Okay, I am attempting to install laminate floors for the first time. I have pulled up the carpet, staples, and tack strips, cleaned the plywood subfloor as best I can, and bouth laminate flooring with the backing already attached.

My question is with the spacing. I have read that I need to use spacers to keep the floor from butting up against the wall, but the problem is, after pulling up the carpet, there is a space underneath the baseboard (which allows the laminate to slide underneath) which makes it hard to use spacers. Do I even need spacers since I already have this space?

You still need the space but only about the same 1/2" thickness as your baseboards that you are going under. The spacers are only used while laying the floor, then they are removed to allow the floor to expand. I've installed hundreds of floating floors and find the spacers more of a pain than anything - don't bother using them at all.

Instead, try this: Go ahead and install the first several runs of flooring. You can butt it up tightly against the wall (under the baseboard) as this will make it easier to snap all the pieces together. Once you get three or four runs installed you will have a nice big piece of floating floor that is still small enough to move around. When you have enough flooring put together so that you can kneel on the new floor, then pull the entire floor out from the wall so that you have a 1/2" gap. Then, continue installing flooring pieces while keeping your weight on the new floor. After just a few more rows the floor will become so heavy that it will stay put unless you really wail away at it with a hammer.

The 1/2" gap that you need is between the edge of the flooring and the wall framing, not the baseboard.

Thank you so much Jaybee!