Laminate flooring - how difficult to put down?

[jugglingwoman]

We're now onto laminate flooring.

Is it easy to lay? Do you need underlay? We've seen 'click and lock' in Ikea which sounds simple enough but floor specialists have been telling DH you should get 'professionals' to do it. We suspect they just want our money.

What do you think?!

[dcoppack]

We have done 3 rooms in our house ourselves. You do need underlay but it is just big green felt boards that go straight onto the floor. Make sure you have a good sharp saw and plenty of time, it took about a day per room 12sqm. Good Luck

[mrspnut]

We paid someone to do ours but he was a local chap who also did a bit of plumbing work and laid some lino in the bathroom at the same time.

I know we would have struggled because we had just enough boards to do the job and we would have messed some of them up. (we bought an end of line job lot so got £400 worth of flooring for £140)

Ours looks amazing and it will last until we sell this house but I don't think our relationship could have withstood the DIY approach - we struggled over putting a garage shelving unit together at the weekend.

[dcoppack]

good point, you need to be both VERY patient, don't try with PMS

[jetcat32]

i also paid for someone to do mine - as i got a good deal - 20sqm for £22!!!! (dont ask

He charged £160, and it took him a couple of days. I am glad i did though, as he did things i would never have thought of, like when laying the strips, making sure the joins on alternate rows all lined up. Less of a jigsaw IYSWIM.

Good luck with yours. My fitter said if a room is pretty much square or rectangle, with no bays/alcoves etc. a competant DIYer should manage. But, as mine isnt, and i am nowhere near competant lol, i decided to go with the expert!

[Fizzylemonade]

It is relatively easy but is time consuming. It looks better if you take the skirting board off and then you don't have to use quadrant/beading or whatever you want to call it.

My Dh does ours but he is a very competent DIYer, I have laid some in the past, even at 5 months pregnant

The click-lock stuff is good, there are many videos on youtube of people laying laminate. Youtube is fab!