How fast can you lay flooring?

[joiner_sim]

Hi guys,
I've just completed a large room with two chimmney breasts, 4 alcoves, 2 doors and an angled bay window. In total it was roughly 25m sq. It took roughly 16-17 hours.

What do those who lay laminate flooring down for a living / some jobs think it would take them to complete a room like that?

 

[joiner_sim]

That was complete with beading and underlay also.

 

[RogerBoyle]

I'd Comfortably do it in a day as long as the floor underneath was in sound condition

Can I ask why you didn't go under the skirting board ???
Did you go under the door frames or just butt up to them ??
What did you use for the thresholds ???

 

[jordec66]

1 day for that area, but would have suggested to customer no beading, under skirting always looks best.

 

[No skills]

Don't do it for a living but I would say day and a half for what you have mentioned (assuming an empty room, no dragging furniture around).

For those mentioning skirting, I assume you are talking about removing existing skirting and refitting after?

 

[Lons]

Don't do it for a living but I would say day and a half for what you have mentioned (assuming an empty room, no dragging furniture around).

For those mentioning skirting, I assume you are talking about removing existing skirting and refitting after?

No more than 1 day and I would ALWAYS cut under the skirting. beading looks like a DIY job (no offence meant)

It's also possible to cut skirting accurately in situ with a biscuit jointer (old blade) though you need to take it off at least one wall to lay the last lengths properly. You can buy or hire purpose made saws for the job but not worth the cost IMO and a small multisaw is great for tight corners.

I fit solid wood floors regularly but turn down laminate as the cost of laying is often more than the laminate cost.

Bob

 

[Eric The Viking]

How do you avoid the cut nails from the skirting into the floor? Exit one biscuit blade...

I know, you said to use an old blade. ;-)

I hate laminate. Wrecks tools. But then I'm only an amateur.

E.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I think it looks great, especially with 18mm quadrant pinned all the way round the edge!

 

[Lons]

How do you avoid the cut nails from the skirting into the floor? Exit one biscuit blade...

I know, you said to use an old blade. ;-)

I hate laminate. Wrecks tools. But then I'm only an amateur.

E.

Hi Eric

Is that a local method in your area?
I've never encountered the skirting nailed to the floor, always into the wall and usually high enough to miss with the blade. Thickest flooring I've used was 25mm so no problem. Cut nails would definately be a blade killer though
cheers

Bob

 

[Eric The Viking]

How do you avoid the cut nails from the skirting into the floor? Exit one biscuit blade...

I know, you said to use an old blade. ;-)

I hate laminate. Wrecks tools. But then I'm only an amateur.

E.

Hi Eric

Is that a local method in your area?

I guess so.

I've had mid-Victorian and Edwardian property. Both had/have made up skirtings (planted mouldings) in the public rooms, and in both cases there were quite a few nails, in at about 45deg., from the bottom of the skirting to the boards. I'm not sure if they were just to help in setting the upper mouldings (rigidity?) or what. They're not full sized flooring nails, but smaller - almost tack sized. But they are enough to be a bloomin' nuisance.

I've encountered several blocks behind on the boards, too, to set the bottom of the skirting vertical, but I think they're later additions, and oddly, the skirting isn't nailed to the blocks. Those have been on the not-coped boards so far, but that may not be significant

E..

 

[xy mosian]

I think it looks great, especially with 18mm quadrant pinned all the way round the edge!

I have two problems with modern, laminate, floors. The first is living next door to a family who walk around in hard soled shoes creating a disturbing racket. The second is Rugs, my other neighbour decided to 'warm up' the appearance of a room with laminated floor by adding rugs. I do not walk too well, twice a rug has slipped and I have ended up on the floor. Luckily missing hard edges on furniture. I don't visit very often these days. Perhaps that was the intention.
xy

 

[Eric The Viking]

I hate to recommend Ikea, but they sell non-slip material to go under rugs in that context. I've done the same as you, in son's bedroom. His rugs now have said material.

Also available is 'router matting' from Toolstation, although it's black (or red) and thicker, it does the same job. I'm not sure which is least expensive, although we've now got router matting stuck under some ceramics, including the soap dish in the bathroom, and the wide glass dish in the hall table. It's saved my bacon several times.

The colour leaches out of the red stuff if it gets wet, though. DAMHIK!

E.

 

[xy mosian]

Thanks Eric, I suggested soemthing along those lines, deaf ears I'm afraid. Shotgun to the wearers of noisey shoes would work I think.
xy

 

[Eric The Viking]

What's that stuff we weren't supposed to make in the chemistry lab that goes explosive when it dries?

Silver fulminate?

 

[AES]

Don't know if it helps Gents, and probably a bit Off Topic too, but over here (Switzerland) all the DIY Emporia sell "stuff" to prevent items sliding around in the boot of the car. It's normally black or dark grey, comes in "mats" of about 1M square and is about 5mm thick uncompressed. It looks roughly like a soft "mesh" made up of soft plastic "threads" laid out in about 5mm squares and feels a bit sticky to the touch (not surprisingly). It's also very cheap - a couple of quid approx.

I've used it with great success under small pieces of timber for free-hand router work, and under the rugs and mats on our sitting room floor (which is also laminate strips and which I will have to replace soon - which I'm NOT looking forward to BTW - never done anything like that before!).

Over here it's called "Anti Ruetsch Mat" (literally "Anti Slip Mat"). I've no idea who makes it but I would have thought you can get it in UK too.

Maybe help for someone?

Krgds
AES

 

[joiner_sim]

Don't do it for a living but I would say day and a half for what you have mentioned (assuming an empty room, no dragging furniture around).

For those mentioning skirting, I assume you are talking about removing existing skirting and refitting after?

Thanks for that. Seems the regular layers can do it easy in a day (I'm assuming 10-8 hours work there then). But for those like ourselves who don't do it that often at all and generally only do it for friends & family...plus having to move furniture about the 16-17 hours I quoted aint too bad. A 10 hour day +6-7hr day. Also I guess some of the tea breaks add to that time unknowingly :lol:

Thanks for everyones input though, as just wanted to see how far behind time was I was. The reason for beading around the skirting instead of the flooring going under the skirting was down to preference of the people I did the floor for. I think it had alot to do with the skirting being put on five years ago with apparently some kind of no nails and all the walls being re-plastered at that time too. Personally I think on this occasion the beading does look quite smart with the skirting being painted white and the floor being walnut.