Laminate - headache

[Longcovid21]

Hello. Posting here for advice. Recently had laminate fitted whilst away for the half term. Just got back and a bit shocked that there is dust everywhere from the fitting process. Is this normal? Also the smell from the laminate is giving me a headache. I've spent nearly a grand on materials and fitting and I really hope I don't regret this. Is this normal?? Tia.

Just dust and vacuum.

Is the smell glue? Open the windows and dust?

Well the pieces will have had to be cut to fit them in and bog-standard laminate is usually MDF, so yes, there will be dust from the saw. I wouldn't expect fitters to do much more than a very cursory clear up after tbh, and even if they did, the finer dust particles would settle out after they had left any way.
Open the windows and have a wipe-round. It'll be grand. Hope you like how it looks OP!

The smell will go quite quickly. Helps to air the room - open doors and windows. The dust is normal unfortunately - I'd damp mop then hoover so you're not just spreading it around!

Yeah, it's normal - it will be the dust/glue that's giving you a headache. The workers may have cleaned up but it can take 24-48 hours for everything to settle properly.

Just give the floor a proper clean and open the windows.

I'm just being paranoid that it's full of chemicals..

@Longcovid21

I'm just being paranoid that it's full of chemicals..

Everything is chemicals

Clean up, open a window, sorted

@Longcovid21

I'm just being paranoid that it's full of chemicals..

It will be - the glue, the laminate itself, plus all the dust that's been disturbed.

But just open a window.

Thanks for these comments. As a single parent I have no one to discuss my diy decisions with, so I'm just second guessing whether I made the right decision. Thanks for putting up with my neurosis!

We had a similar issue when we got our carpets fitted OP.

The smell is unpleasant but it won't last and it'll be worth it when you have a lovely, clean new floor :)

Thanks @fairylightsandwaxmelts (great username) 👍

@Longcovid21

I'm just being paranoid that it's full of chemicals..

Everything is full of chemicals. Even you. Chemicals aren't something that are inherently bad. 😂😁

@fairylightsandwaxmelts

We had a similar issue when we got our carpets fitted OP.

The smell is unpleasant but it won't last and it'll be worth it when you have a lovely, clean new floor :)

New carpet smell is awful, like rotten eggs! Se weird!

@Longcovid21

I'm just being paranoid that it's full of chemicals..

Well, yeah, it’s laminate flooring. It’s a synthetic product manufactured out of tons of chemicals.

@hellithurt it was horrible - even the dog looked unimpressed

@Longcovid21

I'm just being paranoid that it's full of chemicals..

It is full of chemicals. It's fake wood. What did you think it's made of?

But laminate is plastic? Of course it’s chemicals.
We are just laying engineered wood flooring, as I didn’t want plastic. But it costs a considerable amount more.
There’s still dust galore from levelling floors and wood cutting and moving.

We got laminate flooring down about 6 weeks ago, and the smell has gone - I haven't noticed it for a few weeks now. The worst was the first couple of days, then it wasn't noticeable at all.

Yes, there was dust everywhere. The fitters were pretty good at cleaning up after themselves, but a lot of it was obviously floating in the air and settled after they left. It should be easy enough to wipe or vacuum up though.

Don't panic, in a few days it will all have settled down and you can enjoy it!

Thank you @BelfastSmile that's reassuring.

We did consider other options but thought the dogs would wreck hardwood floors.

This is tough, waterproof laminate.

Had my windows open as long as I can bear it but it's bloody freezing now so I've had to shut them.

Just bought an air quality monitor of amazon to assuage my paranoia.