Best kind of wooden floors?

needtoknow_4

Hi everybody,

Im thinking of putting some wooden laminated floors in living room, hallway and also a type of wooden floor in kitchen. I dont want to pay the top prices but would like to have the best kind of floor within my budget. Probably around £10 or less per yard for living room and hallway and I have seen a good tiled effect wooden floor for £15.99 a sq yard for kitchen. I dont like the wide plank wooden floors (for living room or hallway) but much prefer the 3 plank effect i.e on one long piece of wood its like its made of 2 or more separate planks about 3 inches wide.

I've looked at a few suppliers with prices starting from £4.99 for a 7mm thick and in the style I like. The guy said that they are usually used in bedroom and not usually used in a busy living area, as they might'nt last too long. He aslo stated at a 8mm thick plank is supposed to be 25% stronger (according to manufacturers) if you can believe that ...I mean would 1 mm difference in thickness make that much of a difference.

As I just said the styles and finish that I like are from only £4.99 a sq yard with £4.50 to £5 for fitting.

Any advice gratelfully apreciated.

many thanls

Tobyruby

In my experience, the fitter is key. I spent quite a lot of money on solid wood flooring. It started to buckle within a month, and I am talking speed bumps here. The fitter didn't stand over his work and I have had 3 repair jobs in 4 years, by 3 different people. The floor looks like a dog's breakfast. So, don't talk to the salespeople, talk to the fitters and get their advice on the best floor not only for your budget, but for the type of house you have.

sutwam

Hi

I work for a company that sells accessories for laminate floors, not them directly. But have fitted a few laminate floors.

I have been over to the Quickstep factory and seen the laminates made and you have to bear in mind that a laminate is just a photo on a MDF board with a bit of sealent on the top to preserve it.

I have spoken to a number of fitters and the outcome was the very thin boards could break if the subfloor isnt of a sound and even nature, the key if your doing it yourself is to but a "click" system laminate - Quickstep pioneered this but lots of manufactures do it now it just slots together so much easier. An expansion gap is essential, approx 10mm around the room, this means as the wood expands and contracts the floor has somewhere to go and you wount get the "speed humps" described above.

If you do go for real wood it needs to aclimatise in your room before it can be laid and I would get a proper fitter to do the job.

If you are laying laminate in the kitchen or bathroom I would always go for a laminate that has been manufactured for the purpose, otherwise it is surprising how a overflowing sink, blocked washing machine or badly plumbed dishwasher could flood out some water, it gets into the joints in the laminate and with "blow" the joint which means it will leave a ridge in your lovely floor. It will say on the packaging if its for kitchen/bathroom.

We deal with Floors 2 Go and I know they have always let me take sample pieces away so I can try the colour out in my rooms before hand, which has stopped me making a colour mistake in the past!

Always ask, Floors 2 Go are pretty much a dedicated laminate seller so should be able to offer good advise.

And good look!

dmxdave

So Floors 2 go are good then

Frenchtoast_2

Have to say its hard to beat proper wooden floors. There may be more work involved but most reclamation yards offer a wide and varied selection of real floors at prices not much more than good laminate flooring. Some also offer natural stone flooring for kitchens etc.

Just an alternative option:rolleyes:

sutwam

I wouldn't say Floors 2 Go are good, they are a mass chain of stores and if you get some annoying unhelpful member of staff they will appear rubbish!

Conversley you can go to Topps or B&Q and they should have a good range and if you know anyone over 60 you can get that extra discount at B&Q!!

johnnieboy

sutwam wrote: »

I wouldn't say Floors 2 Go are good, they are a mass chain of stores and if you get some annoying unhelpful member of staff they will appear rubbish!

Conversley you can go to Topps or B&Q and they should have a good range and if you know anyone over 60 you can get that extra discount at B&Q!!

B+Q can have good offers on laminates. Watch out for the ones in 'white packs' these tend to be good value for money. Have fitted four of them in the past few years and they seem to be wearing well.