What is your opinion on the suitability of laminate flooring for a hallway
and loo? Initially, I was thinking of using something tougher and more
washable, such as ceramic tiles, but I am reluctant, because they are so
permanent. If they go out of style, they are a bitch to remove... whereas
laminate can be ripped away in a jiffy.

Another couple of options would be rubber-backed carpet tiles or possibly
cork tiles, but I'm not that keen on those materials. Anyone got any other
suggestions on this?

Thanks,

Al

AL_z wrote:
What is your opinion on the suitability of laminate flooring for a hallway
....

Pay £7 per sq m and it probably won't take the wear. Pay four times that
for commercial grade flooring and it will.

Colin Bignell

Tim Watts wrote in
:

AL_z
wibbled on Saturday 07 August 2010 15:11


What is your opinion on the suitability of laminate flooring for a
hallway and loo? Initially, I was thinking of using something tougher
and more washable, such as ceramic tiles, but I am reluctant, because
they are so permanent. If they go out of style, they are a bitch to
remove... whereas laminate can be ripped away in a jiffy.

Another couple of options would be rubber-backed carpet tiles or
possibly cork tiles, but I'm not that keen on those materials. Anyone
got any other suggestions on this?

Thanks,

Al

I don;t care how much they claim "bathroom grade" is waterproof - I
just wouldn't for the loo. Hall's OK.

I'd use a *good* quality vinyl for the loo rather than laminate. Also
it is very easy to change and should see 10 years hard use anyway.

Thanks for the input. The floor is bare screed at the moment. I'm not sure
if it's quite smooth enough to lay vinyl tiles on, but I'm not experienced
in vinyl. My only previous experience of vinyl tiles is self-adhesive ones,
and for those, I'd definitely need something smoother than this screed. In
one house, we had "Marley" tiles laid onto bare screed by a pro, back in
about 1960. He stuck them down with some kind of black tar-like adhesive,
and the tiles neeeded heating up in the process. They stood the test of
time; they were still looking no worse for wear in 2009! I guess that
system is now obsolete. For this job, I'm thinking I could perhaps lay
cement board or similar over the screed floor and then lay a good quality
self-adhesive vinyl tile through the hallway and loo together. Or is vinyl
tile in a hallway considered a bit naff/tacky these days? I've seen some
very convincing-looking stone-effect ones somewhere; B&Q, I think.

Al

In article ,
Tim Watts wrote:

I don;t care how much they claim "bathroom grade" is waterproof - I just
wouldn't for the loo. Hall's OK.

I've said this on here before, but we stuck some "slate look" laminate
down in the kitchen here years ago (8?) as a quick fix until we could afford
to do it properly.

This was the aqualok stuff from B&Q.

The following year I found an offcut in a puddle outside (where I'd been
cutting it). Many years later, it's still out there, still getting all the
weather and still completely fine.

Floor is still down and seems fine as well (which is a shame - it's harder
to justify replacing it ;-))

So, some of the stuff really is waterproof...

But, re ceramic tiles - I don't see a problem. And you won't be doing the
job again for a long long time (never if you do it right).

we avoided ceramic and went for the quick laminate option as wife was
pregnant and the floor is a little bouncy - nothing major but needed sorting
for ceramic.

The laminate appears to cope fine with the slight movement


Darren

"D.M.Chapman" dmc@puffin. wrote in message
...
In article ,
Tim Watts wrote:

I don;t care how much they claim "bathroom grade" is waterproof - I just
wouldn't for the loo. Hall's OK.

I've said this on here before, but we stuck some "slate look" laminate
down in the kitchen here years ago (8?) as a quick fix until we could
afford
to do it properly.

This was the aqualok stuff from B&Q.

The following year I found an offcut in a puddle outside (where I'd been
cutting it). Many years later, it's still out there, still getting all the
weather and still completely fine.

Floor is still down and seems fine as well (which is a shame - it's harder
to justify replacing it ;-))

So, some of the stuff really is waterproof...

But, re ceramic tiles - I don't see a problem. And you won't be doing the
job again for a long long time (never if you do it right).

we avoided ceramic and went for the quick laminate option as wife was
pregnant and the floor is a little bouncy - nothing major but needed
sorting
for ceramic.

The laminate appears to cope fine with the slight movement


Darren


I too have B&Q laminate down in my shower room, and bathroom, and it has not
been a problem in either. I also have laminate from the same series in my
kitchen and conservatory, and again, no problems. All of these are from the
B&Q 'Tiloc' range. Three of them are simulations of white limestone tiles,
and the kitchen one is a simulation of slate tiles. The effect is so good,
that they have, over the years, fooled just about everyone who has
encountered them - to the point where I have had people on their hands and
knees in disbelief that they are not looking at the real thing. The Tiloc
range is not expensive, and is a dream to fit together. If you are really
worried about the core not being waterproof, B&Q do a silicone type sealer
especially for the job. You put a thin bead of it down each joint, before
snapping it together, then wipe off any excess that exudes. My son-in-law
used it when he fitted Tiloc in his bathroom, but I have not found the need.

In my hallway, and the downstairs toilet that leads off it, I have B&Q
bog-standard wood effect laminate. It's probably about the cheapest one that
they do. Both areas are heavily trafficked, but it still looks as good as
when it was put down. It is mopped regularly, but I think the trick is to
not get it ridiculously soaking wet. As long as you use a mild detergent,
and wring the mop out well, you really won't have a problem. I have been
putting laminates down in my houses since they first appeared on the market
20 odd years ago, and they have evolved a lot since those early days of
having to glue the boards together. The modern board glueless locking system
is machined so well anyway, that the fit is tight enough that you can't see
the joins between boards, without a magnifying glass, so that doesn't leave
a lot of space for moisture to get down into, anyway. If you do go down the
laminate route, one little trick is to have an old toothbrush to hand as you
lay it. Run it down every mating surface, before putting them together, as
you can get tiny bits of machining debris in the complex-profile snap joint.
Even the tiniest piece of such debris, can stop the joint from closing
tight. Also, make sure that you use a good quality underlay. I've found that
it is well worth spending a bit more on the grey medium density stuff,
rather than using the white low density polystyrene 'paper'.

