Amtico (http://www.amtico.com/nsie_residential/residential.asp) ;) & i dont even work in sales :eek: lol. Must say it is good sh!t though & sum of the effects u can get r boss, infinite choice of woods, marbles, slates, metals etc etc even sum more fruity stuff! ;)
Si

[Edited by scooby_si - 12/11/2002 1:00:12 PM]

Well I have stopped fiddling with the car for the mean time, my mountain bike has been modded enough I need to do something else to trash the credit cards.

Laminate flooring :D

I have looked at a few places (IKEA, B&Q) (okay two places) to get an idea of what is available and prices.

Where did other people go to get there flooring from (laminate only, obviously)?

I know I need to use a undersheet as I live in a flat and have concrete flooring.

When cutting the boards is it best to use a rented circular saw (the thing with a base)?

Cheers,
Mark

(Liable to spend a fortune on flooring and then loose a finger in the process)

Mattel I did ever room in my old house with the stuff and a few family members lounges, dinning rooms etc so if you need a hand mate let me know

i used a jigsaw on my old house, more control. a friend used a table circular saw to do his, and it splintered the laminate too much.

You could look in your local builders merchants, as they can sometimes get very good prices, and have a wider selection. The downside is, that you sometimes have to order, but that does not usually take too long.:D

Don't skrimp on the under-floor bit with concrete floors. We've used something that looks like low density fibrous board and it insulates wonderfully, plus deadens the sound that you'd get of a floating floor hitting the concrete. I don't think you'll need a polythene membrane in this case, but check the particular laminate that you buy.

Re Suppliers: don't automatically ignore carpet shops. We got our click laminate flooring from them and it was excellent stuff at a good price. They said it'd take a couple of hours to fit, so I started on Christmas eve at 8am. Finished around 8 hours later. FOr some reason, the air had turned slightly blue...

Circular saw? Difficult to advise, as you'll need to ensure it's got the right blade too. I cut all of ours with a decent sharp hand saw and the results are good. I do have a circular saw, and jigsaw, but the hand saw produced the best results.

Don't forget to leave a gap around the edge filled with cork strips to allow expansion, and buy the beading that covers this up for a neat effect.

Nick.

Right so the big saw it out!:(

So where did people get the stuff from? I keep going back to B&Q as they have the locking stuff and it is close but I have a feeling it might not be the cheapest!

Ice Man - You might be my best friend soon!:D

We bought ours from B&Q. (Well, Nic's parents did and as they are OAPs get 10% discount...)

I used a jigsaw to cut the boards (The complex wiggly bits round doors etc...) and a normal hand saw for the rest. When using the jigsaw I cut the boards with the underside facing upwards so I got a clean cut on the patterned side. (Didn't really matter in my case, as I put skirtingboard over all the edges.)

Make sure the floor is VERY level before you start, or it won't work well...

Have fun :) I've just got the kitchen to go, and downstairs will be finished :D

lol - I'll have my tool bag at the ready then Mattel ;)
The stuff from B&Q I found to be very good. Depends on the room you plan to do.
For a lounge you are going to want good quality long life hard wearing flooring as you spend alot of time in that room.
If it's for a bathroom or a room you are not in that much then you can go for the cheaper flooring.

We got our laminate flooring from Wickes as they were doing a good deal on it at the time, as for the fitting, dont know paid someone to do that part :D

ice man, if it's for the bathroom you need special stuff that'll withstand water. I'd personally use glue stuff in the bathroom...

Right then, I think I will start in the New Year, take a week off paint (the walls) and floor the lounge/dining room!

I am looking at doing the barthroom and shower room as well, but sister just got some lino with lamitante wood effect, it even had wood grain... that might be an option there.

Thanks for the advice, kind of worried about tearing up the carpet and making a reall cock-up!;)

Chiark - Thats right I was just trying to use the room as an example of a room not used that much (although it is the room most used in my house) :D - but it was a bad one because as you say you would need the stuff that can withstand water

Matt, that vinyl stuff that looks like wood is superb - it's what we're going to use in our bathroom. I'll dig the name out, as it really is unbelievably good...

It is good stuff. my sister has it in her garage.

Keep trying your local carpet stores as you may drop lucky and find an end of roll piece that fits your room.

