Laminate floors are perhaps at the peak of popularity today. Laying laminated material can be done on your own. For this you need: desire, accuracy and a little free time. To perform installation, you need to purchase materials and a set of tools. Here the question arises: what tool is needed for installation and how to cut laminate flooring at home.
Sometimes it is difficult to choose just one type of lamellas, there is such a huge variety of colors, textures, decors with various patterns, authentic imitations: natural wood, natural stone, metal and even reptile skin. As practice shows, the variety of external appearance of the lamellas is not a factor influencing the cutting of the material. Therefore, in most cases, cutting yourself will not cause any difficulties.
Everything can be produced installation work without purchasing specialized tools, using the existing stock of equipment in the home pantry. Today we will look at what tools are needed for cutting panels and how to cut laminate when installing it yourself.
The laminated panel should be cut in such a way that there are no torn marks or damage left at the cut site, so that the cutting line is smooth and straight. To perform the task, tools specially designed for this purpose are used, which we will look at, and also talk about how this is done. 
A few tips to help you make a quality cut:
A hacksaw is used for cutting laminated panels in the absence of electric, more precise tools when small volume works Here you need to try to get an even and high-quality cut without damaging the edge or deviating from the intended course. What kind of saw can you cut laminate flooring with? Cutting can be done with any saw that satisfies the quality of sharpening.
But this tool is not one of the best tools for sawing laminate flooring when there is a large amount of work to be done. Technically, a hacksaw can handle a large number of panels, but it is not so easy to achieve normal cut quality throughout the entire work.
Let’s say right away that this is the most optimal and quick way trimming the lamellas, after all manual method quite labor-intensive and inaccurate. If you intend to continue to perform any kind of renovation work around the house, it's worth having an electric jigsaw in your arsenal. 
With the help of this electrical appliance It is easy to make a cut along or across the lamellas, at any angle. There are devices that will allow you to make cuts located at the same distance from the edge of the board, even without marking.
Even with a single cut, such a tool shows excellent result. The answer to the question of what is better to cut laminate with a shaped cut line becomes clear: with a jigsaw. This tool helps you achieve the rounded cuts needed when meeting with heating pipes. To do this, you just need to choose the right file with fine teeth, which will improve the quality of the cut.
Of course, this tool also performs straight cuts efficiently. Dignity electric jigsaw is that even a novice builder can achieve excellent results with it.
The disadvantages of the device include
Note that other power tools also have these disadvantages.
How to properly cut laminate flooring with a jigsaw:
Not everyone will buy such a tool, but those who have it will enjoy working with it. 
Advantages of the device:
The power of the cutting device is much higher than that of other power tools. Therefore, if you are choosing the best way to cut durable and hard commercial-grade laminate, then you should choose a circular saw.
Sequence of actions when working with circular saw for cutting laminated boards:
Extreme caution must be used when operating a circular saw as it may cause injury to your hands.
Yes, you can, but you shouldn’t work with an angle grinder without experience. First, you still need to learn from unnecessary boards. 
There are different discs for the device: for working with wood, for metal, etc. When cutting laminate with a grinder, experts advise using a metal disc that has small and thin teeth, this will help avoid the formation of cracks on the board.
There are discs specifically for working with laminate; you can purchase them in construction stores. Its format is 160 mm, has 48 teeth.
Before cutting, the lamella is placed on a solid base with the pattern facing upward and fixed. The saw should be lowered smoothly and slowly to avoid damage to the panel.
This is a new special small machine designed to mechanically act the blade on the laminated material by pressing the handle of the device. The machine is easy to use and does not require enormous user effort. 
If you are asking the question of how to cut laminate flooring at home, then you should consider this tool. Compared to a hacksaw, it works much faster and better, and if compared to an electric grinder and circular saw, it is much cheaper and easier to maintain. The machine does not require a source of electricity. The tool does not generate dust, sawdust, does not allow chips on panels and works without noise.
This best option For home handyman, who set himself the task of decorating all the floors in the apartment with laminated parquet.
This laminate cutting tool should be used as follows:
This device is capable of cutting a large number of panels quite quickly and efficiently. Practical and useful tool, which is worth purchasing for professional styling laminated coating.
Vinyl or PVC laminate is gaining popularity due to its remarkable qualities: water resistance, wear resistance, ease of installation, variety of decor. This material easy to care for and not at all afraid of water. Most often these are flexible panels similar to linoleum.
