A wood look at a third of the price, at the grade that copes
Laminate
Eight and twelve millimetre laminate at AC4, the wear grade that copes with a family, a dog and kitchen chairs, on an underlay with a damp-proof layer. Water-resistant boards for kitchens, and an acoustic underlay upstairs.
Laminate gets a bad name from the 6 mm boards sold in sheds that peel at the joints within a year. A good laminate is a different thing: 8 or 12 millimetres thick, rated AC4 for wear, with a realistic wood print and a core that does not swell the moment it sees a wet boot. It is the most floor for the money we sell.
The board is only half the job. Laminate floats on an underlay, so the underlay decides how it sounds and how it feels: we fit one with a damp-proof layer on concrete, and an acoustic one upstairs so the room below does not hear every footstep. We leave an expansion gap at every wall and cover it with scotia or by taking the skirting off and putting it back, which looks better and costs £6 a metre.
Laminate comes in packs, so the measurer adds eight per cent for cutting and rounds up to whole packs. Any unopened pack left over comes back to the shop for a refund within a month.
What is included
- 8 mm and 12 mm boards rated AC4
- Underlay with a damp-proof layer on concrete
- Acoustic underlay upstairs
- Expansion gaps finished with scotia, or skirting off and refitted
- Door bars and the doors trimmed
- Unopened packs refunded within a month
What it costs
From £33 a square metre fitted for an 8 mm AC4 board with underlay; 12 mm water-resistant boards from £41. Including VAT. The room measurer works out your room in laminate, with the roll or the packs we would order.
Questions about laminate
Is laminate all right in a kitchen?
A water-resistant 12 mm board with sealed edges is fine in a dry kitchen. If the dishwasher has ever leaked, have LVT instead.
Can I fit it myself?
Plenty of people do. We sell the boards and underlay at the shop price and will lend you a pull bar and tapping block.
Start with the home measure. It is free.
Rhian or Lewis measures every room with a laser, checks the floor underneath and every door, leaves the samples with you, and writes the quote before they leave. Usually within three working days.