Laminate flooring?

[BewareTheBeardedDragon]

I need a cost effective hardwearing floor covering for my loft bedrooms. I can't have carpet because damp issues are causing mould in current carpet. (Damp issues being fixed but unlikely to completely go away due to nature of loft room). I'm considering laminate but I'm a bit wary because in rented houses I've lived in in the early 2000s there was laminate and it was awful - plasticky, the boards moved and collected grime which was hard to remove.

Is modern laminate better? The one I like comes with a lifetime domestic guarantee. www.woodfloorwarehouse.co.uk/faus-normandie-parquet-oak-brown

I've used Quickstep flooring in 2 houses, really recommend it. It looks great and feels nice underfoot, very solid, not at all plasticky.

I’d be wary of going for laminate if the damp issues won’t be solved. It is much nicer now than you remember and the one you’ve linked looks lovely, but it will still expand/contract with heat/moisture so you could end up with problems like gaps or boards pushing into each other if they get damp. Is the room well ventilated?

You can get waterproof laminate. I'd go with one recommended for a bathroom. Yes they are much nicer.

I think you might still struggle with the damp?

I don’t mind laminate, but don’t like fake wood

I have gone for SPC which is basically waterproof and I’m gonna put down something called no more ply as underlay which you don’t need but I’m putting it down anyway just as an extra layer of protection.

The damp was being caused by no proper ventilation in kitchen and bathroom, and all doors open which meant all the moist air went up to the loft, which is much colder because despite being insulated as much as possible loft rooms just are colder, and also it had no heating up there.

I've got ventilation now in kitchen and bathroom, and door closers to prevent excess movement of any warm moist air, and also heating installed in loft now.

It is much better - but it hasn't got properly cold yet and I'm not willing to take a risk on carpet again. That laminate is rated for bathrooms. I've ordered samples!