The 9 Best Flooring Saws in 2021

By William Harvill 7 months ago

If you’re installing your own laminate, vinyl, or wood flooring, you’re going to need a flooring saw. These tools will allow you to create the necessary cross cuts, rip cuts, and miters. Although there are a couple dedicated flooring saws that are designed to perform all these cuts, this term can also refer to any type of power or manual saw being used on your flooring. Regardless of the type of flooring saw you use, make sure you’re using the appropriate blade for the material being cut.

What to Consider

You’ll always want to consider the blade you are using. Depending on if you’re cutting wood, laminate, or vinyl flooring, you may need a special blade to avoid damaging the material or the saw.

If you want to be prepared for anything, you’ll need to be able to perform cross, rip, and miter cuts, so keep that in mind when choosing a saw. If you have the ability to make any of these cuts with tools you already have on hand, you can probably get away with choosing a specialized saw that only needs to provide the cuts you’re not able to. For example, if you already have a table saw that can make rip cuts, then you can get away with only purchasing a miter saw that only has to make cross and miter cuts.

For tackling any curves or awkward shapes in your flooring project, like those found around door jambs, you’ll want to have a jigsaw on hand. These wouldn’t be ideal for performing miter or rip cuts, though, so you’ll need to supplement your jigsaw with another saw.

The weight of the saw is another factor to keep in mind, especially if you think you’ll be moving around a lot. If you’re already hauling heavy flooring stacks, and crawling around on your knees all day, a few less pounds to carry around can make a big difference.

How We Selected

To ensure that all potential customers, regardless of their current tool setup, could find a useful option on our list, we did our best to present a wide variety of choices. We also made sure to provide options for all common flooring types, like wood, vinyl and laminate. It’s worth noting that after some consideration, we did decide to add two flooring cutters to our list. Though these tools aren’t technically flooring “saws,” they could definitely be a good fit for certain users, and we were concerned that they could be overlooked if we didn’t include them.

1

Best Overall Option

SKIL Flooring Saw

Key Specs:

  • Weight: 30 pounds
  • Power Supply: Corded electric
  • Cuts: Rip/cross/miter
  • Product Number: 3601-02

This dedicated flooring saw blade is designed to provide the features necessary to cover all your flooring needs, including cross, miter, and rip cuts. 

At just 30 pounds, it’s also light enough to transport, but still heavy enough to provide a sturdy and stable work surface. A built-in handle on the side of the platform makes it even more comfortable to relocate while you work. 

Its miter gauge allows you to perform three different angled cuts—0, 22.5, and 45 degrees—and the die cast aluminum rip fence adds to this model’s durability.

  • Easy to carry
  • Platform does not require a separate tabletop

2

Best for Miter Cuts

DEWALT Miter Saw

DEWALT
amazon.com

$599.00

Key Specs:

  • Weight: 43 pounds
  • Power Supply: Corded electric
  • Cuts: Cross/miter
  • Product Number: DWS780

With 14 mitre stops, this DeWalt saw should have you more than covered to handle any angled flooring cuts, and its comfortable handle and easy to use adjustment knob make it a breeze to operate. A small dust collection bag is a nice perk, although we’d recommend hooking it up to a shop vac. 

This saw won’t provide the rip cuts that you’ll probably need, but if you already have a table saw, or can borrow one, that shouldn’t be a dealbreaker. We’ve been a big fan of DeWalt miter saws like this one for years, and have always found them to be reliable, durable workhorses.

  • Easy to use
  • Powerful motor
  • 14 mitre options
  • Expensive
  • Heavy weight
  • Bulky size may not be convenient for use in cramped areas

3

Best Compact Table Saw Option

WORX Tabletop Saw

Key Specs:

  • Weight: 14.7 pounds
  • Power Supply: Corded electric
  • Cuts: Rip/cross/miter
  • Product Number: WX572L

We love the compact size of this WORX table saw, which even at a low price, still packs an impressive amount of features. Its vertical blade and 16.89-inch platform make it possible to execute rip cuts on laminate flooring, and the miter gauge allows you to make angled cuts of 0 to 60 degrees from either side. 

Nonslip feet give the entire unit a solid, sturdy foundation, reducing the chances of slipping and making inaccurate cuts. You can even use it as a scroll saw if you need to make angled or irregular cuts. 

  • Riving knife prevents kickback
  • Dust collection port
  • May not be rugged enough for heavy-duty jobs

4

Best Cordless Handheld Option

Makita Circular Saw

Key Specs:

  • Weight: 3.5 pounds
  • Power Supply: Battery
  • Cuts: Rip/cross
  • Product Number: SH02Z

This handheld saw would be ideal for those who don’t have the space, or the need, for a larger saw, and also don’t want to deal with the hassle of extension cords and power outlets. 

