Laminate floor and underlay

paddypaws101

Spare bedroom is currently carpet over old/imperfect floorboards and I am looking to get laminate fitted.
Obviously the present carpet and underlay will be removed, but what kind of underlay should I be looking at to ensure even surface and also heat/sound insulation?
What kind of cost per metre to buy, and also fit?
Room is approx 12m sq, what kind of rates do decent fitters quote for that?

paddypaws101

Bump Bump Bump

Bud_Fox

You want layered tin-foil & popped bubble wrap for a job like that. Seal them with pritt stick and an expensive brand of double sided duct tape to make it sound proof. You definitely don't wanna go cheap when it comes to purchasing underlay. Should cost you no more than a couple thousand.

paddypaws101

Very funny Bud Fox.

woodbutcher_2

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Fibreboard-Underlay-PK20/p/215589

I use this type on floorboards.

Laminate flooring prices range from about £4 sq mt upwards, so that is up to you. I would charge £10 a metre to fit but i'm not greedy and prices around here for labour aint massive. Don't know what they are like where you are.

paddypaws101

Thanks woodbutcher, very helpful.
Now some more questions!
Where is a good place to buy the accessories such as scotia and door bar? The laminate I have chosen is a 'tawny chestnut' so I dont know how easy it will be to ge properlyt matching accessories. is the scotia always wood coloured or would it be better to go for white to match in with the skirting boards?

stebiz

woodbutcher wrote: »

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Fibreboard-Underlay-PK20/p/215589

I use this type on floorboards.

Laminate flooring prices range from about £4 sq mt upwards, so that is up to you. I would charge £10 a metre to fit but i'm not greedy and prices around here for labour aint massive. Don't know what they are like where you are.

I think it all depends on how much laminate the OP has to fit as to the price per square metre. I notice B&Q charge £15 per square metre. I had two laminate fitters fighting to do my whole house at £5 per square metre. But it is all clear and they can work what hours/days they like without having to move anything.

jennifernil

Match it to the skirting, it makes the room look bigger.

We got white at a good price on e Bay.

iris

Wouldn't it be better to remove the skirting before fitting the laminate flooring?


My husband has just fitted engineered oak flooring to our kitchen floor (21 sq/metres) and he took the skirting board off first and then re-fitted it. Our skirting is timber which has been stained.


We used ebay for our carpet to laminate threshold strip.

paddypaws101

iris wrote: »

Wouldn't it be better to remove the skirting before fitting the laminate flooring?
.

I am sure it would indeed be better if the skirting was fitted OVER the laminate.....but I really do not want to have to redecorate the whole room. If I pull the skirting off it will presumably damage the plastered and painted walls and then that would need to be re-done..
Or.....do skirting boards come off easily? I don't know if the builder tacked them on or used strong adhesive.

woodbutcher_2

stebiz wrote: »

I think it all depends on how much laminate the OP has to fit as to the price per square metre. I notice B&Q charge £15 per square metre. I had two laminate fitters fighting to do my whole house at £5 per square metre. But it is all clear and they can work what hours/days they like without having to move anything.

Very true and all jobs need assessing before pricing. If i had loads to do, then the price can be lowered but for one room at 12 sq mts, then £10 a mt is a decent ballpark figure.

As for trims and scotias, the place you buy the laminate from should have matching trims but they can be quite expensive from places like B&Q. In my house, i bought some lengths of 15mm pine quadrant (scotia is also an option) and painted them the same colour as my skirtings (cream) before i fitted them. Worked out a lot cheaper and looked good. You can buy plain white scotia if your skirtings are white and you don't want the faff of painting.

Removing skirtings is also an option but can lead to a lot of damage to walls depending on how well they have been fixed. I wouldn't go down this route unless you are planning a complete room refurb.