Laminate flooring is a great option if you are after the timber look without the associated cost and maintenance. Installed correctly, you’ll have a floor that lasts for years. 

Why choose laminate flooring

Laminate flooring is becoming an increasingly popular choice for flooring. There’s a variety of reasons that draw people, including: 

• Affordability: laminate flooring is one of the cheaper flooring options. It’s always been one of the major benefits of using laminate flooring
• Durability: highly resistant to scratches and damage, laminate flooring is great for high-traffic areas. It can take regular use with ease, unlike timber or bamboo for instance
• Low maintenance: laminate flooring doesn’t require any resealing, waxing or polishing to stay in good condition. Clean it as you would any flooring, with vacuuming or sweeping, and it’ll last
• Style: there's almost no limit to the designs and style of laminate flooring. You can get flooring that looks like wood but costs a fraction of the price with all the benefits of durability and low maintenance that come with laminate flooring
• Comfort: you can tailor your flooring to your needs easier with laminate flooring. If you use a foam underlay it can enhance this, keeping your floor soft and springy. Extra surface textures can be used to prevent slipping, useful for households with the elderly or young children
• Good for allergy sufferers: the design of laminate flooring relies on interlocking flooring. This drastically minimises the gaps that can grow mould or catch other allergens

How is laminate flooring installed?

Laminate flooring is made from thin boards which makes them versatile when it comes to installation. The thin boards also mean that your new flooring can be easily installed over your existing flooring. 

In general, laminate flooring will be installed as either:

• Glued: to give your floor more even stability and ensure that it retains its shape, it can be glued down to either the flooring structure or over the top of the previous floor
• Floating floor or lock together: this method is more common for laminate flooring and involves locking the laminate boards together and laying them on top of the previous floor. It’s a much simpler method of installation and holds up well
• Loose lay: a variation on the floating floor, loose lay laminate flooring combines the best of lock together and glued. For loose lay, the edges of the flooring are glued down while the rest is placed without glue

Laminate flooring can be installed on top of plywood, a concrete slab, vinyl flooring, or any other hard, level flat flooring surface. 

Installing laminate flooring yourself can be done but small mistakes are easy to make and these can reduce the life and look of your floor. In general, hiring a professional laminate flooring installer will ensure that your laminate flooring is installed correctly, lasts longer and looks great.

What changes the cost of your laminate flooring?

There are a lot of things to consider when choosing your laminate flooring. Each can affect the cost so it’s a good idea to think about what you need for your flooring. 

Thickness 

You will usually find laminate flooring in one of four thicknesses. 14mm, 12mm, 10mm and 8mm. Different thicknesses will change the sound your flooring makes when you step on it, the feel underfoot and the durability of the joints of the flooring. 

Thicker laminate flooring (e.g., 14mm), will be more expensive than thinner flooring but it will look and feel more realistic than the others. 8mm on the other hand will feel less solid but is more affordable. 

Underlay

This is the mandatory padding underneath laminate flooring. It connects the laminate to the subfloor and can provide different benefits depending. Underlay can come pre-attached or it can be chosen separately. 

Apartments in cities can often require underlays that pass acoustic certifications so it’s a good idea to check with your building or strata for any requirements. 

Scratch resistance 

Laminate flooring usually comes with some degree of scratch resistance. AC is the rating system used for different levels of resistance to damage and it goes from 1 to 6. Residential addresses usually get flooring with a rating between 1 and 4, with 4 being more durable but more expensive. 

AC1 laminate flooring is good for light traffic areas and can help bring down the costs of your flooring. For higher traffic areas, it's common to find AC3 or 4 flooring. 

Water resistance 

Laminate doesn’t do too well when wet. If water is left on it, it can bubble and warp relatively quickly, making it a bad choice for rooms with taps or water connections - such as bathrooms, and laundry rooms. 

For floors that might get a little wet, you can get laminate flooring with water resistance. It’s a good idea to talk to your laminate floor installer before choosing it for rooms that are likely to get wet. 

Who installs laminate flooring?

Laminate flooring can be easily installed by a professional flooring company. The advantage of using one of these is that they can also supply the flooring for you, making it a one-stop service. 

A carpenter is also able to install laminate flooring easily. Just make sure that the professional you choose is correctly qualified and licensed. They should also provide a free quote before any work is commenced.

Can I install my own laminate flooring?

Do-it-yourself laminate flooring installation is possible, especially if you have some previous construction or laminate floor installation experience. While this is the case, it’s  worth remembering that choosing to have your laminate flooring installed by a pro will be faster, more efficient, and will make sure your shiny new floor lasts a lifetime.

Although installation of laminate flooring might seem simple on paper, you might end up with some not-so-great surprises down the line, including buckling, separating, gaps and uneven surfaces if you don’t do the prep work correctly. Mistakes like these can be costly in both time and money, which is why professional laminate flooring installers will always be worth the investment.

How to choose a laminate floor installer

To find the right laminate flooring installer for you, shop around for the best deal, but also the company you trust will do the best job. Check their credentials, make sure they're insured, and ask for examples of previous work plus testimonials. A few example questions you might ask are:

• What experience and qualifications do you have?
• Are you licensed and insured?
• Can you provide examples of previous laminate flooring installations?
• Do you have any customer references I can contact?
• Is there a particular type of laminate flooring you would recommend for my project?
• How do you get the subfloor suitable for installation? Is this included in the cost? 
• How long will the installation take, and when will the installation start?
• What are the itemised costs for material and labour? Are there any additional fees or hidden charges? Does your cost include the disposal of my old floor, and the work needed to remove this?
• Do you offer warranties on installation or the laminate flooring itself? How do you handle post-installation issues?