Not allowed to lay laminate floor - is there a way round it?

propertyman

I am late to the party but here it is

1 You will be taken to court for a breach of the lease and will lose- I do it and win.

2 While the lease does not preclude laminate or wood flooring it does require you to lay flooring with regard to others

3 No matter how much padding you put under hard floors or how well you lay them it has one major difference to carpets

4 Thats the empty room factor - a hard floor does not absorb or deflect sounds from you, the tv or the dog releasing pressure:eek:


And that is what it is truly hard to do stop noise bouncing around and transmitting to any neighbours, not just those below.

Very new purpose built flats with concrete floors can just about do that, anything thats roughly 10/15 years old or older is unlikely to do that.

MoneyMate

My friend thought they could lay Laminate although it clearly states in the flat particulars not, no surprise when it was sold they had to take up laminate and replace with Carpet £350.

katejo

jaylee3 wrote: »

Beats the hell out of me why anyone would want laminate. I HATE it with a passion. It's gets messy easily, it collects dust and bits, and it's a mare to keep clean.

We have carpets throughout our home now - except the bathroom and kitchen. It looks lovely, it's mega cosy, and you don't hear clip clop clonk everytime someone walks on it.

I think laminate is SOOOOOO ten years ago! And I agree with the poster who said it reminds them of a tacky buy-to-let property, as they often have laminate flooring!

I absolutely agree. I have a thing against laminate flooring (except perhaps in the bathroom). If I read estate agent descriptions which say laminate flooring throughout, it turns me off completely.

stargirl04

propertyman wrote: »

I am late to the party but here it is

1 You will be taken to court for a breach of the lease and will lose- I do it and win.

2 While the lease does not preclude laminate or wood flooring it does require you to lay flooring with regard to others

3 No matter how much padding you put under hard floors or how well you lay them it has one major difference to carpets

4 Thats the empty room factor - a hard floor does not absorb or deflect sounds from you, the tv or the dog releasing pressure:eek:


And that is what it is truly hard to do stop noise bouncing around and transmitting to any neighbours, not just those below.

Very new purpose built flats with concrete floors can just about do that, anything thats roughly 10/15 years old or older is unlikely to do that.

Hi Propertyman, not sure if you've read the whole thread but thanks for your thoughts.

1. I bought the flat with laminate flooring already in the lounge and hallway, but the two bedrooms are carpeted. I haven't changed anything yet and am waiting for the management company's decision, and I am happy to work with them on this.

I'm no longer keen on laying laminate or wood because of the issues I've been made aware of in this thread. I am hoping to be able to lay vinyl with specialist noise-reducing underlay, and if that's not possible, then I'll recarpet the bedrooms, as they're the rooms that need doing asap.

As for the laminated lounge and hallway, over the weekend I asked the people who sold the flat to me if they'd put it in and they said they hadn't - the laminate floor was already down when they bought it.

2. I will be laying flooring with consideration for my neighbours and in accordance with the direction of the management company.

3&4: That's really helpful to know, thanks.

stargirl04

Propertyman, one more thing - even if you get soundproofing in, surely that must work - for example, I know people who are musicians or into playing loud music who have had their homes soundproofed.

Generally, to those who posted comments on seagrass, jute flooring etc, why, if it were to get wet, would this be any worse than getting a carpet wet?

And also, if I am asthmatic and allergic to some natural fibres (eg, I can't have feather duvets or pillows) would I be better off with carpet rather than seagrass/jute etc anyway?

Many thanks

propertyman

The problem is that in order to do 2 you need to understand 3 & 4. it is not a question of meeting the building regulation but with close fitted carpet with underlay as the default position, a sound engineer can establish the transmission of noise to other flats.

it is almost inevitable that a hard surface floor vinyl wood or laminate will not be able to reach the "carpeted" standard and therefore you aren't going to get consent.

Even with the current flooring in the hall and lounge the same principles apply. Even vinyl with under lay has a similar problem in reflecting sound in rooms.

Even if the laminate predates them it is still a breach which can be enforced.

I too am asthmatic and cannot have feather pillows and duvets- I even had to walk around with red face & blotches in the middle of the night to get the hotel to scare up some synthetic pillows.

The hard floor though is a myth , I recall having vinyl tiles laid in my bedroom as a child and my asthma got worse as any dust simply swirls around unless you have a thorough daily clean especially under and behind all furniture where the dust lurks and swirls in a new breeze or draft.

Carpets will trap the dust and a good regular vacuum with a good vacuum with a decent filter ideally heppa, and cleaning regime of the carpet, not to mention other surfaces and furnishings, will keep down the dust and any mites that feed on it.

Often people talk about their allergies and the hard floors when the curtains, soft covering,s their clothes and furniture, book shelves and dvd cases and cushions are teeming with dust and mites that are the actual problem.

rgannon4

xylophone wrote: »

Have you done any internet research? Example http://www.hushacoustics.co.uk/sound-control-products/?gclid=CLjizP3Q778CFUTLtAoddn0Asw

http://www.soundservice.co.uk/soundproofing_help_for_separating_floors.html

Theres actually a good case study on that site you mentioned...

http://www.hushacoustics.co.uk/case-studies/can-hardwood-flooring-reduce-sound-better-carpet/