How can you cut vinyl laminate at home? There is no need to use the previously listed tools here. Vinyl tiles are easy to cut with a stationery knife, this is good decision for them.
Here it is worth taking into account two determining circumstances:
For example, what should you use to cut laminate flooring at home? There is no point in purchasing expensive, powerful electrical equipment; this amount of laminated board will perfectly help you cut a machine called: guillotine. When finishing a large area of office floor with commercial laminate, it makes sense to choose a circular saw.
Sometimes it becomes necessary to increase the technological gap near the wall, which was left insufficiently large by mistake. How then to trim the laminate against the wall to increase the size of the gap? An example of using a jigsaw to solve this problem is given in the video:
Whatever tool you choose, not everything depends on it. You must act carefully, slowly, carefully taking measurements and drawing marking lines for cutting. You should not apply too much force to the board while cutting, so as not to break off the edge.
We wish you good luck!
It is impossible to lay the floor with solid sheets of laminate. There is always a need to cut laminate to obtain the required dimensions. Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary consumption of material, it is better to determine a list of devices and tools for accurate and waste-free cutting of panels at home before starting work.
Of course, it is impossible to do without waste completely. Therefore, when calculating the amount of laminate, a small margin is included, taking into account that you will have to cut some boards, adjust them to size, and then join them together.
Due to its structure, laminate is easy to saw with wood tools and is extremely easy to process for craftsmen of all levels: from professionals with many years of experience to beginners.
A special feature is that the material is cut directly at the installation site. At the same time, it is very important to achieve high quality smooth cut and not damage the panel.
By contacting specialists with the question of how to cut laminate quickly and efficiently, you can get various tips. After all, each master has his own criteria for selecting a tool, his own characteristics and knowledge of technology, experience gained and natural ingenuity. For one, it is important to work with a lightweight and mobile tool; for another, the issue of connecting to an electrical outlet or manual operation is important. However, everyone agrees on one opinion: cutting laminate must be done with high quality, ensuring a perfect cut.
All tools for cutting laminate can be divided into two categories: hand tools and power tools. The advantages of the first category are versatility of application and affordable price. The use of a second group tool, despite more high cost and dependence on the location of connection to the electrical network, allows you to significantly speed up and facilitate the installation process of the coating.
Using any tool from the list above with appropriate handling experience will allow you to obtain a high-quality and accurate cut. A general or unified recommendation on how to cut laminate flooring at home, what equipment or device to choose in specific situation does not exist. Each master, based on personal practical experience, knowledge and professional training, has his own preferences and “tricks”. It is important to take into account that with any of the chosen methods, you should be guided by folk wisdom: “Measure twice, cut once.”
Let us briefly consider the purpose and operating principles of each type of tool for cutting laminate.
Let's start with the simplest and most accessible - hand saw woodworking or hacksaw. This is a hand tool that is found in almost every home. A hacksaw requires physical effort and can be used to cut small amounts of material. Its use is not effective at large volumes. In this case, choosing a hacksaw with large teeth can lead to destruction of the decorative surface of the coating lamellas. To prevent such consequences, it is better to use a hacksaw with fine teeth or a hacksaw for metal.
Advice: Before you start cutting, masking tape should be applied to this place, which will prevent chipping at the cut site. It is recommended to lay the board face up.
A hacksaw is not the main tool for cutting laminate for professionals due to low productivity, high physical costs and the danger of damage to the decorative layer of the panel. But in some cases, for small volumes, when it is not practical to use a jigsaw or grinder, a hacksaw may be useful.
A direct alternative to a hacksaw is an electric reciprocating saw. Now on the market big choice such a tool. However, an electric saw will not greatly increase the convenience and speed of work. Therefore, in our review we will not dwell on it in detail.
An electric jigsaw is a convenient, simple and very productive tool. In most cases, it takes first place due to its ease of use, ease of use and efficiency of use. Therefore, when looking for solutions to the problem of cutting laminate flooring at home, many users choose it.
Using a jigsaw does not require special training or many years of skill; anyone can successfully handle it. The result will be of high quality, the cut will be even and perfectly smooth, given that the tool operates at high speeds. The main thing in its application is correct selection files for laminate.
