How do you make sure you get smooth and clean cuts while working with laminate flooring? You do it with the right saw and the right blades. There are so many out there claiming to be great on laminate, but there is a potential for false advertising. This is why our construction team has done extensive tests and settled on the below 7.
Reviews of the Top Saw Blades for Laminate Flooring
1. Freud LU79R010
The thin kerf on the Freud LU79R010 laminate flooring blade is designed to minimize chipping. The laser-cut anti-vibration slots beat out standard saw blades and the high-density carbide tips stay sharper for longer. In addition, our woodworking testers deem it is as the perfect saw blade for a variety of materials besides cutting laminate flooring.
The thin kerf blade is also endowed with Freud’s Parma-shield coating, which prevents the blade from burning up and reduces heat build-up and friction while in use. Just slip this blade onto your circular saws to start cutting laminate flooring with smooth finishes.
What We Like
- Laser-cut anti-vibration slots
- High-density carbide-tipped blade
- Sharp teeth
- High-quality
- Hi-ATB
- Perma-shield coating
- Flawless finish
- Thin kerf
What We Don't Like
- Poor packaging
- Very high number of teeth for a smaller blade
2. Festool 496309
It costs more, but the Festool 496309 is a very long-lasting choice for cutting laminate flooring. There are 48 teeth in total, a kerf of only 26mm and an oversized arbor. The arbor allows for a more secure fastening onto circular saws and it also works to reduce vibrations.
The blade is very stable during operation and can cut through materials with precision. Laminates and other surface materials are no match for the thin kerfs that power through without resistance.
Lastly, there are laser cut expansion slots on these saw blades that make sure they are accurate and quiet.
What We Like
- Laser cut expansion slots
- Long-lasting saw blade for cutting laminates
- Thin kerf
- Oversized arbor
- Triple-chip flat tooth design
- High-quality smooth finish
- Quiet
What We Don't Like
- Higher Festool price
- Not the best for melamine
3. BOSCH T503
You can also use a jigsaw to cut laminate flooring, so our team made sure to include jigsaw blades. The BOSCH T503 is the best you can get out there and is guaranteed to be the best saw blade for laminate flooring if you’re making curved cuts. The bi-metal blades are optimized for laminate as well as hardwood flooring.
The T503 jigsaw blades were specially designed to get through laminates while still delivering clean cuts. They are faster and they last longer compared to other blades, which makes them great value for their money. Not to mention, they come at a very affordable price.
What We Like
- Made for precise cuts
- 3-piece set
- Very budget price
- Bi-metal construction
- Excellent quality
- T-shank type
- Good for curved and straight cuts
- Fits most jigsaws
What We Don't Like
- Jigsaw blade is a bit wide
- Can bend
4. Makita A-93681
The Makita A-93681 is the best miter saw blade for getting through laminates. The micro-grain carbide-tipped saw blade has a 600 grit, which produces a mirrored finish. This Makita laminate saw blade also is made from hardened steel, and you don’t get much more durable than that unless you’re going for a diamond blade.
The saw also has an extra-thin kerf at barely 1mm, which is great for fine crosscutting and works on hardwood, softwood, and even plywood. The A-93681 has an 80 tooth count which is very high, promising a smooth finish.
What We Like
- Micro-grain carbide tips
- Very smooth finish
- Durable hardened steel construction
- 600 grit
- Good for fine crosscutting
- Micro polished
What We Don't Like
- Better for laminate trim
- Not great on thick boards
5. DeWalt DW3712H
Our contractors finish off the list with another set of jigsaw blades. Made of high carbon steel, each jigsaw blade is optimized to cut laminate floors and different materials such as various types of wood.
The teeth are all precision ground to be sharper and to last longer. The saw blades are the perfect tool for workaround cuts that still end up with a fine finish. There are deeper gullets between the teeth which makes these the best jigsaw blades to get through material even faster.
The DeWalt DW3712H works not only with Dewalt jigsaws but universal shank designs as well.
More products here:
What We Like
- Great for laminate material
- Deeper gullets
- Precision ground teeth
- High-carbon steel
- 10 TPI (teeth per inch)
- Fits universal shank jigsaws as well
- High quality
What We Don't Like
- Doesn't fit all brands
- Will wear out over time
Saw Blades for Laminate Flooring Buyer’s Guide
It’s no secret that laminate material is a great way to dull even the best blade, so you have to make sure the saw blade you purchase has to be up to the task for as long as possible. You can do that by following the tips below that our team has outlined.
Saw Type
As our team has briefly mentioned above, there are various types of saw blades that can work, and your job is to find the best saw blade for laminate flooring that suits your needs.
Table Saw
You may have noticed that most of our recommendations above are or resemble a circular saw blade. A circular blade works on table saws as well, and they are very common. The table saw doesn’t require you to take the power tools to the material. Instead, you bring the material to the power tools, which usually yields more precise and stable cutting.
It is the best saw to cut laminate flooring with or against the grain and end up with smooth finishes with either. A table saw is also excellent for ripping materials.
Circular Saw
A circular saw is the next most popular power tool for cutting laminate flooring. The blade for a circular saw and a miter saw is very similar, which is why they produce cuts that look very alike. Circular saws are great because they tend to be more portable than a table saw or miter saw, but it takes more work to get exact cuts without a guide or fence.
