Laminate and prices

[hiwatt]

Hi folks.
I'm having to have my whole flat(1 bedroom)re floored with laminate due to a new boiler being fitted and ripping up my floor
It was measured quickly and I was told that I need 40m squared(He measured for some extra)
I was looking at prices and was a bit shocked as I thought the price of laminate had came down in recent years?
Could someone with any experince with laminate recommend a fairly decent one at a decent price please?
I'm looking for something fairly dark/oak appearance.
Also roughly how much should it cost to have said amount fitted?
It's a council flat.

 

[jagillham]

How much have you been quoted?

Laminate is pretty easy to do yourself if you wanted to save money. Cost of laying is going to be impossible to guess without some idea of what the space is like. If its a perfect square it will do down in no time at all. If what you are laying it on needs work and there is lots of corners, curves etc, then will take many times longer.

May not be suitable for you, but I found the bamboo flooring in Wickes to be good. Real wood at laminate type prices.

 

[hiwatt]

I couldn't do it myself.
A guy doing it as a homer has quoted £350?
That laminate looks quite expensive.Cheapest is about £25 per square meter.If I need 40 That's about a grand just for my flooring?It's a tenement flat one bedroom living room with adjoing kitchen.
I might just have to go with carpet unfortunately.The price on laminate seems to have went up quite a bit.

It wouldn't be so bad investing that amount if I owned my flat but it's a council flat.

 

[crazydaze]

He's quoted about £9m2 That's a very fair price for fitting.

With Laminate, you get exactly what you pay for, quality Laminate has'nt come down in price, it's about the same as it always has been. Quick Step is a brand leader, we sell a German product called Parador which we have had some amazing results with even in commercial settings that it's not strictly designed for. Unfortunately Pergo is only available as a commercial product, but was the hardest wearing domestic laminate you could buy.

 

[hiwatt]

He's not a floor fitter as such but a joiner so I guess/hope it'll be a good enough job.
I just can't understand how it's costing so much to floor a living room with a tiny kitchen space,small hall and a bedroom.
I'm wondering if because it was just a quick measurement if he has over measured as it's not a huge house at all?
I was thinking/hoping more like £500 for the flooring.
I'm sure mine was even under that when I last got it done which was over 10 years ago right enough,and it held up well.

 

[crazydaze]

The correct way to measure for laminate:

Exact m2 of floor space + 5%, divide by pack size and round up to nearest full pack. x the number of full packs by the pack size and that will give you how much m2 you are buying.

You will also need underlay (4mm fibreboard or 4mm roll product is far better but more expensive than the cheap thin foam), beading if fitting to existing skirtings and door thresholds, fireplace profiles etc if required.

You definately pays your money, takes your choice. In my experience, below £20m2 is a product that comes in the budget category, the closer to £20 the better, the best laminates will be between £20 and £35 m2

Provided your expectations of the product meet the m2 price of the product, you wont be disapointed

As for the fitting price, 40m2 is probably two days work so look at it as labour rate of £175 a day. you could fit it in carpet in about half a day as a comparison.

I've quickly looked at your sizes and reckon that a laminate we would sell at £22m2 would probably come in at about £1870 fitted including all underlay and accessories here down in Surrey.

 

[hiwatt]

Pfft that's a lot!If it was my own home I wouldn't mind getting the best quality stuff but I think I'll need to go for not the cheapest but a "budget" of around maybe £12m2 and the green squared underlay.These houses might not even last another 10-15 years.
Both these fall into a budget category and are guaranteed for 20 years?What dou think ?
http://www.diy.com/departments/colo...effect-laminate-flooring-213-m/1044217_BQ.prd
http://www.diy.com/departments/colo...effect-laminate-flooring-176-m/1050193_BQ.prd

 

[jagillham]

We've had various laminates etc over the years. The wider board from Wickes have certainly seen us well. If it is not your flat, and you don't anticipate being there for an awfully long time, it does not make sense to go crazy with the spend on it. I've even put some of the very cheap skinny stuff in the nursery around a year ago. No movement etc yet, and the way it locks in place I can't see why there would be.

Not used this one myself, but looks decent enough IMHO: http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Venezia-Oak-Laminate-Flooring/p/131874

If your floors are level, and you physically can get down to the floor, absolutely no reason you cannot do it yourself. The boards lock themselves in place. You only really need a saw, mallet / hammer and a "flooring kit" (http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Laminate-Flooring-Fitting-Kit-24-Piece/p/158054). Obviously you'll find progress slower, but there is a £300 - £400 saving there already. It's not technically difficult, just a question of good measurements etc.

40sqm may sound a lot, but it does add up quick. I'm mid terrace, so rooms are around 4m x 4m each - that's 16sqm right there. Not far short of half your flat if you think about it.

 

[hiwatt]

That one looks and sounds ideal.I just read a comment there that said it's been discontinued?
I wish I could do it myself but I have no experience whatsoever doing anything like this.Never done any DIY .
What is there disadvantages with the cheaper ones,is it just that they mark and scratch easier?
If I get a few years out of I'd be happy.

 

[jagillham]

I'll leave it to the professionals to make the comparisons, I'm just a keen DIY'er! We had similar stuff in our lounge for 3-4 years, and our house the front door is straight in from the street, so lots of traffic. No issues at all with fading, seemed hard wearing too. We eventually relaid all in carpet, but only as it felt warmer and was a better surface for the little one to play / crawl on. I'll be laying something very similar to what I linked above in the kitchen some point soon though.

Have a little confidence, and give it a go I'd say. Tools are going to set you back no more than £25 for saw, hammer and the knocking blocks. Maybe give the smallest room a go, see how you get on? It can be relaid, so you would have to really bugger it up to be in a position where somebody could not even use the materials again. Even cut pieces could be used elsewhere if wrong etc. As I said earlier, depends on your rooms really. If everything is nice and square, you're laughing. If you have all kinds of odd shapes to go around, not so much!

As with everything, it is all about that balance. Budget vs durability vs finish vs time. If you get somebody else in, that eats the budget. You'll have to compromise on the durability, but get a better finish quicker. Or you DIY, can afford better materials, but the finish may not be the same and will take longer. Ultimately that is a call only you can make.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

The cost is the cost. I disagree with posters who say they had so & so figure in mind and anything above that is expensive. You have not based your own figure on reality.

 

[hiwatt]

The cost is the cost. I disagree with posters who say they had so & so figure in mind and anything above that is expensive. You have not based your own figure on reality.

Maybe not on reality just on what my budget will allow really.I don't want to spend crazy amonts as it is a council flat and they can decide anytime that work needs carried out and said floor might get ripped up again.I'm just looking for a half decent priced laminate that will hopefully do me around 5-6 years.
P.s I agree Cats do rule.

 

[dazlight]

If you got a decent laminate like quickstep you could have it taken up and take it with you if you move.
Even if you got a budget laminate say on sale for £8m2 you still looking at £400 then add underlay , trims and scotia so prob about £500-550 to but the laminate.