Typically, a set with a jigsaw includes several blades designed for processing wood or laminate. If you don't have them, you should take care of purchasing them in advance. The laminate file for a jigsaw has a special shape and a fine tooth pitch. Look for the appropriate labeling on the packaging. Using the wrong file will result in chips appearing on the edges of the cut. Therefore, it is better to cut the panels with a special jigsaw file for laminate. If you can’t find one, you can use a metal blade, but productivity will be slightly reduced.
Important! The markings are made from the reverse side of the panel. To cut with a jigsaw, place the workpiece on a flat, clean surface with the decorative side down. This way, the saw teeth cause less damage to the panel during the cut.
An important advantage of a jigsaw over other types of tools is the ability to make not only straight cuts, but also curved ones. This is very important if it is necessary to lay a laminate floor in places where pipes and communications pass. A jigsaw can easily cut grooves and entries for them.
A circular saw allows you to get a more even cut of laminate than a jigsaw, and at the same time much faster. However, working with such a tool requires a lot of attention and is much more dangerous. Therefore, it is recommended to use a circular saw only for those who have the skills and experience in handling such a tool, or have become familiar with the operating procedure in detail by watching a video.
Typically, a circular saw for laminate is used only by professionals for very large volumes of work. At home, this tool is rarely used due to its high cost, bulkiness and risk of injury.
As with a jigsaw, to cut laminate, a circular saw must be equipped with a disc designed specifically for this procedure. The cut is made face up with smooth movements in the longitudinal or transverse direction.
Corner Sander or in common parlance, the “grinder” is used quite often for cutting laminate. This is an easy to use tool. A clean wood cutting disc is installed on it, which can easily cut a laminate panel.
The workpiece is fixed on a flat plane with the decorative layer facing up. It should be cut slowly, smoothly, without strong pressure and clearly following the marked straight line. Make sure that during the cutting process the blade on the laminate of the grinder does not get stuck or slip in the workpiece. This requires a certain dexterity and skill, so it is better to test your strength and skills on waste before cutting laminate flooring at home.
For many, a grinder is associated with cutting metal. But this power tool has great capabilities and wide range size and power, which allows us to classify it as a universal tool. A certain part of the craftsmen do not make a different decision when the question of choosing cutting tools arises - they prefer to cut laminate flooring with a grinder, since it is with its help that they cut almost all materials.
When cutting laminated material with a grinder, the cut is perfectly even and smooth. To obtain a surface best quality It is important what kind of disc is used for cutting: for cutting wood, metal, concrete or stone. The right circle will help you achieve the best results.
Important! Before cutting, the workpiece is laid and fixed face up. You should cut smoothly, without strong pressure, and clearly in a straight line. To cut laminate you need to use a wood saw blade with a clean cut.
When working with this tool, a large number of dust and unpleasant odor burnt wood. Therefore, when choosing an angle grinder, it is not recommended to carry out work indoors: for this it is better to go to open balcony or outside.
A guillotine or laminate cutter is highly professional and quite expensive hand tools, intended exclusively for cutting laminate. It does not require skills or physical strength.
Externally, the cutter resembles a guillotine equipped with a sharp knife. When a decision needs to be made the right tool, a laminate cutter is usually not the first suggestion since it is narrowly discussed professional instrument little known to a wide range of users, despite its effectiveness.
The advantages of the guillotine are:
The cost of the cutter is relatively expensive, so purchasing such a tool for cutting laminate flooring is advisable and cost-effective only for professionals who are constantly busy laying laminate flooring. If you need to change the floor in two-room apartment, it is hardly worth making a decision to purchase such a specialized device.
Important! The cutter can only be used in the transverse direction.
Most often, construction or stationery knife for cutting laminate can be used in situations where you need to trim or trim a small fragment of a board. You can also use a construction knife if you need to cut off a piece of laminate and there is no other tool at hand. To do this, you need to use strong pressure to cut the decorative layer several times along the markings (it will not be possible to completely cut off the fragment like a saw), until a deep mark remains on the surface. Next, you need to place a hammer handle or other stop under the cutting line and break off a piece by pressing on the far edge. The cut can be cleaned with the same knife or sandpaper.
A drill or screwdriver are not the main tools for laying laminate, but are often used to make cuts for pipes and communications, as well as when installing baseboards and thresholds after laying the laminate.
