Laying laminate flooring

aodh_rua

I know that there have been a few threads on laminate flooring before - but I'm still left a little confused as to whether they are easy to lay and maintain, versus them being a b**** to put down and not lasting well.

So my questions are.... Has anyone put down laminate flooring lately?

Did you do it yourself or declare DIY defeat?

If you did go solo - were you a bit handy anyway or your average domestic Joe?

And lastly - where did you get your materials? I've seen a huge variation in price from €20 per sq. metre right up to nearly €100 without any visible difference in quality.

Some of the threads seem to indicate that they're a doddle while a friend of mine who's only a nail or two short of being a carpenter thinks they're a nightmare - hence the confusion.

Cheers in advance.

Lex Luthor

I did a room 14' x 14' recently on my own.
It was 7mm thick.

I would tackle the majority of DIY stuff at home so I gave it a go. It took about 6-7hrs in total and that was including removing the skirting boards.

I would say it would be easier if you had a helper for the simple reason that when you are clicking in one end of a length the other sometimes pops out. It will definately cut the install time and save your knuckles from pounding the floor every time it happens.

I got mine in B&Q at €7/sq yd. Bargain basement stuff.

You can pay a lot for laminate, but never seen anything priced up around €100/sq yd. The more expensive it gets the thicker and better finish it is. Also, the more expensive stuff is waterproof.

TBH, it's a cheap way to cover a floor in a room that doesn't get much traffic.

beer enigma

Agree with Lex here - I'd be willing to try most DIY stuff & bought some 12mm laminate through a tiling shop in Cork.

B & Q are probably the cheapest, but they don't deliver outside of their radius in dublin, so I looked around & found the ceramic tile shops to have the best price/quality option. I paid €19.99 sq/mtr.

Found it much easier than i thought - mine came in 2mts lengths, so didn't suffer too much with one end coming adrift. Recommend a good glue & a rubber mallet to secure the flooring together.

Can't go that far wrong if you take your time

Lex Luthor

I found the bits around the wardrobe doors the trickiest....

Mines were I think 2.2 mtr lengths. I think you'd agree Andip the job would have been a lot quicker with a 2nd pair of hands to push in one end while you work at the other end.

Also, try and get yourself some decent T-sections for mating up with saddles or other floor types. All DIY stores do a selection of laminate and brass finish ones.

koneko

Did it myself aswell (a fairly big room). Bought the laminate (the click-in stuff) in B&Q along with underlay, things like that. Get a jigsaw, really handy for cutting the pieces and pretty cheap in B&Q aswell I think.

Victor

I much prefer real timber,especially in heavily trafficked areas.

Lex Luthor

Originally posted by Victor
I much prefer real timber,especially in heavily trafficked areas.

So do I Victor. Like I said it's a cheap way to cover a room that doesn't get much traffic. That's where mine is.
I went for the solid wood in the hall and 2 main reception rooms downstairs.
The laminate was a cheap alternative to carpet until I get around to finishing off that room.

aodh_rua

Thanks for all the feedback guys! I was looking at doing the living room and the hall in my house. I am a little concerned about the wear and tear element, but since I'll be the only one living there it's not going to have to deal with too much abuse.

I suppose I'd have two quick follow up questions - where are the B&Q shops in Dublin (is there one out on the Naas Road beside McDonalds?) and did you have any trouble with uneveness in the floor that you were laying onto? I've heard that that can make the floor sit awkwardly.

Cheers again for all the info - very helpful!

Lex Luthor

Originally posted by aodh_rua
Thanks for all the feedback guys! I was looking at doing the living room and the hall in my house. I am a little concerned about the wear and tear element, but since I'll be the only one living there it's not going to have to deal with too much abuse.

I suppose I'd have two quick follow up questions - where are the B&Q shops in Dublin (is there one out on the Naas Road beside McDonalds?) and did you have any trouble with uneveness in the floor that you were laying onto? I've heard that that can make the floor sit awkwardly.

Cheers again for all the info - very helpful!

B&Q are loacted in the retail park of the Liffery Valley Centre and the new store in Tallaght...not sure exactly where in Tallaght.

I would also be a little concerned with laminate in the main hall & living room but if thats what you have to go with at least go for something with a min thickness of 10mm.
As for uneveness in the floor.....hopefully the underlay should take care of that unless its all over the shop.....!!!!!!!

aodh_rua

Thanks for the directions!

The uneveness shouldn't be a problem - but since I've not moved in yet, I haven't had a chance to look under the existing carpet.

koneko

We put laminate in the living room 2 years ago, no wear and tear or problems with it whatsoever. I'm sure you *can* run into more issues than with real wood, but I think a lot of those are exaggerated.

beer enigma

I think you'd agree Andip the job would have been a lot quicker with a 2nd pair of hands to push in one end while you work at the other end.

Oh definitely.....just happened to be a Billy no mates that weekend

Two set of hands make life a lot easier - if only to have someone else to curse at !

Tommy Vercetti

I put down approx. 60 sq yards of laminate in May (Uniclic Perspective - 15 year guarantee). It was physically very tough (esp. since I was doing a lot of early morning and late evening work to fit it around my work schedule), but it isn't all that difficult once you get started. My back and legs were killing me for a few weeks after it though. I disagree that having another pair of hands will make it easier; IMO another person would probably have just got in my way and the job would have ended up being rushed. I felt that the most important thing was to take your time with everything, and double check every measurement and cut you are making, especially around doorways etc. Just don't forget your gap!

You'll need a jigsaw (no need to buy an expensive one), Black & Decker Workmate (or similar saw-horse), a few measuring devices (tape measure, ruler, combination square) and a floor laying kit. Also, if you're fitting beading around the skirting boards, I would recommend that you use No More Nails, because nailing it on looks ugly IMO.

I paid €31 sq yard for mine in Dessie Kiernans in Artane, Des Kellys had the same for €29.50 but when the extra bits and pieces were added in, they were only marginally cheaper; they weren't too helpful though, they were suggesting that it would be an impossible DIY task, which fitted in nicely with their €15 per sq yard fitting service.

Overall I am 100% pleased with it. I vaccuum it every second or third day to get rid of dust and fluff (caused by new house rather than the floor itself), and I bought some polishing stuff in Woodies, I'm too lazy for that though. I would have rated myself as average on the handyman scale beforehand (expert now of course ).

ednwireland

put down A whole bungalow in a few days its relatively easy but be patient and make sure your floors are level i put in house i rent out and it looks ok can't comment on it lasting but make sure doors don't rub

loads of how to videos here

http://www.quick-step.com/installing-laminateflooring.aspx

good luck

jd

Victor wrote:

I much prefer real timber,especially in heavily trafficked areas.

I would too, but I'm going for semi solid oak. That said, I think the quick step laminate looks well, esp the wide plank look.

eg

tapest

Hi Guys
My sister had two main reception rooms done professionally, and I absolutely hate it, squeak,squeak. Drives me mad. It may not have been the most expensive laminate but as she lives alone and rooms get little use, she thought it her best option. But when it came to main entrance hall ( again not too much traffic) she took my advice (still looking for cheap alternative) and I laid ordinary t&g flooring, white deal ( red deal boards too narrow, Edwardian Hse) .With careful selection of boards, very little sanding was needed and only in certain places(joins etc). Varnish : Ronseal Diamond Coat( x2) , very easy to apply after light stain. She's much happier with thie result AND by far the cheapest solution.

Now I've been given the job of trying to remove part of the laminate floor in one room to move radiator. Main question is how to minimise damage in order to replace boards afterwards. Any Ideas ??? Its the glue rather than the "click" type
Regards
t