Arfa

"Arfa Daily" wrote in message
news:Pbn7o.40815$MQ3.30479@hurricane...


"D.M.Chapman" dmc@puffin. wrote in message
...
In article ,
Tim Watts wrote:

I don;t care how much they claim "bathroom grade" is waterproof - I just
wouldn't for the loo. Hall's OK.

I've said this on here before, but we stuck some "slate look" laminate
down in the kitchen here years ago (8?) as a quick fix until we could
afford
to do it properly.

This was the aqualok stuff from B&Q.

The following year I found an offcut in a puddle outside (where I'd been
cutting it). Many years later, it's still out there, still getting all
the
weather and still completely fine.

Floor is still down and seems fine as well (which is a shame - it's
harder
to justify replacing it ;-))

So, some of the stuff really is waterproof...

But, re ceramic tiles - I don't see a problem. And you won't be doing the
job again for a long long time (never if you do it right).

we avoided ceramic and went for the quick laminate option as wife was
pregnant and the floor is a little bouncy - nothing major but needed
sorting
for ceramic.

The laminate appears to cope fine with the slight movement


Darren


I too have B&Q laminate down in my shower room, and bathroom, and it has
not been a problem in either. I also have laminate from the same series in
my kitchen and conservatory, and again, no problems. All of these are from
the B&Q 'Tiloc' range. Three of them are simulations of white limestone
tiles, and the kitchen one is a simulation of slate tiles. The effect is
so good, that they have, over the years, fooled just about everyone who
has encountered them - to the point where I have had people on their hands
and knees in disbelief that they are not looking at the real thing. The
Tiloc range is not expensive, and is a dream to fit together. If you are
really worried about the core not being waterproof, B&Q do a silicone type
sealer especially for the job. You put a thin bead of it down each joint,
before snapping it together, then wipe off any excess that exudes. My
son-in-law used it when he fitted Tiloc in his bathroom, but I have not
found the need.

In my hallway, and the downstairs toilet that leads off it, I have B&Q
bog-standard wood effect laminate. It's probably about the cheapest one
that they do. Both areas are heavily trafficked, but it still looks as
good as when it was put down. It is mopped regularly, but I think the
trick is to not get it ridiculously soaking wet. As long as you use a mild
detergent, and wring the mop out well, you really won't have a problem. I
have been putting laminates down in my houses since they first appeared on
the market 20 odd years ago, and they have evolved a lot since those early
days of having to glue the boards together. The modern board glueless
locking system is machined so well anyway, that the fit is tight enough
that you can't see the joins between boards, without a magnifying glass,
so that doesn't leave a lot of space for moisture to get down into,
anyway. If you do go down the laminate route, one little trick is to have
an old toothbrush to hand as you lay it. Run it down every mating surface,
before putting them together, as you can get tiny bits of machining debris
in the complex-profile snap joint. Even the tiniest piece of such debris,
can stop the joint from closing tight. Also, make sure that you use a good
quality underlay. I've found that it is well worth spending a bit more on
the grey medium density stuff, rather than using the white low density
polystyrene 'paper'.

Arfa



This is good stuff:

http://www.karndean.co.uk/site/home.cfm

"Nightjar "cpb"@" "insertmysurnamehere wrote in message
...
AL_z wrote:
What is your opinion on the suitability of laminate flooring for a
hallway
...

Pay £7 per sq m and it probably won't take the wear. Pay four times that
for commercial grade flooring and it will.

Colin Bignell

The big snag with laminate flooring especially in a hall way is when you
come in from the rain. It is so easy to slip up if there is no carpet there.
This happened to a friend of mine and she neatly peeled the skin off on her
shin which resulted in several painful skin grafts and months off work.
Anyway it is up to you!
Robbie

"Roberts" wrote in message
...

"Nightjar "cpb"@" "insertmysurnamehere wrote in message
...
AL_z wrote:
What is your opinion on the suitability of laminate flooring for a
hallway
...

Pay £7 per sq m and it probably won't take the wear. Pay four times that
for commercial grade flooring and it will.

Colin Bignell

The big snag with laminate flooring especially in a hall way is when you
come in from the rain. It is so easy to slip up if there is no carpet
there. This happened to a friend of mine and she neatly peeled the skin
off on her shin which resulted in several painful skin grafts and months
off work. Anyway it is up to you!
Robbie


How very odd. I have had the stuff down in both my entrance porch and
hallway for years, and none of us in the house have ever had any similar
problem. In fact, I can't say that I've ever found the stuff even remotely
slippy when coming in from the rain. I have a very simple mat just inside
the door, and I actually tend to deliberately 'scuff' my feet on the
laminate in the porch to dry off what the mat doesn't get so that it doesn't
tread into the hallway. All I've ever noticed is a bit of a 'squeak' when I
walk on it with wet shoes. Perhaps it was just an unfortunate combination of
the laminate surface and the type of soles on your friend's shoes which
caused the problem, although in saying that, five of us living in our house,
including three kids running about like demented loonies when they were
young and still living here, so I would have thought that one of us would
have come up with a similar combination over the years ?

Arfa