Help...need To Advice On Laminate Flooring

firstluv

my carpet is badly stained the 3&5yr old are having a party all the time. I need advice on where to get good laminate flooring the lounge and 'little' hallway is 19.5m (square metre). I have no clue what to look for, someone offered to lay it down for us and asked us to get the B&Q laminate but I thought I would shop around and ask what peoples opinions are.I ahve seen some in Ikea not sure how god they are.

richardw

IMHO you get what you pay for.
Will spending more on laminate flooring enhance the value of your property if you are selling up soon?
Do you just want something to last until the children are older?

Blue_Fairy_3

I have similar problems with my carpets firtsluv, I've just bought some laminate from Homebase, it was 1/3 off so £7.99 per square metre instead of £12.99. It looks quite decent, although I haven't laid it yet! I would avoid the really cheap laminates, (eg. £3.99 or £4.99 per metre) they look cheap'n'tacky and having seen them in other people's houses, I don't think they last well.

I also asked for advice on here on what kind of laminate to go for, and quite a few liked B&Q I think. I think the stuff I got from Homebase looks a bit better than b&q's (IMHO!) but b&q is prob fine. Quickstep laminate is supposed to be 'the best' but likely to be much more pricey.

KT1985

We bulk bought b&q easi-loc in panatella oak when it was on offer a while back- ended up only being about £5.00psqm.

Don't forget to put an underlay underneath- really does make a difference.

Also, you are probably going to want to put a strip of beading around the edge to help hide the expansion gap- best value I have found is from the wood mouldings bit in b&q- 1/2" quadrant. looks nice, has been down a month, no complaints.

underlay_guru

Hi,

Agree with the above....avoid any laminates that are 7mm or less in thickness, and around £5.99 per m/2, as they will be substandard and difficult to fit, no matter how impressive the top finish is!

Weeyin

I think you will get better prices and quality from uk Flooring Direct, an online warehouse for wooden and laminate flooring.

loracan1

I had some laminate flooring fitted about 8 years ago from Homebase, had it down till last year when next door had a flood and it seeped through the wall - there'd been some wear inevitably but it still looked pretty good - it was replaced with similar from Howdens and I don't think it's worn particularly well, especially in the kitchen.The original floor could take a bit of water being splashed and resisted chipping but this one is less durable.

Also fitted some £6 stuff from Wickes in my hallway and I hate that, was seduced by the looks of it but it was a pain to fit and again, chips quite badly.

mr_vampy

I fit laminate flooring as a living and I generally stay away from the laminates sold in the big DIY sheds. The brands that I recommend to my clients are Quickstep, Elka, Pergo, Balterio, Parador, Moderna. These will be more pricey that the stuff that B&Q, Homebase or Wickes sell, but they will be of a much better quality and easier to fit.
Don't forget to also buy underlay (either fibreboard or foam with dpm) and beading to go round the room if you are planning not to remove the skirting boards prior to fitting.

Weeyin

Yeah, i got Quickstep flooring and it is worth paying a bit extra for. After two years it still looks as good and people are always commenting on it. I previously got the cheap stuff and it chipped really easily and starting gaping a bit at the joins. It just looked really cheap and nasty and it was a complete waste of money. :eek:

longbaygirl

We got the Quickstep and have toddlers. Have to say the place looks 100 times cleaner, but personally, after living with it, I hate it. No matter how good - it just looks plastic, and (my biggest irritation) you can't use harsh detergents and copious amounts of water on it.

Frankly with toddlers (toilet training!!!) and/or pets around, I want something I can get down on my hands and knees with and give a good old scrub with a bucket of hot water and diluted disinfectant/bleach.

For me, a wipe with a damp j-cloth is just spreading the dirt/germs over a bigger area.

underlay_guru

I agree with mr_vampy. Avoid the 'Special offer' and cheap and cheerful laminates as you will a host of problems with quality, fitting etc. A lot of these are made in China and the far-east. I used to sell a cheap laminate to trade which was:
1-cut in a factory in Slovakia,
2-shipped to factory in China to apply the top layers,
3-shipped to Taiwan to be boxed,
4-then finished product shipped to UK.
...and it was STILL cheaper to buy than QuickStep/Balterio/Berry Floor/Pergo (Which are all wholly made in Europe, namely France Belgium Holland). The quality was shocking: the boards did not click together properly, some boards were thicker and different shades than others.