"Grunff" wrote in message
...
Tenex wrote:
I want to lay a laminate floor but wondered whether on aesthetic and
cost
grounds it's better to lay new floorboards and sand/varnish. Any
opinions?
The existing boards are really in too poor condition to be used (gaps
you
could lose a foot down in some places ;-) ) and cement covered and oddly
filled in in others.

Any websites with advice on laying/preparing either would be
appreciated.

One consideration is which would lead to least dust - we suffer from
hugely
rubble filled voids and I'm concerned the central heating will raise
dust if
there are gaps in boards (then again it'll give me the opportunity to
clear
them I suppose).

Laminate is great - so are floor boards. Think of them as two
flooring alternatives, with different properties (not, unlike
some see them, a 'proper' floor and a nasty alternative).

IMO, floorboards are good in well used areas, but are a lot more
effort to keep dust free, and are invariably noisier.


We got rid of the carpet in our bedroom & I sanded, oiled/stained and
varnished the boards. Looks good, and there's no intrusive noise in the
room below.

We have found it easy to keep clean - a quick brush around with a soft brush
or vacuum with Henry (brushes down - oh no, not another Henry nut...!!)
keeps the dust and fluff down. Was easier than vacuuming the carpet when it
was down. The dust still accumulates when you have a carpet, but you just
don't notice it... and of course with carpets you have to move furniture to
properly vacuum behind it, whereas with bare boards/laminate you can quickly
sweep behind it.

Laminate OTOH is quieter, can be kept spotless with minimum
effort, but won't last as long.

We have laminate in the living room, and will shortly lay it in
the study. Those areas are kept very clean, but don't get a huge
amount of foot traffic, especially not in shoes.

If you do go for laminate, go for a good quality one. Expect to
pay £15-£20/sqm. At that price, you'll get a thick laminate
(12-16mm), which will look great when laid and will give a
reasonable service life. I expect ours to last 15-20 years.


The Richard Burbidge stuff that I put in our rented flat was good stuff -
easy to lay and no discernable joins. Got it for about £13 +vat /sq.m from
Champion.

--
Grunff



cheers
Richard

--
Richard Sampson

email me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk