Please delete

cranford

I have laid my living area and hall twice in the last 18 years. Used the screwfix boards and tools as above post. Tried a circular saw But found it was easier to use a hand saw, boards are not thick so easy to cut but they do blunt the saws so get a pack of 2. Laid mine on a concrete floor so needed a waterproof sheeting under the fibre boards jointed with moisture barrier tape. Need to decide which way round to lay the boards, plenty of advice on this online. Then if possible make sure you do not end up with a thin strip at one end of the room. better to cut length wise at both ends of the room to avoid this.

sol2017

Very useful info, thank you all!

akira181

I laid laminate flooring in a very old house and it took me roughly 4 full days (2 rooms with 3 bay windows, a hallway with 7 doors off it). My mother bought very cheap and thin underlay, which it was awful for compensating for slight unevenness of the floor, so a couple spots are creaky. Good underlay will make the job a lot nicer and is worth it I think.

I didn't like the idea of using beading at the walls and the skirting boards would not come off so I undercut them all in place. I would suggest renting a jamb saw to to all the undercuts, including the door frames using the multitool only for fine adjustments. A multitool for the entire job is possible but will take a very long time, go through a lot of blades, and look a bit messy if you undercut all the skirting boards. 20 minutes with the jamb saw and all the cuts were done, nice and straight.

After that, measure the room to make sure you don't have a full width piece at one side of the room and a tiny slither of laminate at the other side then just start laying. Remember to stagger the joints for strength and to leave a small expansion gap. Cardboard templates help with tricky areas like bay windows and door frames to get all the cuts right. I used a circular saw to cut the laminate and a jigsaw for the little cutouts.

It's an easy job, just takes some patience to make nice.

grumbler

akira181 wrote: »

so I undercut them all in place. I would suggest renting a jamb saw to to all the undercuts, including the door frames using the multitool only for fine adjustments....20 minutes with the jamb saw and all the cuts were done, nice and straight.
...

It's an easy job, just takes some patience to make nice.

If it's glueless 'click' laminate, I don't see how undercutting on both opposite sides of the room can help, unless you suggest glueing the final row or moving the entire slab a little at the very end.

konark

It's a relatively easy job on a perfectly rectangular room, but the more angles and irregularity you have the more difficult it becomes, particularly if you're using the beading method. A chop/mitre saw is your best friend.

redmalc

We have had it fitted in a number of houses and the best advise I could give you would be to either replace the skirting or on dear cut the existing skirting board

neilmcl

redmalc wrote: »

We have had it fitted in a number of houses and the best advise I could give you would be to either replace the skirting or on dear cut the existing skirting board

If you undercut the existing skirting then you'll always going to have problems fitting the last row in a click together system. You'll have to cut/shave off the lock profile and glue it in place as traditional t&g board on the last row.

moanamoana

The reason I was thinking of using beading instead of new skirting boards is just because of the cost. I don't plan on staying here permanently and it's rented property, so it just seems like too much of an investment for a place where I'm not staying long term.

missile

I dislike beading, but it is very easy for DIY. Most retailers will have a display for you to look at.

You should speak with your landlord before installing laminate.

You might want to consider vinyl flooring?

Fire_Fox

moanamoana wrote: »

The reason I was thinking of using beading instead of new skirting boards is just because of the cost. I don't plan on staying here permanently and it's rented property, so it just seems like too much of an investment for a place where I'm not staying long term.

I've never actually seen how beading looks in person, hopefully it won't be too bad!

If you are a tenant please ensure you have the written permission of the landlord before you begin.

Please also consider the ease with which you can remove/ replace/ reinstate the flooring, should you need to (eg. washing machine flood damages your handiwork).