laying laminate - looking for some know-how

[johnhenstock83]

morning,

 

the time has arrived for me to start laying the floor in our new extension. we bought wickes 18mm laminate, cork spacers, tape, tools etc. I've done this before many years back, floor still going strong, no movement etc, so I'm confident I can still manage this time, I just wondered if something can help with the following questions:

 

underlay

 

1. we got wood fibre underlay (the green stuff), 5mm thick. should this butt against the edge of the wall or does it also need an expansion gap? if yes, how big?
2. I remember reading somewhere that a gap in between each board is desired, is that right? if so, would 2-3mm suffice?
3. we got pvc flame retardant tape or strong alu tape for underlay. which one is best and is tape even required?

 

laminate

 

1. I'm looking to stagger the boards at one third distance. boards are 1285mm long, so I'd get 3 steps of around 430mm each. is that good or should I stick to one half instead?
2. we have two door frames in the extension (utility, wc). is it true that I need to cut them just above the flooring level and have the laminate slide underneath?
3. it's really hot at this time of the year and the laminate has been sitting in the extension, I'm guessing it's as "expanded" as it gets. is a 7.5mm expansion gap in current temperatures enough?

 

any advice would be much appreciated, I promise to post pictures once done :).

 

thank you!

[markc]

Morning, fibre underlay does not need an expansion gap but I always leave it around 20mm short of the board to reduce chance of underlay soaking up any water that runs off end of board.

 

if you stick to 1/2 or 3rds staggers people will be drawn to lining them up, random stagger lengths prevent this.

 

Timber shrinks when hot and dry and expands with moisture, expansion is less along grain and more across it so unless you have a very wide area across grain the 5mm all the way round should be plenty.

 

you can go around door frames but looks terrible, easier to cut the frame and let boards go under at least a few mm.

[johnhenstock83]

45 minutes ago, markc said:

Morning, fibre underlay does not need an expansion gap but I always leave it around 20mm short of the board to reduce chance of underlay soaking up any water that runs off end of board.

Good tip, makes sense, thanks. 

 

if you stick to 1/2 or 3rds staggers people will be drawn to lining them up, random stagger lengths prevent this.

Random makes sense, I can always alternate between 1/3 and 1/2 to avoid those neat lines, I was mainly wondering if (at least) 1/3 is long enough for a strong connection.

 

Timber shrinks when hot and dry and expands with moisture, expansion is less along grain and more across it so unless you have a very wide area across grain the 5mm all the way round should be plenty.

width of extension is 6m, so we're looking at just over 30 boards next to each other. I take it the boards are now shrunk due to the heat and lack of moisture, so they will only expand from this state. maybe 8mm would do.

 

you can go around door frames but looks terrible, easier to cut the frame and let boards go under at least a few mm.

got it, makes sense, thanks again!

 

[saveasteading]

Is it wood or artificial?

[johnhenstock83]

artificial, typical click laminae, but thick (18mm).

[saveasteading]

So it won't change size too much. I'd agree with 20mm.

 

If you are lucky , you won't share my obsession  with artificial timber features repeating.

In real timber, every feature, whether knot, grain or shake, is unique.

In reproduction, some products have multiple of the same print  in the pack.

I don't want to see 2 or more of the same feature in the same view.

I absolutely don't want them close together and in line. Laying on 1/3 staggers reduces the 'risk'.

 

But also check how the layout works with your room size, to avoid short bits.