Hi,

We would like to put down some laminate flooring in a room which is
part suspended flooring and part concrete (due to extension). Is this
possible and, if so, are there any 'catches'?

TIA, W

"W" wrote in message
...
Hi,

We would like to put down some laminate flooring in a room which is
part suspended flooring and part concrete (due to extension). Is this
possible and, if so, are there any 'catches'?

TIA, W


It's best to cover the whole floor with a layer of 6mm plywood to give you
an all over level surface to work on. I've also had the same situation at
an in-laws house, and this was the best solution for it. We made sure that
the plywood covered the joint between the timber floor and the concrete to
take up any height difference. The 6mm plywood was cheap and it didn't
really need to be fixed too securely to the floor. On the timber parts we
used screws counter sunk to the level of the ply surface, and on the
concrete we used PVA glue to hold it in place. Three years down the line
and it still hasn't moved out of place, so I think we got it right on that
job.

hope this gives a few pointers.

On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 16:28:37 GMT, "BigWallop"
wrote:


"W" wrote in message
.. .
Hi,

We would like to put down some laminate flooring in a room which is
part suspended flooring and part concrete (due to extension). Is this
possible and, if so, are there any 'catches'?

TIA, W


It's best to cover the whole floor with a layer of 6mm plywood to give you
an all over level surface to work on. I've also had the same situation at
an in-laws house, and this was the best solution for it. We made sure that
the plywood covered the joint between the timber floor and the concrete to
take up any height difference. The 6mm plywood was cheap and it didn't
really need to be fixed too securely to the floor. On the timber parts we
used screws counter sunk to the level of the ply surface, and on the
concrete we used PVA glue to hold it in place. Three years down the line
and it still hasn't moved out of place, so I think we got it right on that
job.

hope this gives a few pointers.

Yes, thanks. The shops also sell large "tiles" to use under laminate
flooring. I don't know what they are made of. Would these also be
good?

TIA, W

"W" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 16:28:37 GMT, "BigWallop"
wrote:

smipped

hope this gives a few pointers.

Yes, thanks. The shops also sell large "tiles" to use under laminate
flooring. I don't know what they are made of. Would these also be
good?

TIA, W


I've heard of the fibre board underlay used with laminate, but I thought
this was best used on just concrete flooring, mainly for thermal and
moisture prevention. I could be wrong though. We also found that all the
underlay materials, sold for use with laminate, was very expensive and not
as practical as it was made out to be. That's why we used plywood.

The ply was rigid enough to take away the differences in the height of the
old floor boards and the transition between the timber floor and concrete.
It also gives enough thermal protection when used with the normal foam
(white thin stuff) underlay that you should always put under new laminate
flooring anyway. So we kept the cost down, and it really doesn't seem to
have created any great disadvantages to the floor at all. In fact, it looks
very nice, though I say it myself. :-))

Also should have pointed out that, You do need to leave the same expansion
gap around the edges of the room for the plywood as well as the laminate
flooring.

On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 17:06:32 GMT, "BigWallop"
wrote:

Also should have pointed out that, You do need to leave the same expansion
gap around the edges of the room for the plywood as well as the laminate
flooring.

I forgot to say this is a Kitchen/dining room. A shop assistant said
that laminate flooring is not suitable for this application. Is this
true or are they just trying to sell me something more expensive?

TIA, W

W wrote:

On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 17:06:32 GMT, "BigWallop"
wrote:

Also should have pointed out that, You do need to leave the same expansion
gap around the edges of the room for the plywood as well as the laminate
flooring.

I forgot to say this is a Kitchen/dining room. A shop assistant said
that laminate flooring is not suitable for this application. Is this
true or are they just trying to sell me something more expensive?

Speaking from personal experience, it is NOT suitable for a kitchen area.

Sheila

"S Viemeister" wrote in message
...
W wrote:

On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 17:06:32 GMT, "BigWallop"
wrote:

Also should have pointed out that, You do need to leave the same
expansion
gap around the edges of the room for the plywood as well as the
laminate
flooring.

I forgot to say this is a Kitchen/dining room. A shop assistant said
that laminate flooring is not suitable for this application. Is this
true or are they just trying to sell me something more expensive?

Speaking from personal experience, it is NOT suitable for a kitchen area.

Sheila


Sheila is right W, laminate flooring is made in different grades for
different situations. A kitchen floor is more likely to get wet more often
than other floors in the house, and this causes the standard grades of
laminate to buckle and crack after just a short time of this type of
exposure. You can lay standard grade stuff in the kitchen, but then you get
the hassle of having to seal the edges of all the boards with water proofing
gunk, or sealing the floor with a varnish type thingy that keep water from
getting to the boards underneath. All works out very expensive.

Can you lay laminate in the dining area and ceramic tiles in the kitchen
floor?