Floor panel installation

Laminate goes down quickly, but the result depends on what is underneath. A humpy screed, underlay that is too thin or no gap at the wall, and within weeks the floor creaks, flexes or opens at the joints. Laminate fitting covers checking the base, membrane and underlay, the click boards and the skirting.

The price is per square metre. Boards, underlay and skirting are materials; lifting the old floor is a separate item.

How fitting works

• checking the screed with a straightedge;
• a vapour membrane over a concrete screed;
• underlay suited to the boards and to underfloor heating, if there is any;
• laying with staggered joints and an expansion gap at the walls;
• cutting round door frames, pipes and thresholds, then fitting skirting.

A flat base

Laminate forgives small dips, but not humps and hollows over two metres. Bigger differences need self-levelling compound, or the joints flex and eventually break. The tradesperson checks with a straightedge before the first row.

What to prepare

An empty room, the boards left in it for at least a day to reach room temperature, and the floor area. Buy extra for offcuts. Say in the request whether there is underfloor heating and whether the old floor must come up.

Common questions