Laying laminate floors advice

cherrio

OK, I want to lay a simple cheap laminate floor in my bed room. I bought some laminate flooring. I also got some 7mm underlay stuff (sheets 60 x 100 mm) from B&Q.

Just wondering if any one can offer some advice on laying it? The underlay, does it have to be secured down? Any common problems with laying that I should know of?

thx for the help

m_stan

Th underlay doesnt need to be secured down if you can lie it flat - the floor will keep it down.

Is the floor click or glue ? Glue floors are very messy and are harder to do. I did one a few years back and was left with glue marks and gaps between the boards.

I'm a poor DIYer, so recently I replaced the floor with a click floor and got a pro to do it since it's covering the entire downstairs of my house and I don't want to be sick looking at a crappy job like I was with the old floor !

General laying tips:

1). Lay in an overlapped fashion for strength, like brickwork. This will mean cutting every board at the start of every other row in half.
2). Leave a gap of about 5mil at the wall/skirting board to allow for movement - otherwise the boards might rise in the middle and then you are bunched. If you are replacing the skirting then take it off and lay the boards with gap to the wall, adding skirting later on top of the floor. If not, leave this gap against the skirting and lay scotia (wood beading) between the floor and the skirting using 'no-more-nails'.

that's all I can think of.

after you have the floor down, don't let it get wet. if it does, dry immediately. otherwise the veneer will come off.

again, I'm no pro - these are basic tips and a pro will give you more/better ones.

good luck with it

cherrio

thanks for the info stan, it was a help

Is there any trick to laying the second plank on the second row, how do you get it to click into place with the first row and the 1st plank on the second row? Whats the best way to do it and not brake any thing :eek:

thx.

m_stan

I think the trick is to get it to click long ways first (with row 1) and then ease it into the first board (on row 2). I've seen fitters do this using a hammer and a cut piece of board.

be very careful doing this as you dont want to break the lip or the next board wont fit properly. for the cut piece (your "bodger") make sure you have a female for your male lip or vice versa so you dont damage it.

Alternatively, it could work by hand. I'm not sure - I've only ever done the glue floors (arrrggghhh!)

hope I explained that in some semi-understandable sense. I know it makes sense to me !

garyh3

If you go to the quick step website they have a video on how to lay laimnate floor its very useful

Quickstep Vid

Garyh3

cherrio

thanks for the help guys. I will give it another o tomorrow night.

Barrie

I layed two floors one was a hall the other was a bedroom..So i did my research and found out a few things
Like the 2nd poster said lay them like brick work or just keep laying(If you've reached the end of the row and you have a half a board left use it in the next one so itsn't identical to the last one)

I also layed it in the direction the sun was shining it looks visualy nicer.Keep your 10mil gap from the wall (well thats what i used so if the laminate warps/expands theres always room for it.Change the skirting boards last if you are.And leave a 3-4 cm of the underlay going up the wall around all the edges barr the door entrance if your replacing the skirting board.This is what i followed and it turned it out perfect.Also place a metal bar thingy where the door is so the floor wont be dragged up/damaged etc.

Hope this helps good luck.