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Original poster

Good, cheap floor coverings?

38 replies

imaginaryfriend · 23/12/2006 23:48

We've got to move quite suddenly in the New Year with not much of a budget at all. We're moving into a 2-bedroomed flat which has just hardboard flooring in the lounge and bedrooms. Ideally we'd like to cover the floors before we move in but are avoiding carpet as all have asthma, dd very badly - does anyone have any hints as to what kind of floor covering is relatively cheap but not awful to look at? We're totally new to this.

TIA

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RoskvaTheRedNosedReindeer · 24/12/2006 09:25

There are some really good lino's around - my friend thought the one I put in my kitchen was real tiles! Try a couple of local carpet shops, and ask what they have in stock or if they have any ends of line that they only have a limited amount of - they may be willing to sell it cheap (that's how I got mine, and they fitted it!).

Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 25/12/2006 22:01

And how much, roughly, did it cost, roskva? Ignore me if too nosy, we're on such a tight budget and have to cover two reasonable sized double bedrooms and a fairly large lounge. Plus very small hall which can wait if necessary.

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BuffysMum · 25/12/2006 22:56

You can get cheap laminate flooring - it is not the best and won't last years but we did the whole of our downstairs & 1 small double room for about £200. We kind of figured if it got damaged dp made a hash of laying it etc it wasn't the end of the world at that price. HTH

colditz · 25/12/2006 23:00

The lino in my kitchen looks more like wood than my lminate - that is to say, not much, but you get my point.

colditz · 25/12/2006 23:04

I bought my lino off the market £65. Dp fitted it, it's not hard.

charliecat · 25/12/2006 23:08

Oh oh, your moving! I done my downstairs in cheap laminate for £140, thats a 20ft front room, little hall and kitchen. Its cheap as chips. that includes underlay...have you heard of freecycle?
freecycle.org...ask if anyone got any spare underlay for it in your area.
Hope you have a good move

Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 26/12/2006 19:02

I do know freecycle, cc. We've often got a problem with getting things as we're car-less plus we're in a mad rush with this move, about a week to find removal company, do floors and other bits to the flat plus pack up here and get out.

If we bought our own flooring - how hard is it to fit? It would be me doing it to be honest as dp can't get any time off apart from the move. I'm not bad at DIY but have never attempted something like this. Would I manage it do you think? Would it take ages to lay?

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Yorkiegirl · 26/12/2006 19:05

Message withdrawn

Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 26/12/2006 19:19

I'm in London, Yorkiegirl. So do you buy underlay, stick it down, then stick the flooring on top? Do you always have to do it with two layers?

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BuffysMum · 26/12/2006 19:26

yes you need the underlay - plasticky stuff in big rolls and just stick the laminate on top. Dp not good at DIY and he manages fine you need a hammer and use a piece of the laminate to whack it in place.

FioFio · 26/12/2006 19:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 26/12/2006 19:33

BM, so do you stick the underlay to the floor? How do you cut it to size in the corners etc.? Then is the underlay sticky and the laminate goes onto the top or do you apply glue to the underlay? And how do you cut the laminate to size? Could I do a small double bedroom sized room in a day do you think?

Too many questions, I know, I appreciate any help on this one! I'm off to do some research into it tomorrow.

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Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 26/12/2006 19:34

paper?!

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BuffysMum · 26/12/2006 19:48

No you don't stick it down just lay it. I think it's purpose is partly to even out non-flat floors, partly insulate, partly more evenly distribute your weight when you walk on the laid floor. Yes you could use loads of newspaper instead but it is very cheap esp as you just cut it to shape it's not fiddly. laminate flooring has a gap around all the edges where meets wall which you cover over with edging strips as the floor contracts and expands so a perfect fit of underlay is not really an issue!

charliecat · 26/12/2006 20:33

The underlay is dearer than the laminate. you would need to spend a day doing it. Dp spent the first 2 hours with his mate and couldnt get one piece connected Then someone showed then the knack...and they finished it withing 3 hours.

Small double bedroom in a couple of hours. You willneed a saw/hacksaw to cut it too.

Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 26/12/2006 21:23

I'm getting nervous now ... a saw??? Couldn't you cut it with a stanley knife? Do you have to saw the underlay too? And how do you stick down the linoleum?

Are floor tiles any easier or are they horribly expensive?

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Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 26/12/2006 21:24

Given that I"m a bit of a weed physically (no muscle but tons of energy) will I manage to do this alone?

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Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 26/12/2006 21:25

Given that I"m a bit of a weed physically (no muscle but tons of energy) will I manage to do this alone?

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Mumpbump · 26/12/2006 21:28

Shop around and you might find some cheap real wood. Topps Tiles had real oak flooring a little while ago for £15 psqm which wasn't much (if any) more expensive than the laminate. If you go for a floating floor, you will definitely need a saw. You can get stuff which clicks together or stuff which you need to glue. It's not that hard to put down, as long as you are reasonably practical - strength not a prerequisite! - you just need to start at one edge and work your way across the room. You lay it running parallel to the longest side...

Mumpbump · 26/12/2006 21:29

PS - Think linoleum might be more difficult to lay than a floating floor because you'd have to get the tension right in every direction, but haven't tried it myself...

Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 26/12/2006 21:39

What's a floating floor? Sorry, treat me like a total dunce on this, I honestly haven't a clue. I've always lived in places with carpet and currently in a flat which had floor tiles in place when we moved in - we've never carpeted here as dd's asthma is allergy-based and carpets really affect her badly.

And what's this 'click together' business about?

Basically you put down an underlay and hold it with, what, nails? Then over the top of that you glue down the other flooring? Do you glue it inch by inch as you go? Is the glue on the flooring itself or do you buy it separately?

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Mumpbump · 26/12/2006 21:51

The underlay is a thin type of polystyrene/plastic which you don't fix. Instead, you rely on the weight of the laminate/wood to keep it in place - hence floating floor!

With the floating floors, you get planks of wood. One edge will have a tongue (thin, sticky out edge) and one edge will have a groove (slot into which the tongue goes). You can get some products which simply click together. With others, you need wood glue to put a THIN line along the tongued edge before slotting into the groove. You need to stagger the joints between the planks to stop the floor moving at right angles to the planks and, if you go for the glue option, it is worth investing in special straps which you can ratchet tighter in order to pull the planks close together.

Check out screwfix's website - they're reasonably cheap and stock both laminate and wood, but I am not sure whether they have the clicking product.

Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 26/12/2006 21:59

Thanks mb, you're talking about wood floors only then? Not linoleum or that kind of thing?

I will check out that site, thanks.

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Mumpbump · 26/12/2006 22:10

I don't know how much linoleum costs although I guess you can probably get it quite cheaply. But I imagine it might be difficult to put down yourself and get a good finish - my mum got some put down recently in an old fashioned kitchen where the floor slopes down towards the middle so that any leaks run into the centre of the kitchen. Because it's not flat, the floor looks like sh*t! I would think linoleum might show up any uneveness in the floor.

At the end of the day, you just need to shop around and decide which product you prefer. Sorry to say something blindingly obvious, but just get them to tell you how much it is per metre square to compare properly.

You can get some very nice and cheap ceramic tiles, but they aren't very good as flooring unless you have a solid (ie. concrete) base to lay them on...

Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 26/12/2006 22:58

Thanks again mb. I've just been looking at loads of flooring websites. There seem to be all kinds of variations in prices. I don't have the actual measurements of the rooms to hand but I'm estimating about 3m squared for the small double bedroom - does that sound approximately right?

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