First time laying laminate - a few questions

[David_DIY_idiot]

Some info:
I've got 10mm laminate, going onto 5mm foam gold foil backed underlay with a chipboard subfloor.

Questions:
1. Do you need to run the underlay up the wall a few inches instead of just flush to the wall edges, then cut it away at the end? Why is this? Seems a faff with the spacers having to sit up against it.
2. What size expansion gap do you leave? The spacers I have are 7mm. Does it depend on factors like the humidity in the room or thickness of skirting you plan to put on top?
3. Is it right to lay the laminate perpendicular to the underlay?
4. Is it right to lay the underlay foil side down?

Thanks in advance!

 

[johnny2007]

1. Just flush to wall
2. Manufacturer instructions help, but 10mm will usually do.
3. Yes
4. Usually is foil side up, but check manufacturer instructions.

 

[DAZB]

Not sure what your design is but generally good practice to lay the planks at 90 degrees to the window / patio doors etc as then you are looking down the planks to the light rather than across the planks, largely a visual effect but something to bear in mind.

 

[David_DIY_idiot]

1. Just flush to wall
2. Manufacturer instructions help, but 10mm will usually do.
3. Yes
4. Usually is foil side up, but check manufacturer instructions.

Magic, thanks for this. Delighted I don't need to do the curving up the edges.

 

[johnny2007]

Agree with @DAZB , however, if you have a narrow room, consider laying the planks along the shorter side and perpendicular to the long side otherwise the room will look even more narrow.
Sometimes you have to strike a balance.

 

[David_DIY_idiot]

Agree with @DAZB , however, if you have a narrow room, consider laying the planks along the shorter side and perpendicular to the long side otherwise the room will look even more narrow.
Sometimes you have to strike a balance.

Thanks for the tip.

The room is a square - 10.5ft on both sides. It's a standalone outbuilding with one set of french doors. I was going to lay them left to right as you enter the room as opposed to bottom to top (if that makes sense). Would you say that's the best approach?

(P.S. the laminate is water resistant)

 

[johnny2007]

It's up to you really, there's no strict rule.
Put a few planks together in front of the french door and see what you prefer.
Laying the floor perpendicular to the source of light usually gives a better effect, but you're the one that have to look at it and structurally there's no difference.

 

[David_DIY_idiot]

It's up to you really, there's no strict rule.
Put a few planks together in front of the french door and see what you prefer.
Laying the floor perpendicular to the source of light usually gives a better effect, but you're the one that have to look at it and structurally there's no difference.

Good point, I'll experiment with both layouts.

 

[dazlight]

Do them on a 45 flowing from the door you walk in.

 

[BlueLoo]

Make sure you start from the door side. You want good, thick planks at the door. Not 6" butts of 1/4 thick planks.
Make sure to figure out what this leaves at the other end. You don't want slithers at the ends.

Sort the sub floor out first. Do anything you need to before hand.
Make sure its well secured.

Make sure the sub floor is flat. No lips or divots.

Laying the floor is the easy bit.

Putting the ****ing skirting boards on after is a pita.

Check the door bottom for clearance.
Figure out what to do about the transition.

 

[BlueLoo]

And...
Check each piece before laying. Flaws stand out a mile.
Don't be tempted to force the skirting flush with the floor if you are sitting it over it.
It stops the floor from breathing and you get a load of issues.

Taking the boards off is the very best way. Using quadrant instead looks pish. And is a ****er at the door/corners and joints

 

[David_DIY_idiot]

Do them on a 45 flowing from the door you walk in.

Can you explain what this means please, Daz?

And...
Check each piece before laying. Flaws stand out a mile.
Don't be tempted to force the skirting flush with the floor if you are sitting it over it.
It stops the floor from breathing and you get a load of issues.

Taking the boards off is the very best way. Using quadrant instead looks pish. And is a ****er at the door/corners and joints

Make sure you start from the door side. You want good, thick planks at the door. Not 6" butts of 1/4 thick planks.
Make sure to figure out what this leaves at the other end. You don't want slithers at the ends.

Sort the sub floor out first. Do anything you need to before hand.
Make sure its well secured.

Make sure the sub floor is flat. No lips or divots.

Laying the floor is the easy bit.

Putting the ****ing skirting boards on after is a pita.

Check the door bottom for clearance.
Figure out what to do about the transition.

Thanks for all this, Blue. Feeling confident. It's a new build room and it's never had skirting, so I have the luxury of worrying about that later.

Great tip about starting at the door. There's just enough of a gap between the inside of the french door and the wall to drop 1 nice ripped piece in there to finish it all off.

The walls are as near 90 degrees as you could hope for, and the subfloor is absolutely bang on - brand new and (obsesively) cleared of any debris before I begin.

This is about as easy a job as you could get to learn on!

 

[David_DIY_idiot]

Just noticed a little problem. Each row is almost exactly 2.5 boards.

I think this means I can't just keep using the last cut of one row to start the next row, or I'll end up with an H-pattern / H-joints.

Came up with a solution where for the third row I take a cut off the first board and last board with a full piece in the middle, and use those cuts on the fourth row with 2 full pieces in the middle.

See plan attached. Is this a good solution or am I missing something obvious?