!!!!HELP PLEASE!!!!

[ml72]

Hi I really need some advice about laying laminate flooring!
The flat is a conversion in a very old building and the standard of finish is not very good. As a result there is a certain amount of 'bounce' to the floor that i would like to lay the laminate on.
I am concerned that the laminate will break/crack?
it's not drastic bounce but it's not solid either.
can anyone shed any light on whether this can happen and what measure i can take to make it better?
The floor boards have been bare for years and the gaps are huge hence wanting to lay the laminate.
many thanks
M

 

[essdee]

IMHO. you will need to screw down the boards as much as you can before laying substantial underlay before laying your laminate...if you get my drift, the better the underside, the better the top will look!
You can get some nice thick underlay for laminate now, that should reduce the effect both of the bounce and the large gaps, also if you are upstairs, you should look for something to reduce the noise for the peopl below!
Good luck!

 

[WoodYouLike]

I would check under the existing floorboard first to see what the state there is.
Then - if joists/battens in order - plywood over the existing boards to spread the 'load' and level out. Then 3mm underlayment and the new floor

 

[masona]

Is it ground floor?

 

[ml72]

Is it ground floor?

Hi thanks for your replies- much appreciated!!

No it isn't ground floor, I'm on the 3rd floor which is the top floor of the building. I think the quality got worse the higher up they got!! The sound proofing is awful too and i can hear the family 2 floors down !!

With repect to the existing boards- they are what i have as flooring now- when i first moved in i could not afford any other flooring so i sanded and varnished the floor boards and have used them ever since. The gaps have got quite large in places and you can see the metal that the boards are attached to. But mice have got into the cavity walls of the building (none of the cavity walls were filled and we have pasterboard everywhere) and they are finding their way between the boards and coming up through there. My cat is a good deterent and caught one the other day!!

if i were to put ply down first would i have to stick or nail it or could i leave it floating??
then a layer of the underlay (solid one) and then the laminate on top.

i would love to have real wood but i can't afford it and due to illness i would be unable to nail it all down it would be far too much for me.

thanks for your input, soooo helpful!!!
M