Laminate

darreny · 9 Jun 2015 at 13:19

Yep foil side down so any damp won't ruin your underlay foam layer

Superficial · 9 Jun 2015 at 18:26

R.O.S.S.I said:
So you laid yours with the foil side up? Just found this which is how i thought it should be laid....

Sorry it was a while ago so I forgot the reasoning behind it but if you watch my video the lady clearly advises a damp proof membrane if there is a concrete floor or risk of dampness - in fact it is the very first thing she says. She then goes on to say if there is no risk then you should not be concerned which I stand by.

Yes I laid it foil side up but that was in a flat - IF you are on the ground floor or, for whatever reason, there is a risk of dampness, then logically foil side down keep the risk of moisture out unless you have a damp proof membrane sheet - which btw is what you should REALLY have on the ground floor - the foil is simply not sufficient as a water barrier to any great degree - think about how easily it rips...

so if you have a concrete floor that may be prone to damp you need a DPM:

Logically though, foil side up or down appears to be a little bit of a debating point because the overlap, I have always been told, needs to be taped and edged over to create a seal and you cant do that if the foil is down. also I was told that laminate and wood expand and contract slightly (which is why we leave a gap as the sides) and that the smooth nature of the foil allows the flooring to move as needed - where as the friction created by the other side makes this trickier.

edit: I must confess to never really thinking very much about it but had always assumed that the foil layer (which always appears to be overly shiny whatever brand is used) was always more to do with heat insulation than an effective moisture barrier - thinking about this logically...why would the manufacturers not just integrate a polythene layer to the underlay if moisture was the main focus? rather than a very thin foil. that rips so easily...

either way I have never had any issues.

darreny · 9 Jun 2015 at 20:25

Yes you're right, only matters if on a solid floor. Tape a small section of plastic sheet to the exposed floor and you should be able to tell the next day if you have a damp issue

R.O.S.S.I · 9 Jun 2015 at 22:26

I will be laying my laminate floor over a normal suspended timber floor for the most part.

There is one small section of no more than 0.75m x 0.75m that is newly laid concrete but they have put in a damp proof membrane when laying it, so do I still need to put one on top of the concrete as well before i put my underlay down on this part?

I can see the thick plastic poking up around the sides of where it was fitted.

I've laid a 5-6mm layer of self levelling compound on top of the concrete too I should add just so the floor is a bit more level.

darreny · 9 Jun 2015 at 22:53

Won't do any harm to put a damp proof sheet down. As said tape a plastic sheet down and if there is condensation the next day then you will definitely need it.

Russinating · 9 Jun 2015 at 23:26

Almost finished laying the laminate in our front bedroom. Got it from Wickes, we've had some of their laminate in our office for 3 years and it's been great. This stuff - http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Rustic-Oak-Laminate-Flooring/p/158239 - was in the sale too so £4.50per sqm :eek:

.

I've done it once before but once you get the knack of it and measuring I love how quick it is. Mitre saw helped this time too but this took less than 2 hours after work.

This was potentially the most satisfying thing ever as well: the far alcove was exactly 6 planks wide.

Yaayuh! · 10 Jun 2015 at 13:43

Only 7mm? :/ i would've avoided tbh. 10mm-12mm at least from the research i did, to get something solid. Hope you get on ok with it in 5-10 years time.

Russinating · 10 Jun 2015 at 15:31

Yeah, we've got this - http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-African-Walnut-Laminate-Flooring/p/205598 - in the office, which has far more use. Desk areas and the doorway look untouched 3 years on. They're both guaranteed for 12 years anyway!

Plus it was £77 to do the whole room :eek:

.

Kimi · 10 Jun 2015 at 15:35

Looks good mate, bonus on the fitting like a glove! i have that last bit if youve got to cut a plank along its length.

Haggisman · 6 Oct 2015 at 13:18

Superficial said:
sorry to labour the point but this may be helpful in case anyone else is sold that bronze stuff.

Sonic Gold on the left in both images

Notice that the Sonic Gold has next to no air pockets by comparison.

Just had my "Sonic Gold" delivered, and whilst it does look like the one on the left in the images above (very yellow gold colour rather than bronzey, and the foam seems pretty dense with no popping) it came in boxes branded "Royale Sonic Gold" - so it appears that it isn't the "proper" Novostrat stuff =/

Couldn't have a proper look at it in the office unfortunately, will test it's "return-to-shape-iness" when I get home. Seems decent enough quality but not having had anything to compare it to I'm no expert! I hope it's ok anyway, as it'll cost about £15 to send back

Ended up getting it through "Bespoke Offers" (price-beating service from Barclaycard, so I thought it would be legit...)

