frames.

Step 8: Lay the last row

Walls are rarely straight, so measure the last row board by board. Lay a board exactly on top of the last full row, then lay another upside down on top of it, pushed against the wall, and use its edge as a ruler to mark the cut. Allow for the spacers. Cut the board to width, click it in, and pull it tight with the pull bar.

Cross-section diagram of measuring the last row: board A lies exactly on the last full row, board B lies upside down on A against a spacer at the wall, and A is marked along the edge of B — DiagramHow to measure the last rowCut through the last rows, with the wall on the right. Do it board by board: walls are rarely straight.

Cross-section diagram after the cut: the kept strip of board A clicks into the last row and stops short of the wall, leaving the expansion gap with a spacer in it — DiagramHow to measure the last rowCut through the last rows, with the wall on the right. Do it board by board: walls are rarely straight.

Step 9: Take out the spacers and fit the trims

Pull out every spacer. Cover the gap at the walls with scotia nailed to the skirting, never to the floor, or refit the skirting over the gap. Fit T-mouldings and reducers at doorways, fixed to the floor underneath and clear of the boards. Don't run silicone or caulk along any edge: it stops the floor moving. See which trims go where below.

Laying engineered timber? Glue the joins

Floating engineered timber goes down the same way on foam underlay, with one extra job: run PVA wood glue along every groove, on the long sides and the ends, so each board glues to the next and never to the floor. Glue only as many boards as you can lay before it dries, and keep off the floor while it sets, which takes about an hour. Engineered timber herringbone and chevron are usually glued down to the floor instead, so check the product description.

Laying herringbone hybrid?

Our 9.5mm herringbone hybrid floats too, but it goes down differently. A and B boards alternate from a starting corner at 45 degrees, the first four rows are cut parallel to the wall, and it needs an 8 to 10mm gap at the walls. Follow the herringbone installation guide on its product page, or have an installer lay it.

French Oak herringbone hybrid floor half laid, with boxes of boards, a pull bar, a speed square, tape measures and a rubber mallet — Herringbone hybrid going down: more cuts at the walls than straight boards, and the same tools.

How long does it take to lay a floating floor?

About a day for a bedroom if it's your first floor. Laying the boards is the quick part; the waits around it can take longer:

Job	Time
Laying a bedroom, first time	About a day
Several rooms or a big open-plan area	A weekend or more
Boxes settling into the room	48 hours, only if the room is outside 18 to 24°C or 40 to 60% humidity
A new concrete slab	60 days to cure first
Floor levelling compound	As long as its bag says
PVA glue in engineered timber joins	About an hour before you walk on it
Moving the furniture back	Straight away for hybrid and laminate: there's no glue to set

What trims do you need for a floating floor?

Every edge of a floating floor needs a finish that covers the gap and still lets the floor move. Trims fix to the wall or to the floor underneath, never to the new boards:

Prices for a 2.4m length (stair nosing: 1.54m), colour-matched to our hybrid floors, on 23 October 2026.
Trim	Where it goes	How it's fixed	Price
Scotia	Along the walls and skirting	Nailed to the skirting, over the gap	$12.60
T-moulding	Doorways and expansion joints	Fixed to the floor underneath, in the gap between the two floors	$12.60
Reducer	Down to tiles, vinyl, concrete or carpet	Slopes down to the lower floor, fixed the same way	$19.80
L-moulding	Sliding doors, hearths and drop-offs	Caps the exposed edge of the boards	$12.60
Stair nosing	Stairs	Glued and screwed to each step	$49.50

Our 6.5mm T-mouldings and reducers click into a PVC base channel ($3.96 for 2.4m), fixed to the floor underneath, 7mm back from the edge of the boards. See all flooring accessories and when to use transition strips. Doing stairs? Read how to install stair nosing.

What are the most common floating floor mistakes?