When starting to lay laminate flooring, you need to know not only how to cut laminate flooring at home, but also how to use the tools correctly. Among the main defining points regarding the features of working with laminate, the following can be noted:
Each type of tool for laying and cutting laminate flooring at home must meet the following criteria:
Undoubtedly, the best tool For cutting laminate, use a jigsaw. It is universal, convenient, can cut lamellas lengthwise, crosswise and rounded, does not require special skills, is lightweight and not expensive. It is only important to choose the right file.
Follow our advice, and the chosen one cutting tool will make the process of laying laminate simple and high-quality.
Nowadays, construction is constantly underway. New houses are being built in which it is necessary redecorating. Nowadays, in most apartments and houses, there is a floor covered with laminate. Laminate -
Quite economical and quick to install. To do this, you must be able to use power tools and simple measuring instruments. The installation principle is so simple that you can do it yourself without the help of specialists (user reviews confirm this).
Laying this coating is not difficult, the main thing is to understand all the features of the work and small tricks. You can improve the quality and speed up the laying using a jigsaw or jigsaw. In practice, it is noticeable that the quality of work directly depends on the quality of the cut elements. First of all, for proper cutting, you will need a jigsaw file for laminate. Otherwise, if the cutting part is selected incorrectly, the materials will be damaged by chips and cracks. That is, you will end up at a loss and waste your time.
Features of choosing a laminate saw for a jigsaw and jigsaw are divided into:
If you need to cut laminate flooring using a jigsaw, it is better to choose files with small teeth. In some cases, a tool with a reverse arrangement of teeth is used, which significantly reduces the likelihood of cracks and chips on the front side of the materials. A very important point is the shank of the nail file that is used in your jigsaw. However, in addition to individual models, there are “omnivorous” devices that fix cutting parts of any kind.
See the video for more details.
Bosh Corporation produces saw blades for cutting laminates. The line of such models is called “Specially for laminate”, and has excellent strength and flexibility. Wide instruments suitable for straight cutting, but narrow for figured and curved cutting.
Laminate saw blades for Bosch jigsaws have many popular models, including the T101BR. It is standard and has reverse teeth. When using this file, the front side of the laminate does not suffer or tear, making the cuts neat and smooth.
This three are the most popular models, famous for their high-quality work and long service life.
The installation of the plinth completes the work. Fastenings, self-tapping screws or special baseboard glue will help you attach the plinth to the wall.
Anyone who has at least once laid laminate flooring knows that it is impossible to achieve perfect coverage without cutting it. After all, no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to reach any of the walls and maintain the full length of the planks.
And you can’t follow the chess classics in a drawing without cutting. Laminate is not a material that can be worked with with ordinary kitchen knife: Not every tool is capable of performing a high-quality cut. That is why, when starting to lay laminate flooring, you need to decide in advance on the cutting unit. It may be a discovery for some, but there are many answers to the question of how to cut laminate flooring. Each of the tools has its own advantages, features, potential, and operational nuances. And you need to know about all the subtleties so that later, in the process of work, you can avoid several problems at once.
How can I cut laminate? Each craftsman has his own criteria by which he chooses a cutter for panels. Some people care about its weight, operation from the mains or exclusively by hand. Someone will choose from a variety of options the smallest tool, convenient and mobile. But for most craftsmen of any level who are thinking about how to cut laminate when laying it, the ideal cut and the ability to quickly make it will still be important. Let's list all the tools designed for working with laminate boards, and outline the characteristics of each of them.
When asked how to cut laminate, experts give at least 7 answer options:
Almost any of these tools can produce an even cut. Naturally, with appropriate handling experience. There is no single recommendation on how to cut laminate at home, what to use more correctly or professionally, in this situation. Each master is guided exclusively own experience, practice. Therefore, let's begin by examining each of the above in order.
This tool is number one in most classifications. There are several reasons for this. An electric jigsaw is extremely convenient, simple, easy to use, very effective tool. Therefore, when looking for a solution to the problem of the best way to cut laminate, many people choose a jigsaw.
Even a beginner can use it; even female hands. And the result will be more than high quality: the cut will be perfect, even, smooth, since the jigsaw produces a large number of revolutions. The main thing here is to choose the right file. Usually, a set with a jigsaw also contains components exclusively for laminate flooring. They have special shape, step, tooth layout. But an ordinary file designed for metal can also cut planks: with small, narrow teeth.
