laminate vs tiles in lounge?

Doglover88

will be going down on an existing floor, looks like tiles but wont be coming up, think theyve been there since it was built, 40yrs ago.
What would look/be better? looking for a very minimalistic look, light and airy room with either white or very light grey flooring. Any sggestions or comments greatly appreciated
glen

se999

I'm not a technical expert, but basic question is what is the current flooring on top of?

If it's wood there will be movement, so before laying ceramic tiles you need to have a plywood base (not sure how thick), and use flexible grout and cement to cope with any movement that occurs, otherwise tiles can crack and the grouting definately will.

If it's cement, you shouldn't have a movement problem, but you can have a damp problem sometimes, and so you may have to lay a dampproof membrane under the laminate otherwise i if damp gets into it it can warp and buckle - not pretty!!

Whatever you chose make sure you check fully the information for the product you pick to make sure you fit it correctly for your house.

There are probably some real builders reading who know a lot more, but hope this gives a starting point.

Tilemeister

As a tiler if you want ceramics they can be cold underfoot so look into fitting underfloor heating its cheap to run and works well.
if you are going onto wood you need flexible adhesive and grout.
if there is a lot of movement in the floor you may need to board it out first (the recommended is"12mm ply screwed at 300mm centres)
but i think this is exessive.
if you do go down this route get a tiler to do the job
(im not trying to build my part )
but it isnt really for the diyer to tackle (you knick the heating element and its floor up and start again !)
look to pay about £30 m2 to fit uf heating and tiles + materials
hope this helps Steve

IJJoseph

Just a heads up on the plywood aspect. I have been using a product called Schluter Ditra for some time now without a single problem. It's an orange uncoupling/waterproofing membrane which negates using plyboard and means you don't get the slight differential in floor heights between rooms. At about £19 sq. m it is not cheap but if installed properly the stuff is fantastic. So good they used it on Heathrow T3.

Doglover88

cheers people
its going down on a solid floor, looks like tiles on a concrete base. Do you think black/anthracite large tiles would look good with white walls? Its quite a large area and has a lot of natura light coming in from both sides..
Going for the minimalistic look
glen

se999

With black it's going to absorb the light, and not reflect it. In the summer they will also absorb the heat too, which with lots of windows could be a problem.

Watch out if you go for gloss effect, plain black gloss is difficult not to get a smeary look and will show every speck of dust. I prefer to enjoy the look of a place I've finished rather than cleaning it constantly.

Also on practicalities think about how slippy they'll be normally. We had textured matt finish tiles which weren't too bad (white in main area but dark slate coloured in a bathroom), but some people go for really glossy ones which can be OK until you come in with wet shoes, or dashing through wearing socks!!

So I'd recommend something not too glossy or slippy