End of roll pieces are usually dirt cheap too:D

I know I could believe it when my sister told me it as vinal... I might just the bathroom first!

I will try and find out where she got it from.

Mark,

Tools needed: wedges, hammering blocks, metal draggy s-shaped thingys, workmate, jigsaw, hammers (plastic mallet is good too), pencil, straight edge/right angle, 13/16mm drill bit (if you have radiator pipes to contend with). If you need to borrow any of this stuff just ask. Ask nicely I may even help!! ;)

My house: clickable laminate, Carpetrite (£16/pack) & foam backed insulated underlay on a concrete floor.

Carolines flat: cheap B&Q laminate (£10/pack), B&Q plastic liner, B&Q foam underlay, B&Q glue on a concrete floor.

My Brothers house: cheap B&Q laminate (£10/pack), B&Q foam underlay, Wickes glue (cheaper!!) on wooden floor.

Aunts house: *real* wood boards (£20/pack from Makro), B&Q foam underlay, Wickes glue on a wooden floor.

What I have learnt the hard way:

*Use a jigsaw and cut it laminate side down.
*On a concrete floor, it's cheaper to use the B&Q foam and plastic liner, rather than an all in one solution (like Carpetrite) but the foam and plastic takes longer.
*Use a workmate (which you can borrow from me) rather than a garden step!!
*Clear the room of furniture completely first!!
*Clickable is quicker to lay, but more expensive and the edges are easy to break if you are careless.
*If you have to use glue, don't use too much or else you can't close up the gaps correctly! (Wickes glue is the cheapest!)
*If you plan it carefully, you can hide any indescretions under furniture!! ;) And you won't need to use edging, or remove your skirting boards!!
*If you are redoing the skirting boards anyway, they fit them after the floor is done.
*Lay a couple of rows first (without glue) to get an idea of which edge you are working against, and how much needs to be cut off, etc.

Hope this helps
Andy

we used a fret saw and a tenon saw to cut ours..

circular saw will splinter depending on which way up you have the flooring.

David

Forgot to mention, it's worth spending some money on some new jigsaw blades, as blunt ones will mash up your laminate!!!

I work 4 a certain high quality PVC flooring co. which usually charge a lot per sq metre, dunno how much but damn sight more than those cheaper versions :p lol but u get wot u pay 4 :D This is the stuff that u need 2 glue rather than just slot in place, herd many stories of heels going thru those so b careful when u lot r wearing yer drag outfits & stilletoes etc ;) With our sort on concrete u just need a leveling compound putting down then adhesive on followed by the tiles. On wood just sum MDF & bish bosh wollop. Cut 2 size using a craft knife kinda thing although u will find heating tile etc with hair dryer makes it a lot easier :p There are a few other tips 4 laying properly but a pro will charge a fortune so i want paying up front ;) lol
Si
PS group buy any1? ;)

[Edited by scooby_si - 12/11/2002 12:44:22 PM]

[Edited by scooby_si - 12/11/2002 12:58:21 PM]

I used a jigsaw with a blade for cutting a metal - it didn't chip the edges.

You can come and have a look how it's done (at least you would visit us for once ;)) and I could also help if you would like my work.

PS but forget the promotion video which they have in shops where the lady is making it look sooooooooooooooo easy - when I've started the 1st room I've called her so many nasty names :D

If you find Scooby-si's Amtico to dear, try Karndean (www.karndean.co.uk I used the Knight Tile range), a much more affordable version of that type of design flooring. I laid this stuff myself in our hallway (same process as Scooby-si describes) and it is fine once you get going but a very different concept to click or laminate flooring.
EVERYBODY that sees it thinks it is real wood and I was convinced when I saw the demo panel in the shop that it was real (I was even touching the stuff). The advantage is that you can have borders and lay the "planks" in different directions e.g. a herringbone center with a straight border etc. It looks the nuts.
I also have B&Q click flooring and this is a synch to lay. I cut it with a handsaw and a coping saw for the fiddlies.

Neil.

Karndean! That's the stuff that we wanted! Thank you!!!!

& the names scooby_si ;) lol
Si

scooby_si: sORRY

Chiark: glad to be of help.