Flooring Tools: Laminate, Vinyl Plank and Engineered Wood
Click-lock flooring is the most DIY-friendly job in this whole trade — the tool list is short and cheap. What separates a floor that looks fitted from one that looks laid is almost entirely in the preparation and the edges, and that is where the tools that matter live.
What it costs to tool up
454 €
The 8 essentials, bought outright
602 €
All 10, including the nice-to-haves
Indicative prices for DIY-grade tools — brand and region move them a lot. Already own half of it? The project tool checklist lets you tick off what you have and put your own prices against the rest, then adds it to your budget. For the materials themselves, use the flooring calculator.
The three cheap tools that make it look professional
Tapping block
Closes the joint by transferring the hammer blow along the plank. Hitting the plank edge directly deforms the click profile, and once that is damaged the joint will never close cleanly again.
Pull bar
Does the same for the last row and against walls, where there is no room to swing at the plank from the other side.
Expansion spacers
Hold the perimeter gap. Wood-based flooring expands across its width with humidity; without that gap the floor has nowhere to go but up, and it will peak in the middle of the room in summer.
The trick with door frames
Do not try to cut the flooring around an architrave — you will never get it neat, and the gap will show. Instead undercut the frame: lay an offcut face-down beside it as a height gauge and run an oscillating multi-tool flat across the top of it, then slide the flooring underneath. It is the single technique that most separates professional-looking work from obviously DIY work, and the tool costs less than the flooring for one room.
Check the subfloor before you buy anything
Lay a long straightedge across the floor in several directions. If it rocks or you can slide more than about 3 mm under it over a 2 m span, click flooring will flex at that point, the joints will work loose and eventually the clicks will fail. That is a levelling-compound job before you start, not something the underlay will absorb — and it needs its own small kit of a paddle mixer, gauge rake and spiked roller. Better to find that out now than with half a floor down.
See the floor preparation guide if the straightedge test fails.
What you can skip
- —A laminate guillotine. Pleasantly quiet and quick for cross-cuts, but a mitre saw does the same job and everything else besides. Only worth it if you already own no saw at all.
- —A flooring "installation kit" in a blister pack. The block and bar in them are usually soft plastic that deforms after one room. Buy the two pieces separately.
- —Underlay with a built-in vapour barrier if your planks already have underlay attached — you would be doubling up, which makes the floor spongy and can void the warranty.
Buy the knee pads
It is the item everyone leaves off the list and regrets by the second hour. A flooring job is spent entirely on your knees on a hard surface, and unlike every other tool here, the damage it prevents does not repair itself.
Tools you'll need
The kit this job actually calls for, and whether it's worth buying or renting for one weekend.
- Tapping block and pull bar
Closes joints without damaging the click profile.
Buy 15–35 € - Expansion spacers
The expansion gap is what stops the floor buckling in summer.
Buy 5–15 € - Mitre saw
Repeatable square and angled cross-cuts — the timber workhorse.
Buy 100–350 €Rent 20–35 €/day - Jigsaw
For pipe cut-outs and door architraves.
Buy 50–150 €Rent 12–25 €/day - Utility knife
Cutting underlay.
Buy 8–20 € - Tape measure
A 5 m or 8 m tape with a locking blade.
Buy 8–20 € - Spirit level
Check the subfloor before you start, not after.
Buy 15–60 € - Knee pads
Any floor job. Your knees do not recover the way they used to.
Buy 15–40 €
Prices are indicative for DIY-grade tools and vary a lot by brand and region — treat them as a budgeting starting point, not a quote. Rental rates are per day from a typical tool rental shop.
Now work out the packs
Packs, underlay and trim for your room, waste included — then read the full flooring guide for the laying sequence.
Frequently asked questions
What tools do I need to lay laminate flooring?
A tapping block, a pull bar, expansion spacers, a saw for cross-cuts, a jigsaw or multi-tool for cut-outs, a utility knife for underlay, and knee pads. It is one of the shortest and cheapest tool lists of any trade.
Why do I need a tapping block and pull bar?
They close the joints without damaging the click profile. Striking the plank edge directly deforms that profile, and once damaged the joint will never close cleanly again. The pull bar does the same job for the last row and against walls, where you cannot reach the far side.
How do I cut flooring around a door frame?
Do not cut the flooring around it — undercut the frame instead. Lay an offcut face-down beside the architrave as a height gauge, run an oscillating multi-tool flat across it, and slide the flooring underneath. It is the single technique that most separates professional-looking work from obviously DIY work.
How flat does the subfloor need to be?
Within about 3 mm over a 2 m span. Lay a long straightedge across the floor in several directions before buying anything — if it rocks, the click joints will flex and eventually fail, and you need levelling compound first rather than thicker underlay.
How much do flooring tools cost?
Around €450 for the essentials, or about €600 for everything including a multi-tool for undercutting. Most of that is the saw; the flooring-specific tools are inexpensive.
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Turn this guide into a plan
Get exact quantities and costs for your own measurements, build an itemized shopping list so you don’t overbuy, and use the PDF to collect quotes from contractors.