Just realized I was cutting laminate wrong for years after a job in Phoenix

I was doing a big condo install in Phoenix last summer, about 1200 square feet of that click-lock laminate. The homeowner's friend, who claimed he did some DIY floors, kept telling me to score and snap the planks for the end cuts. I was doing it that way for speed, but halfway through the job I noticed a tiny gap forming at a seam every time. I switched to my miter saw for every single cut for the rest of the job, even though it took longer. The finish was perfect. Now I never score and snap laminate for a final piece, the tear-out is just not worth it. Anyone else completely given up on that method for a clean look?

2 comments

2 Comments

barbaramurphy15d ago

My last big laminate job was a 900 square foot basement in Cleveland and I had the exact same problem! I used a scoring tool for the first day to save trips downstairs to the saw. Every single snapped piece had that little rough edge that left a hairline gap. I switched to the miter saw for every cut after that and it made all the difference. The clean cut just locks together so much tighter. I don't even keep a scoring knife in my flooring toolbox anymore.

wren_rodriguez15d ago

Scoring tools work fine for a quick job, @barbaramurphy. You just need a really sharp blade and a clean snap on the right kind of laminate. That rough edge usually means the tool was dull or you were fighting the material.