Laminate

[Indigogo]

Good Evening,

I have a question about l

aminate flooring. I have to lay it before the plasterer will put the skirting on (apparently..) If you look at the picture below, the hallway upstairs is a funny shape, a plus sign, and the top is an alcove to the window, black is the outline with walls, orange is the doors. Joists go left to right, floorboards up and down. So it would make sense to run the boards left to right, in theory I was thinking I should start in the top left corner here it says joists and make my way down to the stairs, and then "backfill" into the alcove at the top, because then I'll know it's straight. If I start in the alcove, when it gets to the main bit it could be well wonky. But then I'm thinking what's the best way to back fill, because it'll be a nightmare trying to click them in that way. The easiest way would be to go with the floorboards I guess, and then the second bit is how should I stagger the boards in the narrow parts, it's about 85/95cm, how can you stagger it randomly? I guess if you did an 8" to begin with and then ... 9 inches the opposite side you would still be able to keep the joins random without getting too close or stepping.

I'm beginning to understand why people just lay carpet now... but I hate carpet.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Edit: Maybe I should start from the bottom right and work my way backwards to the window, the "alcove" to the stairs is only 30/40cm, the alcove is almost square so 85/90 cm.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

WTF? Never heard of a plasterer putting the skirtings on... In fact it is normal throughout the construction industry to get the wet trades (masonry and plastering) out of the way and the building dried out thoroughly before putting down any finished flooring or installing doors architraves or skirtings. This is to ensure that your woodwork doesn't absorb water and swell or warp (and in the case of a laminate or engineered wood floor, potentially buckle). it is also to ensure that the wet trades don't drop mix onto the flooring which is almost guaranteed to be walked around the room(s) and damage the finish on the flooring (you wouldn't believe how.manybtimes I've seen finished flooring messed up.by we trades and decorators).. So basically an exceptionally poor idea IMHO

As to laying laminate in the same direction as floorboards - it often isn't the greatest of ideas unless you are prepared to overclad your floorboards with plywood first (in which case the direction of the laminate on top is pretty much immaterial). This is because floorboards are often cupped or crowned, presenting a surface which is far from flat and can make for a rippled effect on the laminate above, or sometimes give you problems with the joints opening up, but also because a softwood floor's planks move with changes in the weather (humidity, rather than temperature is the issue) and that can also telegraph through to your laminate. Plywood, on the other hand is pretty stable and acts as a buffer as well as flattening out any discrepancies

 

[Indigogo]

Don't get me started. Funnily enough, he's asked me to paint the walls and do the floor before he puts the skirting on, he'll come back when that's done he says... but not the architrave though. The reason I got him was he did both, and I didn't know who to get in or want the hassle of finding someone else on checkatrade to do some skirting and architraving :'( you're right all the other plasterers said only plastering. It brings me to tears sometimes, I'm just trying to do my house up and he's got me painting, decorating, doing the floor and replacing the pvc cloaking trim around the window myself before he can put the bloody skirting on.

I was putting the laminate perpendicular to the floorboards. Do I still need to put plywood down? How thick? 18mm? It makes me laugh, my old skirting I ripped it off for him and it was put on with 4 inch bloody floorboard nails, and there isn't a light fitting in the house that's got more than 3 inches of cable to pull out of the ceiling. Funny how tradesmen give you good advice and then you see some of their sodding handiwork... not accusing you of that of course.

It's not a big room as you can see, so I'm going to bloody plywood it, just thinking how thick? If it's too thick I'm gonna have to ramp it into the other rooms! 9mm ply, 5mm underlay and 8mm laminate it's nearly an inch thick! and then... I'll go left to right. Also, should the plywood be floating as well? plywood, underlay, laminate?

I wanted to laminate the whole of the upstairs, I hate carpet. Beginning to see why it's a thing though...

Honest to God, I feel like I should go to college. When I had my bathroom done the guy had me removing the old water tank from the loft. I just want to pay someone else to do the bloody lot! :'(

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I was putting the laminate perpendicular to the floorboards. Do I still need to put plywood down?

You'll be OK with that providing the floor is relatively flat (can be checked with a straight piece of planed timber 5 to 6ft long and a lamp held at an obtuse angle to the floor surface - it doesn't need to be perfect). I do a lot of commercial type stuff and we invaribly lay plywood for the floorers - that way we can more or less guarantee them a flat floor regardless of the state of what is beneath it. But even if you don't lay plywood you will probably need to trim the bottoms of any doors which open over the laminate, ideally before laying the finished flooring. This is generally the carpenter's or floorer's job

Funny how tradesmen give you good advice and then you see some of their sodding handiwork... not accusing you of that of course.

Tell me about it - I am currently snagging out a small new build apartment block... (I'm a chippy)

Also, should the plywood be floating as well? plywood, underlay, laminate?

In the event that it's necessary to ply a floor you normally fix to the sub floor with screws every 150mm (yes, that really is 90 odd screws per sheet)