If this is your first time installing laminate in a home and you are curious to know if laminate flooring will expand, the answer is yes. As most hard surface floors the temperature and humidity will affect the floor, causing it to expand and contract. The floor will absorb and swell up, then will slowly start to deflate back to its normal size, and this happens more often than you'd think.
Ways to prepare for this happening to your laminate flooring is to purchase spacers. The use of spacers along the perimeter of your laminate floor install will prevent future problems. The spacers provide the correct amount of gap between the flooring and the wall for the floor to expand and contract without damaging anything.
Typically the gap is hidden by your trim or baseboards. There are many issues that can occur if spacers are not used during installation. Buckling and lifting are the two most common problems people run into when there is no expansion gap made during the installation process. Oftentimes when the boards start lifting it causes a tripping hazard, but also the buckling can actually damage the floor's locking system and boards may need to be replaced.
