Please advise, i've learnt the hard way.

[mquinton1980]

Hi all

I'm looking for a spot of advice. A few months ago we had our garage converted into a new kitchen and at the time I thought it would be best to lay a good quality laminate floor to the whole kitchen even under the units. I was really stuck for time and decided to lay the flooring ontop of the cast concrete floor the builder had created. Big mistake!! Ever since the kitchen has been finished i've been unhappy with some areas of the floor which dip when standing on it as the floor must be unveven in places. You can also hear clicking sounds from some other areas. This is bugging the hell out of me and i'm very angry with myself for not getting someone in to lay a self levelling compound rather than go for the speed option. We live and learn I guess and I don't need any lectures as I feel bad enough already.

I have now decided I can't live with it like this any longer. The room is open plan with the adjoing dining room (connected with an expansion joint). The dining room is fine and I'm very pleased with it (this was the original floor when the house was built). My question is can I cut away the laminate up to the legs of the units to take the kitchen flooring up and then get someone in to lay a levelling coupound to this area (with a physical barrier to stop the coupound going beyond the units) and then relay the floor using the old pieces?

I know this is something I should of done correctly from the start but I would like to some advice on how to rectify the problem with out touching the units.

Thanks in advance

Mark

 

[foxhole]

P180e will cut it free, but I would not lay laminate if wet areas like kitchens.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-PMF-180-Multifunctional-Allrounder/dp/B000WQOXV4

 

[mquinton1980]

Thanks for the link.

It is a decent brand ie. Quickstep and suitable for kitchens, although I can understand that the water could enter the sides of the boards when I make the cut. I guess folding over the dpm below to cover the edges would be a help to give it some protection. I am tempted to put down tiles now instead but the missus doesn't like the idea as the open plan layout looks better with one continuious floor where possible.

Thanks

Mark

 

[crazydaze]

Have you fitted the kitchen units etc ontop of the laminate???

 

[mquinton1980]

Yes the units are on top of the laminate hence why im considering cutting the laminate to the cabinet legs, taking up the floor, levelling and then relaying.

 

[big-all]

are you sure its dipping could it be tenting ??

place a level or flat edge accross the surface in 2 directions
is there a clear expansion gap all round