Laminate flooring over york stone - help please!

fiddiwebb

I did say in my post #4 that I used them on uneven floorboards and that they were only 5-6mm thick so not thick enough.

I don't think they would rock and slip around as these boards are like compressed paper so are not rigid.

underlay_guru

fiddiwebb wrote: »

I did say in my post #4 that I used them on uneven floorboards and that they were only 5-6mm thick so not thick enough.

I don't think they would rock and slip around as these boards are like
compressed paper so are not rigid.

Yeah you did. Sorry:o

andrew-b

Total sacrilege!!

Of course the other thing is that laminate isn't really suitable for kitchens in the first place ..one's that say they are, are merely moisture resistant (with the exception of a product called aquastep- and a few other similar PVC-laminate floors).

If you must lay laminate i would think really really carefully if it is likely to damage the floor in a way that it can't be restored to it's former glory. I'd love to pull up a floor covering to find an immaculate condition stone floor underneath..but i'd cry if i discovered a stone floor ruined by self-levelling screed poured over it or hundreds of screw holes!

Andy

puddy

i wouldnt want to cover them over either but i know that sometimes some types of floor are not practical.

what about if you put a timber frame around the edge of the room, say an inch off the floor, fixed it to the walls, rather than the floor but with little legs at various points so that its standing on the floor), then lay some sort of 'beams' across the frame, so you get a sort of criss cross trellis like affair (also with little legs on the floor), but each 'beam' is affixed to the frame around the edge and not to the floor, each beam would need to be sunk down into the frame somewhat, so although the frame might come and inch or 2 inches up the wall (raising the floor slightly), the trellis section, only comes half and inch or an inch up from the frame (so it is lower than the height of the frame).
then set a newer floor in the trellis section.
it would ned to be strong, perhaps the trellis secgtion could be metal rather than wood, perhas the whole of it could be metal.

then, when you want to revert back to the york floor, you just break up the raised floor and bobs your uncle

wallbash

Some wonderful suggestions :rolleyes:

Here is mine ..... feel very happy to dismiss it .

Cling film the floor , then use self levelling
Would it work ..... have not a clue!!

tandraig

nooooo dont - not beautiful york stone!!! sacrilege. you can get mats etc for warmth but stone is so georgeous people are paying a fortune for it now!!! not going to give any advice here as i think you are sooooo wrong.
oh and it is practical - thats why its been used for hundreds of years. you can sweep it, scrub it with soapy water if its really dirty. and its really satisfying to smash plates on it when in a temper. better than OHs head anyway!

leveller2911

I'm a joiner by trade and have laid a fair few laminate floors.I would never normally suggest laying a laminate floor on an un-even floor,ive seen far too many !!!!-ups that look hideous.

I like most of the above would much prefer seeing yorkstone any day,it looks beautiful with age as the stones wear and you see the indentations of years of use ,they can't be beaten.....

Now if your Adam Ant you want to try a laminate floor then I would suggest laying 20mm thick 8X4 sheets of Jabbalite (polystyrene) first and the laminate on top,this should compress on the high spots and fill the voids as much as possible.Then lay the laminate on top,it will mean trimming the doors a bit more.
I,m NOT saying it would work but it will take out more undulations than fibreboards................Good luck.................Personally I'd keep the flagstones...........anyday...

jooper33

Hi guys,

Many thanks for all the suggestions, I think the boarding idea or 'platform' type thing are my only real options because of the uneveness.

With regards to the sheer horror everyone has in response to my covering these up, I feel the need to explain..........

The stone is lovely & practical, the coldness doesn't bother me and I've loved having the floor for the past 10 years since it was put it. It's just I'm having a new kitchen and I simply want a change. I appreciate it's qualities and for that reason I didn't want to ruin it by pouring self levelling compound all over it, that would be a real shame.

It's quickstep floor I'm using and to be fair it's pretty durable and is suitable for kitchens.

Thanks again:T

andrew-b

jooper33 wrote: »

is suitable for kitchens.

allegedly from their marketing yes..however when you get down to the warranty conditions have a look at this:
"Moisture left on the floor, or on or around the skirting boards or wall base or profiles, cleaning that is too wet and/or the use of inappropriate cleaning products must be avoided at all times."link.

Also see http://www.quick-step.com/others/oth/en/faq/0007.aspx ..where although they say spilt water isn't a problem in the same breath they say to remove standing water asap.

The laminate still contains HDF which still swells up if water does find it's way through. Have a look at Aquastep as i mentioned before. Fairly pricey though - cheapest place i found was here or here - though at the time that last website didn't have contact details but they now appear to have sorted that (perhaps they saw my previous comments!). The first site sent me free samples - though decided to go with different flooring in the end.

HTH

Andy

jooper33

Hi Andy

Take on board your comments.
I've already got the Quickstep I'm going to use in the lounge, it's pretty resiliant I've got to say. As far as the water/moisture issue, a neighbour and some friends both have had it down in their kitchens for around 5 years + with no problems so far, so it seems ok.

I appreciate you'd have to take extra care with it in there, wiping up any spillages immediately etc.

Incidentally there's a post on the site somewhere discussing this and the poster reckons he 'tested' it resistance to water himself buy leaving an offcut in a bucket of water for several days if not weeks and he said it didn't even swell. Now I realise that's not scientific by any means but it makes the point to some extent don't you think?