When purchasing laminate flooring, it will usually come with manufacturer specific step by step instructions for installing, these instructions should be adhered to and applied by the person installing the flooring, otherwise the end result will be affected.
Once purchased, the flooring must stay in the desired room for two or three days, this is due to the variation in humidity from room to room, if the flooring is not left to adapt to the rooms conditions, you will often find that the floor expands and buckles once laid.
There are types of laminate flooring that can be installed directly over carpet. Be aware that if the carpet has a deep pile, the flooring will separate when you will walk on it, it is always advisable where possible to lay laminate on a hard floor/base.
If the floor has a concrete base, you will need to install a laminate flooring underlay to stop moisture & damp, if there are any areas of the concrete base that may need filling or repairing, this should be done before attempting to lay the laminate floor.
Firstly measure up the room to ensure that the laminate flooring is laid in the best way possible, avoiding the use of small sections to fill the remaining space, the use of small sections in the laminate greatly reduces the floors durability.
Be careful where you lay the end to end joints. They should be at least 16 inches apart lengthways and at a distance of three rows from one another as the floor is laid, flooring with joints laid next to one another are very weak and generally look awful!
Laminate flooring has the ability to expand and contract, this should be allowed for when laying, you should not nail beading directly to the laminate around the flooring edges as this could pull the joints apart.
When you start the installation, be careful to start with the groove side and end towards the walls, the joints should be put together with the help of a tapping block and mallet.
Do not use a hammer directly on your joints as this will damage the joint and render the section of the board useless.
As iterated on the first point in this article, follow the installation instructions of the products box and you won't go far wrong, If you find you have read these instructions and feel you cannot successfully lay the flooring, then I would recommend looking for a qualified joiner or carpenter to carry out the installation for you.