Buying Solid/Laminate Flooring (Reccomendations)

PDD

Hi Folks,

I was wondering if anyone here has been out and about shopping for either laminate or solid flooring. I'm closing the sale on my first place and I was hoping someone might have seen some bargins or places with a very good varied selection and possibly save me some runnin around. :-)

Also ive heard that the price of stuff in Dublin is inflated and that going to the midlands or southeast could save me a bundle. Just wondering if anyone can lend some credence to this.

Dave

ftfrgrlnxtdr

hi dave.
i have recently purchased a large second home and wanted to do the solid wood floor thing in it at a budget, being that it was a second house. ended up buying solid oak from des kellys in navan at e28/sq yard - against every other sales person i came across recommendation AND ......... it's lovely!! and i put it down myself after researching on the web as to how to do it. i did not intend to do it myself but was messing around with it oneday without the glue and it looked lovely so read up on it and did it and that was about 6 weeks ago and its perfect.
the boards are about 18/20cm wide, can't quite remember and not there at the moment. everyone told me all the horrors imaginable about solid flooring but i honestly think that if you leave the gaps around the edges of the room as large as you can given the size of your skirting and use the waterproof underlay, open the boxes and plastic and let the boards breath in the house with the heating on as you would usually have it or a bit more for 3/4 weeks you can't go to far wrong.
good luck

Hotblack Desiato

Got some AquaLoc laminate in B&Q a few weeks ago (34 euro a packet, 1.5 sq m) to do two bedrooms, the main bedroom will have carpet, the small bedroom will be a nursery and the other one might be a kids room in a few years time too so something a bit moisture resistant is handy.
We've finished the larger room and it turned out very well.
The flooring prices are ok in B&Q but the beading/edging strip was a crazy price, 7-8 euro for 2m, got it for 3.50 for 2.4m in Atlantic.

Very important that you get the correct underlay for your floor, leave proper expansion gaps etc. The expanding wedges are pretty much essential for fitting, bits of wood won't do. Get rubber kneepads. You'll need a jigsaw with a laminate blade (medium wood cutting blade with reversed teeth.) and a workmate, or similar.

Get more packets than you think you need, keep the receipt, B&Q (and other places too I'd imagine) will take back unopened packets if you have too much. Best to buy it all at the same time and from the same batch to make sure it all matches.

B&Q do a DVD for about 3 euro which tells you all about how to do laminate and solid wood floors. Good luck!

icejoey

I Bought My Laminated Flooring From A Chap On The Long Mile Road It Was 8.3mm Thick And Costed 10 Euros A Yard I Had Priced It Around And The Cheapest I Could See It For Was 15 Euros He Said He Could Do It So Cheap Because He Imports It Into The Country Him Self Cutting Out The Middle Man He Also Had Some Solid And Semi Solid And Delivered It For Free

John Mason

i have brilliant laminate which nobody believes is actually laminate it looks just like the real thing. it cause €5.00 a box, my sitting room is 21ft in lenght it only cost €200 for all the flooring, underlay etc. i got it from doors and floors on the North Road, Dublin 11

teflon

irishbird wrote: »

i have brilliant laminate which nobody believes is actually laminate it looks just like the real thing. it cause €5.00 a box, my sitting room is 21ft in lenght it only cost €200 for all the flooring, underlay etc. i got it from doors and floors on the North Road, Dublin 11

I was looking for solid floors for AGES recently and finally ended up going to Irwins in Castleblaney in Monaghan 042-974027. I ended up getting something called (IPE Tabebuia Imptiginosa) (€29 a sq yard inc vat) It is a commercial hardwood floor they tell me so it will last for ever.. anyone hear of this stuff before?

It looked lovely in the showroom! I havent put it down yet, probably going to do it this weekend.:eek:

It was definately worth the drive up there

Donal94

I've been aving a bit of a look around as I'm moving out soon too. Des Kelly on the long Mile Road seems to be quite good as they include the price of fitting in the square metre price. My bother had a floor fitted by them and its a quality job. There is a place on the Belgard road too thats having a sale at the minute called discount tiles and floors.

eggerb

Frank McGowans in Airside Retail Park in Swords sometimes have good offers on all types of floors. Noyek Newmans are also worth a look. If you want to look furtherafield, a friend has bought in Wood Innovations in Newry and reckons he did well there - you can request an online quote off them here.