Merryterry wrote:
On 1 Jan, 14:13, "James R" wrote:
wrote in message

...



Happy New Year!

I have a small dining room , about 3mx2.5m, currently carpeted and
am thinking of replacing this with wooden laminate flooring. The
actual floor underneath is concrete.
Happily, I have no skirtings fitted as I've removed these, having
just had the walls replastered.
So, carpet, underlay and grippers are coming up at the weekend.

I don't know much about laminate but I imagine I want some
'underlay/ foam' stuff down on top of the concrete, take the
laminate to the walls with a small (10mm ?) gap all around, then
put the skirting boards on last, allowing the floor to 'float' - is
that about right?

Now, laminate flooring is available from Wickes, B&Q, IKEA, etc. Is
it all pretty much the same re. choice of colours and quality? Am I
likely to have trouble fitting it myself?
Are the 'locking' panels equally effective and easy to snap together
without special tools?
Any recommendations for other suppliers?
What should I put underneath it?
Anything else I should bear in mind?

Many thanks,
Jeff

Laminate is very 90's now like garden decking. I prefer a good
quality underlay and carpet. They look much better, are not "cold"
and don't make everything echo. Why fit a £2.99 cheap looking
laminate floor
and ruin the appearance of your home?
I have spent months ripping up laminate flooring and fitting carpets
as people have moved on from a cheap look.

I agree with this poster. Its a sod to keep looking good. Scratches
easily and shows every speck of dirt.

I'd say it was much easier to maintain. Reasonable quality doesn't scratch
at all. As for 'shows every spec of dirt', hard floors get the same amount
of dirt as carpets do, its just that carpets only look dirty when full.

Quick vacuum or whip round with a flat moist thingy is all you need on
laminate.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk