A high tooth count blade you are willing to blunt. Laminate wear layers contain aluminum oxide, which dulls carbide quickly, so buy a dedicated flooring blade rather than ruining a good crosscut blade.
The wear layer on laminate flooring contains aluminum oxide — the same mineral that is glued to sanding discs. That single fact governs everything else.
Buy a blade you are willing to sacrifice
Carbide dulls quickly against it. A good crosscut blade comes off a flooring job noticeably blunter, and no technique avoids it. Keep a separate blade for flooring and treat it as a consumable rather than a tool.
What to look for
A high tooth count and, ideally, a triple chip grind, which spreads the work between two tooth shapes and protects the tips. Blades sold specifically for laminate are usually exactly this.
Which face up
The decorative face chips where the teeth exit. On a miter saw the teeth enter through the top, so the plank goes face up. A standard jigsaw blade cuts on the upstroke and chips the top face, so either cut face down with one, or fit a down-cut blade and keep the face up. A circular saw also cuts upward, so the plank goes face down.
Dust
Laminate and the boards under it produce a fine dust carrying resin as well as wood fiber. Extraction and a P100 respirator matter here, and they matter more than usual because floors are laid indoors, in rooms with the doors shut.
Last reviewed October 30, 2026