Its light 3.5-pound weight makes it comfortable to use for those all-day jobs, and since it comes with a pair of 2.0Ah batteries, you won’t need to waste any time recharging batteries. 

It won’t be ideal for cutting miters, though, so if you have a lot of angled cuts in your project, you may want to consider a different option.

  • Hard plastic storage case
  • Good value for what you get
  • Versatile enough for lots of other applications

5

Best Basic Manual Cutter

EAB Tool Laminate Floor Cutter

EAB Tool
amazon.com

$199.00

Key Specs:

  • Weight: 20 pounds
  • Power Supply: Manual
  • Cuts: Cross/miter
  • Product Number: 2100007

Even though this tool isn’t technically a “saw,” this manual cutter could be just as useful for anyone installing laminate flooring. It can perform angled miter cuts of up to 45 degrees, and can also be used for solid wood and engineered flooring, as long as they’re not thicker than 5/8-inch. 

Even though its manual operation isn’t as fast as an electric model, its lack of power cords could be a benefit, especially on jobs where outlets are hard to come by. It also won’t create the dust and debris messes that powered saws tend to do.

  • Quiet operation
  • Comfortable handle
  • Does not require electricity
  • Cannot make rip cuts
  • Expensive

6

Best Multifunctional Manual Cutter

Norske Tools Laminate Flooring Cutter

Norske Tools
amazon.com

$201.99

Key Specs:

  • Weight: 24 pounds
  • Power Supply: Manual
  • Cuts: Cross/miter
  • Product Number: NMAP004

The adjustable platform of this Norske cutter provides a sturdy work surface when dealing with long boards, and can extend up to 41 inches long. The 28.5-inch handle provides a ton of leverage when cutting too, and the wide blade has an impressive 13-inch cutting capacity. 

This kit also comes with a rubber mallet and tapping block, making it a great choice for those who are starting from scratch and want to hit the ground running. Thanks to a laser-etched miter gauge you can also easily create whatever angled cuts you may need.

  • Includes mallet
  • Wide cutting capacity
  • Can be used for materials up to 19/32 inches thick

7

Best Handheld Saw

WORX Cordless Circular Saw

Key Specs:

  • Weight: 7.85 pounds
  • Power Supply: Corded electric
  • Cuts: Rip/cross
  • Product Number: ‎WX523L.2

While it’s true that handheld saws tend to be less accurate and more prone to wandering off your cut line, this WORX model features a laser line guide to help minimize these accuracy issues. 

Our favorite feature of this saw is the fact that it includes three kinds of blades, six in total, so you’ll be prepared to use it on a variety of materials. A handy dust port also allows you to connect it to a shop vac to minimize cleanup, and the compact size is convenient for those jobs that don’t have space for larger platform saws.

  • Relatively low price
  • Easy to use
  • Laser-cutting guide
  • Not for laminate flooring use
  • Wouldn’t be ideal for long rip cuts

8

Best Jigsaw Option

Makita Jigsaw

Makita
amazon.com

$149.00

Key Specs:

  • Weight: 3.8 pounds 
  • Power Supply: Battery
  • Cuts: Cross/curves
  • Product Number: VJ04R1

This jigsaw would be a great choice for anyone who needs to cross-cut laminate flooring, and thanks to its two battery packs, you won’t have to worry about wrangling or tripping over extension cords. It also weighs just 3.8 pounds, and combined with the three orbital settings, is comfortable to maneuver, even for long periods of time.  

Its $150 price tag is also fairly reasonable, especially when you consider you’re also getting a pair of batteries and a hard-sided storage case. It doesn’t offer a tool-free blade changing mechanism, though it does provide a tool for just that.

  • Lightweight
  • Cordless design

9

Best Multipurpose Option

Triton Project Saw

Triton
amazon.com

$224.10

Key Specs:

  • Weight: 60 pounds
  • Power Supply: Corded electric
  • Type: Rip/cross/miter
  • Product Number: TWX7PS001

This Triton saw isn’t cheap, but its multifunctional design could make it a great choice for anyone looking for an all-in-one flooring saw setup. 

With four collapsable legs and two wheels for easy transport around a job site, this saw will provide a sturdy 40-inch work surface wherever you need it. This feature will really come in handy when your job site doesn’t have any existing tables or platforms to use. 

At 60 pounds, it is a bit heavier than other saws on our list, but that extra weight should contribute to the overall sturdiness of the machine.

  • Collapsable support legs
  • Can support up to 330 pounds

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