How to cut laminate

One of the popular types of residential flooring is laminate. This material consists of several layers, each of which performs a specific functional purpose. When laying such a covering, it is necessary to adjust and trim the panels in order to perform the installation efficiently and technologically.

What can you use to cut laminate flooring at home?

When completely covering the floor, regardless of size, it is necessary to adjust the panels to the required area. To cut a workpiece to the required length at home, use various cutting tools:

• hacksaw for metal or wood;
• jigsaw;
• angle grinder (grinder);
• construction knife;
• guillotine;
• circular saw or cutting machine.

Any of these devices is used in work, but you need to know the specifics of using each of them.

Hacksaw or wood saw

The most affordable tool that can be found in any, even the smallest household, is a hacksaw. It will easily cut the component layers of the panel. The quality of the cut will depend, to a large extent, on how well the saw is sharpened. In order for the cut edge to be straight, the hacksaw must be held at an acute angle to the lamella, in contact with the marking line.

ATTENTION! If, after cutting the workpiece, undesirable defects remain on the sawn end - fraying and increased roughness, then the surface is treated with a needle file or a fine-grained file.

A hacksaw can also be used to cut laminate, but you need to be aware that a blade intended for iron will quickly become clogged with wood chip waste. Further use of the tool for working with metal will require replacement of the blade. The use of a saw for wood or iron is possible when cutting a small number of workpieces, for example, when laying covering in one of the living rooms. The complexity of using this equipment will make itself felt after the 3rd cut. And even in a small room you will have to make at least a dozen of them.

IMPORTANT! When making a cut with a hacksaw, it is difficult to get into the marking line, because the tool constantly moves to the side. For accuracy, use a small block, which is placed along the marking line, then rest on this block with a saw blade to fit evenly into the drawn line!

Cut with a jigsaw

The use of such a power tool will facilitate the complexity of the work. Its advantage is considered to be high speed and the ability to perform non-linear cuts. When working with a jigsaw, markings are made on the back side of the panels and the laminate is laid face down on the work table when cutting, since the support foot of the jigsaw leaves a mark in the form of a scratch. Such damage will not be noticeable if it remains on the wrong side.

The advantage of using a power tool is the ability to cut several workpieces at once without increasing the applied effort. When making such cuts, the panels are rigidly fastened with clamps and the compliance of the dimensions of each of them is checked.

ATTENTION! When working with a jigsaw, it is recommended to use a blade with a fine tooth. This will improve the quality of the cut end surface.

The disadvantage of using such a power tool is considered to be slight unevenness in the cutting line, since manual work is always distinguished from machine work by the lack of straightness.

Using a grinder

Having an angle grinder will make it easier to cut pieces when laying laminate flooring. But if you have not had to perform such work, then it is better to first make test cuts on the rough material. The power of the grinder and the specific use of cutting discs for wood require certain skills.

The versatility of the sanding machine allows you to quickly and efficiently cut the required number of panels. If it is necessary to make non-linear cuts, a grinder will be relevant. When cutting, the panels are placed face up; you can process several workpieces at once, but you must remember that the laminate is firmly fixed, since the power of the grinding machine creates vibration.

ATTENTION! The use of cutting discs for metal is a violation of fire safety. In this case, an unpleasant odor and smoke may appear.

How to cut laminate flooring with a guillotine

A professional tool includes a guillotine-type panel cutter. It has large dimensions and is designed for cutting workpieces to the required length.When performing work, the laminate is placed under the guillotine knife with its face up, after which the lever is pressed and a workpiece of the desired size is obtained.

The advantages of such a device are accuracy and good quality of the end surface. Disadvantages include: large dimensions of the tool and limited size of the cut performed. For example, it is not possible to cut a wide panel at an acute angle due to the short length of the working space. To make long cuts, use a special blade cutter with a larger blade size.

REFERENCE! The cost of a guillotine cutter is very high. There is no point in purchasing it for laying laminate flooring in one or more rooms!

Use of a construction knife

If you don’t have a metalworking tool, you can cut the workpiece using a stationery knife. It would be better to use a construction knife, since it has greater rigidity and ease of holding.

To cut a panel, lay a metal corner or strip along the marking line and, leaning on the device, make a cut with a knife. In this case, the workpiece is placed with its front side up and a lot of force is applied when moving the tool along the cutting line. Cardboard or plywood is placed under the panel and the knife is repeated along the cutting line until the upper layers of the laminate are destroyed. After passing through most of the thickness of the material, the workpiece is broken off.

Cutting with a circular saw

The use of a portable machine for cutting panels will allow you to quickly and efficiently make the required amount of laminate of the required length. Having the skills to work with a portable circular saw will help with longitudinal processing of workpieces. If you are faced with such a professional tool for the first time, then you need to make several rough cuts, even with ordinary cross-cutting of panels.

To cut the workpiece, it is marked on the front side. Then a disk with fine teeth is installed, the equipment is started and, pressing the panel against the horizontal frame, the laminate is pushed along the intended line.

ATTENTION! Making a longitudinal cut requires setting the width on a circular saw!

A circular saw is a convenient tool for cutting, but its dimensions and weight will require special transportation of the device to the work site. The installer independently determines the advisability of using such equipment.

Features of cutting vinyl laminate

High resistance to abrasion of the top layer, similar to commercial panels, makes vinyl coating in demand. In addition, this material creates an original decorative effect. The structure of vinyl panels differs from ordinary ones, being soft and tough.

To cut such material, it is best to use a construction or stationery knife. This tool will allow you to cut all layers of vinyl laminate that are subject to mechanical destruction.

After studying all cutting methods and the possible use of a particular tool, everyone independently selects the required device, depending on the task and availability.