laminate floor - expansion gaps required on all walls ? please help !

zackkilmer

Please help !

I've had laminate flooring fitted by an expert , who's coming back today to fit beading around to finish off . However after he finished last night I noticed that around sections of the wall the laminate was right up against the skirting board ( I didn't lift skirting board ) with no expansion gap . On looking on directly opposite wall there was a gap - will that be satisfactory ? also in the hall there was no gap on either opposite walls (longways along wall) but at top / bottom ( i.e at doorways ) there was a decent gap .

I guess what i'm trying to say is that is this ok i.e so long as the wood has a gap to move into in one direction will this suffice? I'm really concerned about getting peaking floor further down the line and having to fix it . This guy wasn't cheap !

Thanks

weekendwarrior

I have just checked here- Fitting laminate and it says that an expansion gap needs to be left all the way around the room. There are of course exceptions to this in kitchens for example you can fit the laminate flush with one wall and leave a huge gap under the plinth.

How big is the room and how much of a gap has been left?

How much did you pay for fitting if you don't mind me asking?

zackkilmer

thx for reply . Well its 24m2 living room and he assures me that so long as there's a gap down one side then the wood has space to move into . It cost £10 per m2

cheers

Strangled

Don't pay him !!! You should have about 8mm on all walls. If I'm fitting scotia (beading) I leave the gap, but I still cut out all the doorframes as well. 2-3 weeks time the joints will start to peak.
Laminate floors need to move,hence the gap.

[Deleted User]

I' started laying laminate flooring in my house last weekend.. i'm quite a novice at DIY but it's going alright. All the guides i've found say you need a gap on both sides or it can break.

I'd ask him why he thinks he's right and all the books/guides are wrong

gardnt1

As a fitter, a gap should be left all the way around a floor of 5-10mm.
The only exception should be for instances when you are around stairs etc where you can get away with a smaller gap.

he may tell you that as long as the floor has a gap on one side it will be ok.......you may find this to be the case, but different laminates expand in a lot of ways! I have seen cheaper ones expand more than I could imagine, wheras ones like quickstep dont seem to move much......for peace of mind ask him to remove the edges and cut further back...should be no problem.

ormus

yes there should be a gap of approx 7mm (quarter inch) all the way around the room.

zackkilmer

Hi

The guy came and finished today didn't cut them back - said it was a concrete floor and so not susceptible to the same temp changes and rigours as say hardwood floors , also the expansion applied mainly to hardwood floors . it was not quickstep laminate but instead homebase rustic oak , took money and left. He did have a trade card at homebase and it said laminate flooring amongst others . He said that he's fitted many floors , many tight to skirting and he's had no problems

So I'm stuck with it . Let's say worse case scenario in 2/3 weeks and peaking at joints occurs - is it fixable ? I mean would it be a case of removing beading , cutting back the edges and leaving a heavy object on peaking floor until it flattens ? or do i have to relay whole new floor . Please say no as I'm at my wits end here !

gardnt1

I can sort of understand his view on concrete floors (unless fairly new), although i dont agree with them!
I assume he used the correct underlay for this floor as concrete floors require a moisture barrier.
Hopefully nothing will go wrong......if you do notice floor rising (peaking) then remove bead and cut back to allow it to rest again.........dont force anything heavy on it as this may break joints.

As said although this is not the normal rule of fitting, it should hopefully be ok as at least there is a gap on some of it if i understand you........only time will tell but no point worrying as it may never happen.

[Deleted User]

I was just wondering... one of my laminate boards is a bit close to the wall - is there a way of cutting it back in situ rather than pulling them all up and getting the saw out?

Strangled

In my experience, once the joints have peaked....even after trimming back, in the light it is still noticeable.
Good Luck.