Laminate Floor Edging

[TryItTom]

Hi all

I'm about to lay laminate flooring but I really want to avoid having to put scotia or edging round it - I would like a flat finish right up to the skirting boards.

I know I need to leave an expansion gap, but what is the smallest recommended gap AND what is the best product for filling the gap.

I am thinking I should be able to find a silicone/resin filler. Can anyone recommend a good product?

Thanks very much
Tom

 

[WestmidsChippy]

Either way it is going to look crap (with or without the scotia beading).

The main way to get the 'MR PRO' look is to lay the flooring and have the skirting fixed afterwards thus hiding any expansion gaps...

I don't understand why because even the best of the best laminate flooring, if it is to be used more then once, then you can bet your arse it will fall apart within 6 years (and that is the great stuff) and look tatty after a few months.

If you can swing it, go for the real hardwood/engineered and take solace in the fact that it will still be there when you pop you cloggs

Silicone? you would be better of with the beading.

 

[Bewdy]

We are about to lay engineered boards and I'd really like to avoid the edging beads. Rather than removing the existing skirting, which would be a massive job for us, is there an easy technique to possibly cut a rebate out of the skirting to make a space to allow the new wood boards to fit under the skirting and be concealed? We have pretty deep skirts so this would look ok if we could make a big enough space at the bottom. Any ideas?

 

[mac391]

Remove the skirting it's the only way. If you put a sharp knife through the top of the skirting to release any caulk/paper overhang etc, it will come off and go back on quite easy.

 

[TryItTom]

I agree, removing the skirting is the best solution if you possibly can.

The only reason I didn't is that we have a 1930s house and if any of the skirting becomes damaged on removal, sourcing the same 30s skirting would be costly and would take forever.

As a workaround, I bought white edging to match the skirting, fixed it to the bottom of the skirting and filled any gaps between skirting and edging with a quality filler - then painted to make the join seemless.

Now the flooring does look like it goes under the skirting, because the edging looks like its part of the skirting.

This also has the added advantage that when you come to sell the house, you can inform buyers that they don't need to remove the skirting if they ever want to change the flooring.

Good luck!
Tom

 

[crazydaze]

I don't understand why because even the best of the best laminate flooring, if it is to be used more then once, then you can bet your a**e it will fall apart within 6 years (and that is the great stuff) and look tatty after a few months.

If you can swing it, go for the real hardwood/engineered and take solace in the fact that it will still be there when you pop you cloggs

That is a load of rubbish! Very unhelpful advice, laminate and engineered floor have their advantages and disadvantages against each other, research the product for your situation/needs and take confidence in choosing a floor that suits you.

 

[owenhynes]

i agree ^^