The circular blade is not recommended for rip cuts. If you need to make a lot of those cuts on your laminate material, then go for a table saw. A blade with carbide [1] teeth will hold up longer, so our team recommends looking for those.
Jigsaw
Moving away from the circular saw blade design, we land on the jigsaw. The jigsaw is the best tool for intricate and detailed cuts, and this is for not only your laminate flooring project, but it holds true for wood as well. It operates with a vertical blade and is recommended for curved and straight cuts as well.
The best jigsaw blade for cutting laminate can also handle crosscuts. No matter what type of cut you go for, our team suggests looking for carbide teeth for longer-lasting blade options.
Miter Saw
We finish off with the miter saw, which has similar blades to the circular saw blade. Miter saws are recommended for angled cuts or cross cuts. Should you go for a table saw or a miter saw? Our team recommends table saws for straight cuts and miter saws for angled ones.
Size and Compatibility
After you have determined the right type of saw to use, your next step is to triple-check if the saw blade is compatible with your tool. It’s not just about having sharp teeth, but the blade diameter matters as well.
How do you know if a blade will fit your saw? You have to look at the arbor size. The arbor size is the size of the hole in the middle of the blade, where the fastening happens. Some blades have a larger one and others have smaller ones that may not fit your saw.
If you are not going for a brand-specific saw blade, which is clearly outlined by the company as to which saws they work with, then you have to take down the measurement yourself to be sure.
As we said, a circular saw blade and a miter saw blade are often interchangeable, but that doesn’t mean they all work. Double-check to see if the circular blades you choose can be used on both tools.
Then comes the size of the blade, which is outlined in every product description. The measurements are for the saw blade rather than the entire power tool. If you’re looking at a circular saw blade, you will have a choice of a variety of sizes from 6.5 to 12 inches.
Miter saws use a larger blade that is usually around 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Selecting between a 10-inch and 12-inch miter saw can be perplexing, and you may believe that it doesn’t matter because the difference is only two inches. But it actually does. It’s important to get the right size saw blade for your tools when cutting laminate.
Let’s take a closer look at the standard arbor hole sizes for a saw blade. Since we’re talking about laminate blades, they usually come in a minimum of 6 inches in diameter, which makes the arbor hole around 0.5 inches. The common 7-¼ blade all the way up to 10 inches has a ⅝-inch arbor hole and the larger 12-inch blade has a 1-inch arbor.
TPI and Kerf
The kerf of a blade is basically how thick the cutting edge is. For laminate, our team suggests looking for very thin kerfs. This way, you will get a finer finish and reduce chipping. The kerf size will vary for other materials such as plywood or fiber cement, but our team says thin is the way to go for laminate.
The TPI, or teeth per inch, is also a very important consideration on a saw blade for cutting laminate. The best saw blade for laminate flooring will have a higher number of teeth than ones meant for wood. A plywood blade can be compared to laminate flooring blades because they also have a high number of teeth per inch.
For fine cutting jobs, our experts recommend anywhere between 80 to 100 teeth. However, if you’re working on old laminate flooring and require powerful rips, then our contractors suggest a lower teeth count. The quality of the material used to construct the blade and coat the teeth are another important consideration, which brings us to the next section.
Material Quality and Durability
The material of your blade determines whether you can get precise cuts or not, but it also impacts how the blade works. The best saw blade for cutting laminate absorbs noise and vibrations and leaves a clean cutting finish.
The quality of the blade needs to be top-notch. There are extra features such as deeper gullets that can get through more material, expansion slots, and protective coating to protect the blade from wear. All of these features come together to create one very durable blade.
Our team recommends carbide-tipped blades, more specifically, carbide-tipped teeth with the rest of the blade made from durable steel. Combined with a high number of teeth, your blade will not produce rough cuts but it will stay sharp for longer, have much higher durability, and also require less maintenance.
Other options:
FAQ
What is the recommended blade teeth count for laminate flooring?
At least 80 blade teeth are recommended for laminate flooring. You need a higher number of teeth for a cleaner and smoother finish while cutting. Our team recommends anywhere between 80 to 100 to get the job done and avoid any chipping.
Does laminate flooring damage saw blades?
No, laminate flooring does not damage saw blades, but it is contingent on you finding the right ones. Laminate flooring will dull blades and wear them down if they aren’t meant to cut through laminate. Look for carbide tips, at least 80 teeth, and thin kerfs.
Can I use a circular saw to cut laminate flooring?
Yes, you can use a circular saw to cut laminate flooring. In fact, it is one of the most common tools for cutting wood as well as laminate. The important thing is to find high-quality blades with at least 80 teeth and a thin kerf.
Our Top Pick For a Saw Blade for Laminate Flooring:
Freud LU79R010
The best saw blades for laminate flooring is the Freud LU79R010. It is an 80-tooth blade with a very thin kerf designed for laminate. There are a ton of features on this blade that other brands do not include, such as Perma-shield coating to reduce friction and heat, laser-cut anti-vibration slots to make sure your cuts are always precise, and a high-density carbide construction.
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