Hedge · 6 Oct 2015 at 15:33

I got some Sonic Gold delivered this week too, ill take a picture to compare.

Mine was from trade priced in a big plastic bag.

Mark A · 6 Oct 2015 at 23:34

As long as the sub floor is solid and you use a decent underlay 7mm is fine. I have used 8mm and it has been rock solid. The laminate you walk on and it feels bouncy is 9/10 due to no expansion gaps being left.

Looks good, similar to the dark oak Krono suff i used in my bedroom, but mine has a v-groove.

Hope your blade isnt an expensive one as laminate destroys them. I have found a good semi clean jigsaw blade works well for laminate.

Superficial · 7 Oct 2015 at 00:06

Haggisman said:
Just had my "Sonic Gold" delivered, and whilst it does look like the one on the left in the images above (very yellow gold colour rather than bronzey, and the foam seems pretty dense with no popping) it came in boxes branded "Royale Sonic Gold" - so it appears that it isn't the "proper" Novostrat stuff =/

Couldn't have a proper look at it in the office unfortunately, will test it's "return-to-shape-iness" when I get home. Seems decent enough quality but not having had anything to compare it to I'm no expert! I hope it's ok anyway, as it'll cost about £15 to send back

Ended up getting it through "Bespoke Offers" (price-beating service from Barclaycard, so I thought it would be legit...)

Well the way I see it; the reason for buying quality underlay is mostly its ability to keep shape. I'm sure they all insulate heat and sound similarly but, if you buy cheap and get one full of air that will depress...it's no different to carpet underlay, it'll go flat and will mean your boards will flex more in high traffic areas.

All that being said - Do I really believe so many are naming theirs sonic gold by coincidence? Not really - The Novostrat stuff got a good reputation, sold well and they are capitalising on it.

Basically if you feel it's solid enough I'm sure you won't care.

kaptainmarc · 7 Oct 2015 at 09:09

Bought my laminate yesterday, Need to get underlay now. Its going onto solid concrete floors is that sonic gold the best way to go?

Haggisman · 7 Oct 2015 at 09:17

Superficial said:
Well the way I see it; the reason for buying quality underlay is mostly its ability to keep shape. I'm sure they all insulate heat and sound similarly but, if you buy cheap and get one full of air that will depress...it's no different to carpet underlay, it'll go flat and will mean your boards will flex more in high traffic areas.

All that being said - Do I really believe so many are naming theirs sonic gold by coincidence? Not really - The Novostrat stuff got a good reputation, sold well and they are capitalising on it.

Basically if you feel it's solid enough I'm sure you won't care.

Yeah, that's kinda what I was thinking!

I rolled a bit out on our already laminated hall (so nice and hard underneath it) and sat on it on my knees and elbows for a bit (which wasn't comfortable

) but there were no visible dimples underneath afterwards, so I think it'll do the job!

Hedge · 7 Oct 2015 at 10:34

I need good flooring recommendations now that I have the underlay.

Any opinions?

NoNameNoNumber · 7 Oct 2015 at 10:41

Howdens Professional Fast Fit

snappyfish · 15 Jan 2018 at 06:35

Haggisman said:
Just had my "Sonic Gold" delivered, and whilst it does look like the one on the left in the images above (very yellow gold colour rather than bronzey, and the foam seems pretty dense with no popping) it came in boxes branded "Royale Sonic Gold" - so it appears that it isn't the "proper" Novostrat stuff =/

Couldn't have a proper look at it in the office unfortunately, will test it's "return-to-shape-iness" when I get home. Seems decent enough quality but not having had anything to compare it to I'm no expert! I hope it's ok anyway, as it'll cost about £15 to send back

Ended up getting it through "Bespoke Offers" (price-beating service from Barclaycard, so I thought it would be legit...)

I've just had some of this royal sonic gold is it a copy of the original?

Haggisman · 15 Jan 2018 at 09:03

snappyfish said:
I've just had some of this royal sonic gold is it a copy of the original?

Not sure really, it seemed ok, so we used it, not had any issues with it, the floor feels solid enough, no "bouncy" feel, and it's not overly cold to walk on

snappyfish · 21 Jan 2018 at 16:34

Haggisman said:
Not sure really, it seemed ok, so we used it, not had any issues with it, the floor feels solid enough, no "bouncy" feel, and it's not overly cold to walk on

Fitted it, in a log cabin. Seems ok so far. Will see how floor stands when summer comes.