Miter saw blade for intalling Laminate floors

[joshhudm]

Hi all,

Im going to install laminate flooring this weekend in my house and wanted to check what the best blade is for this job. I heard you want one with as many teeth as you can get.. so i found the below blade, but can only get it on Amazon. Will that work or do you have any other suggestions? Oh actually noticed two different? ones.. whats the difference?

DEWALT DW3325 7-1/4-Inch 40 Tooth ATB Combination Saw Blade with 5/8-Inch and Diamond Knockout Arbor - Amazon.com

DEWALT DW3324 7-1/4-Inch 100 Tooth ATB Crosscut Saw Blade with 5/8-Inch and Diamond Knockout Arbor - Amazon.com

[joshhudm]

just noticed the one is a 40 tooth.. so ignore that.. the picture was the same

[FordMan59]

Saw Blade

I installed some laminate flooring in my mom's house a few years ago and made most of the cuts using an 8" portable table saw. The blade I used was either a 24 tooth or 40 tooth carbide tip, I don't remember, but it worked fine without chipping the laminate. Neither of the blades you have pictured are carbide tip. Most of these floorings are very hard material and the type blade you're picturing won't likely hold up long. With the interlocking type laminates most of your cuts are going to be at walls, etc, where the cut edge will be covered with quarter round, other type shoe mold or base board so even if the blade does leave small imperfections they will be covered. If you've never installed laminate flooring be sure to heed the warnings about leaving 1/4" or so between the flooring and walls, etc. If you don't allow enough room for expansion the flooring will buckle and not lay flat, you'll end up having to take it back up and redo it with the correct amount of expansion area.

[pushkins]

Ideally you need a 40 tooth at the minimum and like mentioned in thew previous post a carbide blade would be a very good idea.
I hope your planning on making your cuts with a miter saw not a circular saw if using a miter saw always cut face side up, if your using a circular saw face side down.
As well make sure the saw is running at full speed before starting the actual cut, makes for a better cut and saves the blade life tremendously.

Like also mentioned it's VERY important to make sure you have the correct gaps between floor and wall/baseboard etc... you won't believe just how much laminate will expand....also make sure that you have all the boxes inside the house for at least three days to acclimatize, (not in the garage).

[FordMan59]

Miter Saw Blade

I also just noticed the blades you have pictured and their description are 7 1/4" which is the correct size for most Skil/circular saws. Most miter saws are at least 10". The blades pictured are what are known in the construction trade as plywood and/or paneling blades. I don't think they'd withstand the abuse they would receive trying to cut hard laminate flooring for very long. A carbide blade will cost more initially, but in the long run will probably be the cheaper option, because one blade will outlast several of the cheaper blades. It should do the complete job and likely still be in very good condition for future use on other projects, whereas a non carbide blade will dull quickly and often warp if they get too hot trying to cut materials they're not meant for. When I put the laminate down at mom's house I did approximately 400sf that had some narrow halls and smaller rooms which required lots of cutting, but when I finished the blade was still cutting as good as it was on the first cut. I now have about 1000sf to install in my house and expect the same blade to do the job without any problem. Once you know what size miter saw you have any home improvement/hardware/lumber yard should have a blade that fits your need. Somewhere such as Home Depot/Lowes/Menards will probably be the least expensive option. Here's an excellent deal on a 10"x40 tooth carbide tip blade on sale at Menards. http://www.menards.com/main/tools-ha...37-c-10082.htm or here's a 10"x60 tooth carbide tip blade http://www.menards.com/main/tools-ha.../p-1802739.htm Actually I'm glad you asked this question, since seeing that Menards has the 10"x40 tooth on sale so cheap I may pick up a few for my miter saw.