I am sure this has been discussed before but I can't find the messages .....

Anyway, trying to decide whether to put down tiles or laminate boards in
bathroom.
Bathroom suite is about a year old but we couldn't afford to have the floor
done as well.
Up to now we have lino which is quite tatty.

The subfloor is chipboard (pre new regs). For laminate flooring presumably I
need the
"vapour barrier" sheet. I see that all the stores offer laminate suitable
for bathrooms, slightly
more expensive. It's a small floor area, about 1.5 sqm so cutting around the
fittings will take
a bit of extra work. Anything else I need to think of?

Tiling the floor isn't a popular option (wife & kids .....).

Thanks for hints and advice.

Thanks,
Klaus

On Sun, 5 Feb 2006 18:44:31 -0000, "Klaus Werner"
wrote:

I am sure this has been discussed before but I can't find the messages .....

Anyway, trying to decide whether to put down tiles or laminate boards in
bathroom.
Bathroom suite is about a year old but we couldn't afford to have the floor
done as well.
Up to now we have lino which is quite tatty.

The subfloor is chipboard (pre new regs). For laminate flooring presumably I
need the
"vapour barrier" sheet. I see that all the stores offer laminate suitable
for bathrooms, slightly
more expensive. It's a small floor area, about 1.5 sqm so cutting around the
fittings will take
a bit of extra work. Anything else I need to think of?

It's better to take up the fittings and lay the floor underneath than
to cut around.


Tiling the floor isn't a popular option (wife & kids .....).

It's a far better idea than laminate or carpet for a bathroom.



Thanks for hints and advice.

Thanks,
Klaus


--

..andy

Klaus Werner wrote:
I am sure this has been discussed before but I can't find the messages .....

Anyway, trying to decide whether to put down tiles or laminate boards in
bathroom.
Bathroom suite is about a year old but we couldn't afford to have the floor
done as well.
Up to now we have lino which is quite tatty.

The subfloor is chipboard (pre new regs). For laminate flooring presumably I
need the
"vapour barrier" sheet. I see that all the stores offer laminate suitable
for bathrooms, slightly
more expensive. It's a small floor area, about 1.5 sqm so cutting around the
fittings will take
a bit of extra work. Anything else I need to think of?

Tiling the floor isn't a popular option (wife & kids .....).

Thanks for hints and advice.

Thanks,
Klaus

Standard laminate boards are a total no-no. The edges of the laminate
will lift up in no time from water.
There is a laminate which looks like tiles once laid and claims to be
ideal for bathrooms and kitchens. I don't know how good this stuff is
and I suspect upon close inspection of the instructions it's more
likely splash-proof and you need to wipe up any spills ASAP. Probably
your best bet if you really want to avoid proper tiles.

Klaus Werner wrote:

I am sure this has been discussed before but I can't find the messages
.....

Anyway, trying to decide whether to put down tiles or laminate boards in
bathroom.
Bathroom suite is about a year old but we couldn't afford to have the
floor done as well.
Up to now we have lino which is quite tatty.

The subfloor is chipboard (pre new regs). For laminate flooring presumably
I need the
"vapour barrier" sheet. I see that all the stores offer laminate suitable
for bathrooms, slightly
more expensive. It's a small floor area, about 1.5 sqm so cutting around
the fittings will take
a bit of extra work. Anything else I need to think of?

Tiling the floor isn't a popular option (wife & kids .....).

Thanks for hints and advice.

Thanks,
Klaus

I really wouldn't use laminate boards in a bathroom.

One drop of water and they get lethally slippery.

The laminate tiles might be better, but if it were me I'd use vinyl.

Put the money towards a really good quality cushioned vinyl and it should
last for ages, feel warm and clean easily - and of course be waterproof.

Even paying the store's fitter to put it down doesn't cost much, compared to
the capital outlay on quality water resistant laminate.

Just my opinion.

Tim

Klaus Werner wrote:
I am sure this has been discussed before but I can't find the messages .....

Anyway, trying to decide whether to put down tiles or laminate boards in
bathroom.
Bathroom suite is about a year old but we couldn't afford to have the floor
done as well.
Up to now we have lino which is quite tatty.

The subfloor is chipboard (pre new regs). For laminate flooring presumably I
need the
"vapour barrier" sheet. I see that all the stores offer laminate suitable
for bathrooms, slightly
more expensive. It's a small floor area, about 1.5 sqm so cutting around the
fittings will take
a bit of extra work. Anything else I need to think of?

Tiling the floor isn't a popular option (wife & kids .....).

Thanks for hints and advice.

Thanks,
Klaus



Contrary to over views expressed here, I've laminated the bathroom
exactly the same way as you have done, and on the same chipboard
flooring on a 1st storey bathroom.

