Laying laminate flooring

Adam

Adam

Adam

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18 Oct 2002
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I'm looking to lay laminate flooring across my lounge, dining room and hallway.

The approximate sizes are:

Lounge: 5m x 3m
Dining room: 3m x 3m
Hallway: 5m x 2m

Total: 34 sq m

I have around 25 packs of these (http://www.diy.com/departments/colo...-effect-laminate-flooring-148-m/176232_BQ.prd) sitting in my garage, which gives me around 37 sq m in total so enough for some waste if I do get it wrong. I have had it previously laid in my conservatory and it's pretty good quality and hard wearing 12mm laminate. I got it earlier this year so didn't pay anywhere close to the current price, I paid around £9 per sq m.



I have fitted laminate many years ago to one room and it went ok, however I'm slightly concerned I'm taking on too much given the area. I will be ripping the existing skirting boards off and getting a carpenter in to fit the skirting and architrave afterwards so I don't have to use beading.

I'm a bit concerned with the finish I can achieve between the hall and the lounge and also with the front door. The front door is new and has a piece of plastic trim covering the edge of the existing laminate, I presume I'd need to take this off and replace the trim?

Also the joins to the cloakroom and kitchen worry me a bit as well as does around the bottom of the stairs (the bottom stair has a curve which might not be easy to replicate.

I have a decent jigsaw and a cheap 210mm mitre saw (not sliding) but I don't think the mitre saw could cut the width of the board which leaves me with the jigsaw.

I'm trying to avoid getting a carpenter in to lay the floor as I think it's quite straight forward given the shape of the rooms. For labour alone to fit the laminate, skirting board and architraves I have been quoted £1000 to do it. I think this is expensive so for a few days off work I think I could do the laminate myself so they just need to do the finishing touches.

Any tips/thoughts before I take this on myself?
 
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I have recently done similar 36sqm. Door ways you can either work it so there is a whole piece in the walk way or use a joint strip in a matching colour. I went with the joint strips as the floor levels were off (going from concrete to wooden floor) and no way to easily level them.

Joints are a half moon shape and clip into a section on the floor, the laminate is then butted up against it. I didn't bother using the clips as I've previously has issues with the clips not holding so just siliconed the cover strip into the floor section. Far superior finish than using the clips.

Also a sliding miter saw or a very sharp hand saw is the best way of cutting boards.
 
I did an area a bit bigger than this circa 45-50sqm flowing through a door way into the hall, an open plan lounge diner and into a open kitchen and it was fine, you just have to take your time when you get to the actual doorway but mine looks spot on (if i do say so myself!)

Definitely don't do random staggered joints in the floor too, work it out so all of the joins run in a line across the room and it'll look the mutts nuts!

Once you've got your first longest run in (which is what my joiner recommended to make sure its square with the room) it should absolutely fly down. Not sure how easy the B&Q stuff is to work with but the rapid-fit Howdens flooring is a doddle to get down!

I'd start by finding the middle of your dining room and lounge and running a full length down there then making sure its square work out from that.
 
A jigsaw with a fast/clean blade will do the job perfectly. I used Reisser blades on the last laminate job I did and they cut the 12mm laminate with ease. Don't bother with the down cutting blades, they are useless. Just make sure there are no gouges in the base of the jigsaw that could scratch the laminate.

Make sure to leave a 10-12mm expansion gap around the entire room, including doorways etc. Cut under door frames using a hand saw or multitool, using a piece of underlay and scrap of the laminate as a guide.

There are loads of vids on youtube that show how to do it if you get stuck.

Personally I prefer randomly staggered joints. I lined them all up in my living room and it looks too uniform. Staggered them in the bedrooms and much prefer the look of that. its a personal preference though so i'd look at pics on google to see which you prefer.
 
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If you can the bottom centimetre from the door frames, your laminate will slide under it giving you a better finish and less precise cutting to do.
Use doortrims to bridge between the rooms too. Better finish and reduces any draughts.

For the amount you need (even though you already have it), we would work out the total area to be covered and add 7% for wastage.

You haven't mentioned underlay.
 
I bought a laminate fitting kit to do mine with from screwfix,comes with spacers block and metal bar that whacks the planks together

Youll waste a lot less by doing staggard joints,tape up any seams on the underlay aswell,make a paper template of any awkward curves and transfer it to your boards
 
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Thanks for the suggestions. I have some 5mm sonic gold underlay and will buy some more.

I also have a Bosch multi tool for under the frames and I'm also getting the architrave replaced. The lounge and dining rooms are nice and straight forward, it's just making sure the transition to other rooms is done properly. I have laminate in all the rooms I'm replacing so will take a lot of pictures as a guide.

If I allowed 3 days to do the work would this be reasonable?
 
Get some knee pads too, after three days your going to hurt!

I'd say 3 days is about right, you obviously do the main runs quickly and spend time on the doorways and edges. I prefer staggered joints.
 
I laid some laminate flooring several about 6 or 7 years ago, but I can't remember what type jigsaw blades i used. Whether it was a fine cut wood blade or a laminate cutting blade, what do you guys recommend?
I going to lay some laminate flooring at my parents, so need to get some new blades for my jigsaw.
 
I fitted quite a bit of laminate flooring a few years ago. cutting it and fitting it was a doddle and the beading etc. Only problem i had was once i filled the swimming pool with water it all got warped and floated! :D
 
Hi, recently I did laminate work in my ground floor. After its been done, in 2 days a big air bubble in the center of the ground. And laminate is no more pressed to ground :(
why is it happened?
 
nothingbutepic said:
Hi, recently I did laminate work in my ground floor. After its been done, in 2 days a big air bubble in the center of the ground. And laminate is no more pressed to ground :(
why is it happened?
Click to expand...

Did u put damp proof membrane down? Did you leave a gap around edges?
 
nothingbutepic said:
Hi, recently I did laminate work in my ground floor. After its been done, in 2 days a big air bubble in the center of the ground. And laminate is no more pressed to ground :(
why is it happened?
Click to expand...


Sounds like you didn't leave a big enough expansion gap around the edges of three room.
 
wijcc said:
I laid some laminate flooring several about 6 or 7 years ago, but I can't remember what type jigsaw blades i used. Whether it was a fine cut wood blade or a laminate cutting blade, what do you guys recommend?
I going to lay some laminate flooring at my parents, so need to get some new blades for my jigsaw.
Click to expand...

Some clean cut for wood will do the job fine.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BOSCH-JIG...926650?hash=item41982c7cfa:g:9W4AAOSwZd1VWZ5Y

Pretty sure these are what I use for most joinery jobs.
 
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