Laying over a floor that isn't flat. Dips and humps make the floor sound hollow and strain the click joins until they fail. Floor warranties, ours included, don't cover a floor laid on an uneven subfloor.
Too small a gap, or a gap that gets filled. Silicone, caulk, tight trims or skirting pressed hard onto the boards stop the floor moving, so it buckles or peaks. Warranties don't cover missing gaps or trims either.
Fixing anything through the floor. A kitchen island, cabinets or a trim screwed into the boards pins the floor. Fit cabinets first and lay up to them. More in cabinets and heavy furniture on a floating floor.
A second underlay under hybrid. The attached underlay is all it needs.
No moisture barrier under laminate or timber on concrete. Damp from the slab gets into the boards, and warranties don't cover a floor laid without the moisture protection its guide asks for.
Hitting the boards directly. A hammer, or the mallet without a tapping block, damages the click.
End joins too close together. Keep them at least 40cm apart, and never start a row with an offcut shorter than 20cm.
Storing the boxes in the garage or on their ends. Keep them flat, unopened and inside.
Laying over carpet or an old floating floor. Both have to come up first.
Laying over floor heating without checking. Not every floating floor can go over it, so check the individual product description first.

Should you lay it yourself or hire an installer?

Lay it yourself if the room is a simple shape, the floor is already flat and dry, and you're happy using a saw. A bedroom or two is a good first job. Not sure? Read which floors you can lay yourself.

Get an installer for stairs, herringbone, a slab that needs grinding or levelling, a whole house with long runs and lots of doorways, or an apartment with strata sound rules.

Two ways to get it laid:

Our instant quote prices supply and installation in a minute and books a free onsite measure. Laying starts at $35 per m² for hybrid and laminate, $42 for hybrid herringbone and $52 for engineered timber. Prep is extra, like taking up carpet at $5 per m² or levelling the floor at $40 per m².
Airtasker. We're Airtasker's preferred flooring partner: post your job, compare offers from rated local installers anywhere in Australia, and our customers get $30 off an installation task of $150 or more.

For a full breakdown, see what flooring installation costs in Australia.

Floating floor installation: common questions

Do you put anything under a floating floor?

Usually foam underlay. Laminate, engineered timber and bamboo go down on foam underlay, with a plastic moisture barrier under it on a concrete slab. Hybrid boards have their underlay attached, so they go straight onto a flat, clean, dry floor.

What happens if you don't put underlay under a floating floor?

A floor that needs underlay, like laminate, ends up louder and harder underfoot, and on concrete nothing stops damp coming up into it. It can also lose its warranty, because its installation guide asks for underlay. Hybrid is the exception: its underlay is already attached.

Can you put a floating floor directly on concrete?

Yes, if the slab is flat, dry and at least 60 days old. Hybrid goes straight onto it. Laminate, timber and bamboo need a plastic moisture barrier first, then foam underlay. A moisture meter should read up to 2% (75% relative humidity) on a slab that's never been covered.

What holds a floating floor in place?

Its own weight, the click joins that lock every board to the next, and the trims around the edges. Nothing fixes it to the floor below, so the whole floor can move a little as the seasons change.

Should a floating floor be glued or nailed down?

No. Gluing or nailing it down, or screwing trims or cabinets through it, stops it moving and it can buckle. The only glue in a floating floor is the PVA in engineered timber joins, which glues the boards to each other, never to the floor.

Where do you start when laying a floating floor?

In a corner, against the longest straight wall, with the boards running along that wall or toward the main window. Trim the tongue off the long edge of the first row and put that side to the wall, with spacers behind it.

Are floating floors easy to install?

Yes, for a handy person. The boards click together with no glue or nails, and a bedroom is about a day's work. The hard parts are getting the floor below flat, cutting around door frames and fitting the last row.

What are the downsides of floating floors?

They sound hollow if the floor below isn't flat, nothing heavy can be fixed through them, and hybrid and laminate can't be sanded back like timber. Every edge needs a gap and a trim, and the edges can't be sealed with silicone.

How long does a floating floor last?

A long time when it's laid and cared for the way its guide says. Our hybrid, laminate and engineered hardwood floors carry a 25-year residential warranty and a lifetime structural warranty.

How much does it cost to have a floating floor installed?

Our instant quote lays hybrid and laminate from $35 per m², hybrid herringbone from $42 and engineered timber from $52, plus any prep the floor needs. See what flooring installation costs for a full breakdown.

Stuck on a step, or not sure which floor suits your room? Call Hybrid Floors Australia on 0431 311 633, or order free samples to see the floors at home first. Hybridfloors.com.au