How difficult is it to install - Laminate flooring

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Looking to install laminate flooring into 3 rooms. Overall measurement is 50m2 in total.

How difficult is it to install ? bearing in mind I'm a novice for DIY and are is there any recommended suppliers/manufacturers to purchase the flooring from?
 
Tea Drinker
Don
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What’s your budget?

Why laminate or do you just mean clicklok flooring?

Are you taking skirtings off? I think as a diy I’d rather take them off and reinstall, it’s much easier fitting skirting than trying to scribe flooring.

Good quality flooring is easier to install.

Boen
Havwoods
 
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What’s your budget?

Why laminate or do you just mean clicklok flooring?

Are you taking skirtings off? I think as a diy I’d rather take them off and reinstall, it’s much easier fitting skirting than trying to scribe flooring.

Good quality flooring is easier to install.

Boen
Havwoods

Yes Clicklok flooring, I don't have any budget in mind just looking at the options.

I don't have any experience in this so looking for advice.

edit : I wasn't planning on taking the skirtings off, but if I did I assume I'd have to buy new skirtings?
 
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Associate
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Associate
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I used wickes laminate. Decent enough and reasonable price.

As far as how difficult it will be... Will depend on a few things. How square the room is, how straight the walls are, how level the floor is, how many doorways, how many things to cut around. Skirting board the same... Might need to do a bit of plaster work depending on how the skirting comes off - but it won't need to look pretty.

Generally it's a very doable diy job, but will have varying difficulty!
 
Soldato
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I would say its a medium difficulty job but very DIYable for a novice. The tricky parts are doors and transitions to other rooms but take your time, plan your layout and you'll get a good finish.

You'll need to take the skirting board off as others have said, but that's a fairly simple task to refit and finish. You *can* leave it on but it means you need to add some scotia trim around the room which looks naff. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Watch a few you tube tutorials and you'll see how its done. You'll need a few basic tools but nothing expensive.
 
Soldato
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"Contour Gauge Duplicator Profile Measuring Tool" or "Profile Gauge" will be very useful for this. Wouldn't recommend doing it without one if you want a nice finish at the edges.
 
Soldato
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Re `pre finished skirting`
I personally do not like this stuff
I find that it never fits well at mitres on corners or any mitred joints in a length
Just my experience but if you do decide to replace consider `ordinary`unpainted skirting and prime/undercoat then fit/sand/fill where necessary and finish gloss

Just my 2p worth :)
 
Soldato
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Its easy to lay until you come to a door and that is really the only place a newbie will struggle. Take skirting off its a far better finish that way, cut out door frames and architraves so the flooring slides underneath. When it comes to fitting skirting you need a mitre saw and a coping saw if fitting new, its fairly easy stuff though.
 
Associate
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I'm a novice and did my downstairs toilet and it was straight forward. Cutting around the toilet and door frame was the tricky part. Just make sure you have the tools and buy extra flooring as you will make mistakes. I used b&q and it was fine.

Scotia if you don't want to remove the skirting. But I agree, doesn't look as clean.
 
Soldato
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You should have removed the toilet first :eek:

Was just going to say this, it’s actually easier to remove the toilet than it is to cut round.

They are only normally held in by 2 screws in the floor and 2 in the wall. The waste pipe just slides off and the water should have a valve to turn off and unscrew.

You don’t even need a mitre saw, a basic general purpose handsaw will do the straight cuts.

A coping saw will do any curves or a jigsaw with the appropriate blade will also be suitable to do the curves and straight cuts.
 
Soldato
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I am terrible at diy but have done 3 admittedly easily shaped rooms ,its pretty easy with the click stuff ,this white laminate is from homebase ,its amazingly stain repellent and hard wearing and brings light to the rooms
i must admit i use the beading around the edge to cover my less than perfect gaps ,but once you start laying it in the long runs its so quick

IMG-20200410-170140.jpg
 
Soldato
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I did s small bathroom, as said it's just the corners and edges. You can easily screw it up but if you take your time and have a worked out system in place then it's doable. The pros will do it well though.
 
Associate
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You should have removed the toilet first :eek:

Was just going to say this, it’s actually easier to remove the toilet than it is to cut round.

They are only normally held in by 2 screws in the floor and 2 in the wall. The waste pipe just slides off and the water should have a valve to turn off and unscrew.

You don’t even need a mitre saw, a basic general purpose handsaw will do the straight cuts.

A coping saw will do any curves or a jigsaw with the appropriate blade will also be suitable to do the curves and straight cuts.

Sounds easy as you say that. I just didn't want the faff of removing it. But looking back I should have done it.
 

Jez

Jez

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Kudos to anyone able to accurately cut around a toilet and not have it look awful! I’d never manage that and would always remove and Deal with it being slightly higher.
 
Associate
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Get knee pads before you start!

Or is it just me who feels like 90 years old after 10 minutes on my knees?

+1 for the profile gauges for going round shaped edges.
 
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