Important! To properly shorten a panel with a jigsaw, you should lay it on a flat surface with the wrong side up.
On the wrong side you should make all the markings, that is, draw a cutting line. How to cut laminate if you don’t have a jigsaw to get an equally perfect cut? You can use a circular saw.
This tool will indeed give a no less perfect cut than a jigsaw, but working with it is much more difficult. Therefore, only those who have a decent practical experience, or for those who have re-read and reviewed a large number of materials on how to cut laminate. There are a huge number of videos with this name on the Internet.
If the choice fell on the grinder, you should install a disk for metal. It will cut wood best. The panels are secured perfectly before cutting. flat surface, but the wrong side in this case must be on top. The disk will not get stuck or slip in the board during the process. All movements should be performed smoothly, without haste or special pressure. However, skill is still required here. If there are no other options, it is better to first practice on construction waste before cutting the material needed for installation, which is called “getting your hands on it.” But if you still want to learn how to cut laminate correctly, but do not have experience with a circular saw, give preference to a jigsaw.
When pronouncing the word “grinder”, many will have a very strong association with cutting metal. Most first became acquainted with this tool when they changed houses metal pipes to plastic ones. However, this unit has great capabilities. Grinding machines there are different sizes, capacities. Because of this, they have one main quality - versatility. Therefore, there is a certain category of craftsmen who have no question about how to cut laminate flooring. They automatically choose an angle grinder because it is what they are used to cutting absolutely everything with.
The grinder is very easy to use and produces a perfectly even, smooth cut. For everything to work out, you need to install cutting discs:
Important! The planks should be laid and fixed face up before cutting.
There are two things to keep in mind when operating this power tool: important points: a large amount of dust, an unpleasant smell of burnt wood. If you are wondering whether it is possible to cut laminate flooring with a grinder, the answer is yes. Just don't do it inside indoors. It is better to go outside or onto the balcony.
If you are racking your brains about which file or jigsaw to cut laminate in Not large quantities, an ordinary hacksaw can help you. The only thing you should be prepared for is that working with such a tool will require some physical effort. In addition, it is a mistake to think that when cutting wood you should choose a hacksaw with large wood teeth. They will only “tear” and crumble the board, breaking out fragments from it. To prevent this from happening, you should only choose a hacksaw for metal - with small, frequently spaced teeth.
A hacksaw is not suitable as a main tool, so professional teams do not use it. The disadvantages of use are the following: low productivity, high physical costs, danger of material damage. But in some cases, when it is not advisable to cut laminate with a grinder or jigsaw, when the volumes of material are small, a hacksaw can be very useful.
When laying laminate flooring, problems arise various situations, in which a simple construction knife or even a stationery knife can help you out. For example, there are just a couple of boards left to trim or trim, a power tool has broken down, and the work needs to be finished. A construction knife is a tool whose use does not require skill or experience. However, they will need to cut with the application physical strength. It can be used especially when it is important to quickly decide how to cut laminate flooring without long-term fastening of the panels. The board is placed with the film facing up. The cut is made using a ruler and with some pressure. It will not be possible to completely cut off the fragment: only a deep mark will remain on the surface. Next, you just need to press a little to break off the cut piece.
This tool has an impressive design, narrow application, since the cutter is used exclusively for working with laminate. It's professional and quite expensive. hand tool, which does not require any skills or physical strength from the user.
The cutter differs precisely in that it cuts the boards like a super-sharp butter knife. Outwardly, it resembles a guillotine, so when cutting, movements must be made in the direction from top to bottom. When, before laying the material, the question arises of how to cut the laminate, the cutter is almost the last thing to think about, because due to its narrow specialization Not everyone knows about it. And then its efficiency and power are quite surprising. Purpose “for laminate” is not the only “minus” of the cutter.
Important! The cutter can only be used in the transverse direction.
It does not cut panels lengthwise or figuratively, but it works quickly and simply.
When starting to work with this material, you should not only know how to cut laminate at home, but also how to do it correctly. We list just a few points related to the basics of working with laminate:
In conclusion, I would like to say: if you have even the slightest doubt about how to cut laminate or whether you made the right choice of tool, consult with specialists. Better yet, trust them to do the job. After all incorrect choice tool can result in damage to the material, which is not particularly cheap!
