Wood Cutting Tools

If you’ve ever laid laminate flooring, you know the exact moment the excitement starts to wear off: you reach your first doorway. Suddenly, you aren't just making straight crosscuts anymore. You are staring down awkward door jambs, intricate casing profiles, and heating pipes that refuse to cooperate with a straight edge.

Trying to eyeball these complex shapes or messing around with cardboard templates usually leads to a frustrating cycle of splintered planks, wasted material, and gaps that no amount of quarter-round can completely hide. But professional installers don't guess—and neither should you.

With the right tool and a simple technique, locking in a flawless, factory-tight fit around tricky architectural obstacles takes seconds. Here is how to master the process using a precision contour gauge.

Step-by-Step Instructions: Mastering Door Jambs and Complex Corners

Step 1: Lay Your Plank in Position. Lay your laminate plank down as close to its final interlocking position as possible. Slide it up until it hits the door jamb or casing where the interference happens.

Step 2: Mark Your Starting Point. Look at where the edge of the plank intersects with the vertical face of the door jamb. Use a pencil to make a light reference mark on the plank showing where the obstruction begins. Pull the plank back out so you have room to work.

Step 3: Press the Contour Gauge. Take your contour gauge and press the sliding pins directly against the profile of the door jamb or obstacle.

• Push firmly and evenly so the individual pins slide back and conform precisely to every curve, angle, and corner of the wood molding or drywall cutout.

• Once the pins have fully hugged the shape, lift the gauge straight back without bumping or shifting the pins.

Step 4: Transfer the Profile to Your Plank. Take the contour gauge and place it back down onto your laminate plank, aligning your earlier reference mark with the edge of the gauge.

• Hold the tool steady so it doesn't slip.

• Use a sharp pencil or marking pen to carefully trace along the tips of the extended pins onto the surface of the laminate.

Step 5: Cut and Fit. Follow your traced pencil line using a jigsaw or coping saw to cut out the exact negative shape. 

• Pro Tip: Cut just outside your pencil line rather than directly on it—you can always sand or shave down a fraction of a millimeter for a snug press-fit.

• Bring the plank back to the doorway and click it into place. Step back and admire that seamless, gap-free contour!

• Ready to tackle your project? Browse our collection of precision contour gauges to find the right tool for the job.