How easy is it to lay laminate flooring?

zaksmum

My husband wants to save money by fitting laminate flooring himself.

He's never done it before but having slotted a couple of pieces together in a shop reckons it will be a doddle.

I'm not so sure as he's mid 60s and has some arthritis.

Is it a relatively simple task...or best left to the professional fitters?

wallbash

Easy and hard , the ends are hidden underneath the skirting boards ........ or you get an edging strip if the skirting board is left in place. Hard bits the area next to the door and the area next to the door architrave.

I'm not so sure as he's mid 60s and has some arthritis.

Not a problem, its all in the planning.

spacey2012

For someone mid sixties yes it will be.
Flooring is the hardest job in building, bending down like a dog for hours on end is very hard and can knacker someone up for good.

elsien

Depends how many dogs he has jumping on his head while he's trying to do it...............

notanewuser

spacey2012 wrote: »

For someone mid sixties yes it will be.
Flooring is the hardest job in building, bending down like a dog for hours on end is very hard and can knacker someone up for good.

This. I was 24 the last time I did it and I couldn't stand up for the best part of a week.

jennifernil

If he has any experience in DIY/woodwork, then not that difficult, but if a complete novice, then much more difficult.

My 71 year old OH this year has laid all the flooring, other than carpets on stairs/landings in our daughter's 150 sq metre 3 storey townhouse, with very few problems, but he has been DIY-ing for over 40 years and is expert at woodworking.

The actual laying of the laminate is pretty easy, it is the planning, preparation, and cutting that takes skill. Working out where to start, which direction to lay it in, finishing the edges.

If not removing skirtings to fit, which he did not as it was not suitable, then the best finish is obtained by undercutting the door frames to slide the laminate under them, and matching the beading to the skirting.

He laid waterproof laminate all through the ground floor, solid oak in the upstairs lounge, waterproof tile effect laminate in 3 bathrooms, and ordinary laminate in the 4 bedrooms.

wallbash

Disagree, last floor I did, I was well into my fifties. Laminate is not heavy ??
And if you have had problems at the young age of 24 , I would be worried.

notanewuser

wallbash wrote: »

Disagree, last floor I did, I was well into my fifties. Laminate is not heavy ??
And if you have had problems at the young age of 24 , I would be worried.

Do you have boobs? Try strapping a couple of heavy weights to your chest and then spend 12+ hours for 3-4 days on your hands and knees.

wallbash

notanewuser wrote: »

Do you have boobs? Try strapping a couple of heavy weights to your chest and then spend 12+ hours for 3-4 days on your hands and knees.

My apologies, did not know you were of the fairer sex .
But have to ask how large the room was that it took 12 hours times 3 ( +1 ) ...... 36 plus hours to lay laminate flooring. ???

And yes I would do most of it on hands and knees rather than bending down.

wallbash

If he has any experience in DIY/woodwork, then not that difficult, but if a complete novice, then much more difficult.

My 71 year old OH

Noticing that there is far more negative posting in the DIY section .......everything is too difficult , leave it to the processionals. not a job for a novice. No wonder its the older members of society that can still wire a plug/ hang wallpaper , cure a dripping tap or paint a door. We had to do when we were younger, and grateful now that we did.

Now I will attempt nearly everything , not plastering. Bricklaying is painfully slow and hanging a heavy front door is not for a wimp like me.
Carpet yes, Vinyl no .

notanewuser

wallbash wrote: »

My apologies, did not know you were of the fairer sex .
But have to ask how large the room was that it took 12 hours times 3 ( +1 ) ...... 36 plus hours to lay laminate flooring. ???

And yes I would do most of it on hands and knees rather than bending down.

26' x 14'. Previous owners had glued the carpet underlay to the concrete floor. :mad: it took me HOURS to get the floor level, to fit the underlay, then the laminate, cutting the doorframe, fitting the beading. All on my own. Looked good though.