Bit of history: Did originally tile, but rather than suffer a 20mm step
by laying a ply base first I risked it and tiled onto hardboard ontop of
the chipboard. Lasted 2 days before I ripped it out and binned it
(unstable base, cracked grouting, and yes, I'd nibbled the outline for
the bathroom furniture out of each tile).

Out of desperation (and I was somewhat dishearten by the above) I knew
we had some AC3(? - 10 year stuff, anyway) laminate in the attic (as you
do) left over from when we did the home/office (aka "toy room"),
together with the remainder of the underlay (3mm green spongy material,
shiney plastic surface on one side - presumably some form of moisture
barrior) - that had also taken up residence in the attic.

Thought "What the hell" - since I (thought*) we had enough to cover the
tiny bathroom, and repeated the process with the laminate. Note - not
bathroom grade! Anyway, best part of 5 years later its still there
without any signs of wear / damage, and SWMBO is a bit of a splasher in
the bath.

Regarding the slipping on wet laminate, well, if your 1.5m2 is anything
like my 1.5m2 then there isn't much floor space left once you have the
bath mat down and the obligatory 2 days of dirty underwear strewn across
the floor. (In all honesty, no-one's slipped as yet!)

You'll recognise that a laminate solution is a cheap solution, I'd
suggest trying it - trust me - worst-case outcome is a nowhere near as
bad as worst-case outcome with tiles.

I would recommend lifting the bathroom furniture 1st, I did what you're
talking about - cutting around them, but on reflection I think it would
be easier to remove and refit.


* thought = before I buggered the first 4 sheets up by laying them the
wrong way (groove first, rather than tongue first - resulting in
knackered tongues from the effect of hammering them into place

Anyway, trying to decide whether to put down tiles or laminate boards
in bathroom.

If you do go for laminate, make sure you use PVA glue on the joins without
any gaps, even if the boards are "click" types. Otherwise, the water gets in
and damage results. You need to be really careful to mop up any spills, too.
You can't just leave large puddles on the floor.

Perhaps if the wife and kids don't like cold tile, you could put down some
electric underfloor heating. You would only need about 150W (assuming it
wasn't the main room heating) and it would seriously take the edge of the
cold floor.

http://www.discountedheating.co.uk/s...able_Kits.html

Christian.

Christian McArdle wrote:
Anyway, trying to decide whether to put down tiles or laminate boards
in bathroom.

If you do go for laminate, make sure you use PVA glue on the joins without
any gaps, even if the boards are "click" types. Otherwise, the water gets in
and damage results. You need to be really careful to mop up any spills, too.
You can't just leave large puddles on the floor.

Perhaps if the wife and kids don't like cold tile, you could put down some
electric underfloor heating. You would only need about 150W (assuming it
wasn't the main room heating) and it would seriously take the edge of the
cold floor.

http://www.discountedheating.co.uk/s...able_Kits.html

Christian.


what about cork tiles?

Paul

"Klaus Werner" wrote in message
...
I am sure this has been discussed before but I can't find the messages
.....

Anyway, trying to decide whether to put down tiles or laminate boards in
bathroom.
Bathroom suite is about a year old but we couldn't afford to have the
floor
done as well.
Up to now we have lino which is quite tatty.

The subfloor is chipboard (pre new regs). For laminate flooring presumably
I
need the
"vapour barrier" sheet. I see that all the stores offer laminate suitable
for bathrooms, slightly
more expensive. It's a small floor area, about 1.5 sqm so cutting around
the
fittings will take
a bit of extra work. Anything else I need to think of?

Tiling the floor isn't a popular option (wife & kids .....).

Thanks for hints and advice.

Thanks,
Klaus


Laminate on the floor will be fine, IF you get a laminate specifically rated
for bathrooms & kitchens, and follow their instructions for fitting.

I laid Richard Burbidge stuff a couple of years ago in the flat that we rent
out, and it's still as good as the day it was laid. This particular one
was guaranteed for a certain length of time (can't remember how long) but
only if I used their recommended underlay, vapour sheet, etc. Think it was
called Profile II or something like that.

Didn't need glueing (in fact specifically said not to glue it), and if I
were laying on top of a chipboard floor I would welcome the opportunity to
be able to lift the floor if it became necessary to investigate what was
underneath.

If I were laying tiles, I'd probably look at replacing the chipboard with
decent thick exterior-grade ply before tiling it, to stiffen things up
considerably.

--

Richard Sampson

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

Thanks for all the replies - haven't made up my
mind yet
.... it's on my "to do" list for this year !!! Plan
subject to change :-)
Klaus