Wickes Laminate Flooring
Discussion
Anyone laid this down?
I know I am being a muppet, but I have come a cropper. You see, when it comes to putting a new row in, I need to have the panel abutt both the top board AND the board to the left of it - BUT the way they go in place is they are put at 30 degrees to the board you want to fit it into then they push down - so I can either have it get nice and square with the row above, or the row to the left, but not both.
WTF am I am doing wrong, I know there must be a simple way to get these damn things in place but my brain is not working....
I know I am being a muppet, but I have come a cropper. You see, when it comes to putting a new row in, I need to have the panel abutt both the top board AND the board to the left of it - BUT the way they go in place is they are put at 30 degrees to the board you want to fit it into then they push down - so I can either have it get nice and square with the row above, or the row to the left, but not both.
WTF am I am doing wrong, I know there must be a simple way to get these damn things in place but my brain is not working....
If its how i picture, put it in the previous line of boards (top) at the 30 degree angle, with the one on the left being the part with the gap. Then tap it in to the one on the left from the right side of the board, using a hammer and either a step block (if good access) or the metal puller (if not).
miniman said:
Struggling to picture what you mean. Normally I would join the boards in a row first (i.e. to make one very long board) then snap the whole thing to the previous row in one go.
Ah, that could be the way to go then. It means I'd have to do all the cutting each time mind but yes, that does sound like an easier way to do it.What I mean is that where I should have a row, instead I have a column. So now when it comes to adding another column, I have the row and column to line up, which means that when it comes to snapping them in place I have to do the top and the side at the same time, which isn't working.
MilleniumFalcon said:
If its how i picture, put it in the previous line of boards (top) at the 30 degree angle, with the one on the left being the part with the gap. Then tap it in to the one on the left from the right side of the board, using a hammer and either a step block (if good access) or the metal puller (if not).
Yes, that is exactly how I thought it would go BUT because of the way it has to lie in place it has to go in at a 30-45 degree angle, which means that even with tapping and using the metal puller etc it just doesn't go under the other board on whichever side I haven't put it at an angle!Perhaps it's just a thing with Wickes laminate as all the videos online don't appear to have this problem either!
Really confused by OP's description. 
It is simple
Check the instruction on the pack to see which way you should have tongues on the the board joints facing, get it wrong and it can be awkward joining the next rows.
Start in the furthest left corner, with a complete board. Lay one row, side by side, across the whole futhest wall. Cut the last piece to length.
The bit left over becomes the start of the next row. Create a new complete length row cutting the last board to length. This offcut beomes the start of the next row.
Then, this is the tricky part on a long run, slide the new complete row up to the one in place, angle it up and then let it drop into place. Click... it should just drop in but usually needs some gentle persuasion to get it all to lay down perfect and with no gaps, none at all, take you time and make sure there are none. If you leave any gaps they will just get worse as you move onto further rows.
Repeat until all rows are complete. The last tricky bit is when you reach the nearest wall because the last row will need cutting along it's whole length so it can drop in.
Get it right and there should be virtually no waste at all.
It is simple
Check the instruction on the pack to see which way you should have tongues on the the board joints facing, get it wrong and it can be awkward joining the next rows.
Start in the furthest left corner, with a complete board. Lay one row, side by side, across the whole futhest wall. Cut the last piece to length.
The bit left over becomes the start of the next row. Create a new complete length row cutting the last board to length. This offcut beomes the start of the next row.
Then, this is the tricky part on a long run, slide the new complete row up to the one in place, angle it up and then let it drop into place. Click... it should just drop in but usually needs some gentle persuasion to get it all to lay down perfect and with no gaps, none at all, take you time and make sure there are none. If you leave any gaps they will just get worse as you move onto further rows.
Repeat until all rows are complete. The last tricky bit is when you reach the nearest wall because the last row will need cutting along it's whole length so it can drop in.
Get it right and there should be virtually no waste at all.
I fitted a lovely water resistant light wood-effect laminate to my living room.
Then we had a rug steam cleaned on it, which caused the corners of the laminate boards under the rug to bend upward.
Then wear wore off the raised corners and we can see the outline of the boards. TBH it looked a bit crap.
Last week I bought some solid wood flooring - I'm not arsing about with laminates again, too much work is written off - too easily.
The moral of the story is that even if it's super-quality water resistant, don't ever get it wet!
Then we had a rug steam cleaned on it, which caused the corners of the laminate boards under the rug to bend upward.
Then wear wore off the raised corners and we can see the outline of the boards. TBH it looked a bit crap.
Last week I bought some solid wood flooring - I'm not arsing about with laminates again, too much work is written off - too easily.
The moral of the story is that even if it's super-quality water resistant, don't ever get it wet!
Jas, I have some Pergo laminate and it's the same as you decribed.
It gave me a pain in the brain as well. How to get both ends in at the same time? You can't and you don't! That will teach you to read instructions!
Just angle the new board at about 30 Degrees and when you push it down to 'click' in place mostly it will sit into the end piece okay. It might need a little tap to slide the new piece into perfect locking position (using a mallet and a small waste piece so you dont damage the edge) and once a few have been laid you will quickly lay the rest.
I hate that edge quadrant stuff ....... the next time I do a room I will remove the skirting and have the gap against the wall. New skirting will cover it and look so much better.
It gave me a pain in the brain as well. How to get both ends in at the same time? You can't and you don't! That will teach you to read instructions!
Just angle the new board at about 30 Degrees and when you push it down to 'click' in place mostly it will sit into the end piece okay. It might need a little tap to slide the new piece into perfect locking position (using a mallet and a small waste piece so you dont damage the edge) and once a few have been laid you will quickly lay the rest.
I hate that edge quadrant stuff ....... the next time I do a room I will remove the skirting and have the gap against the wall. New skirting will cover it and look so much better.
Harpo said:
I hate that edge quadrant stuff ....... the next time I do a room I will remove the skirting and have the gap against the wall. New skirting will cover it and look so much better.
I got some standard 'best' wood (cedar?) from my local timber yard - about 4" x 1" and stuck that around for skirting (using no-more-nails), ronseal quick-dry satin and painters-mate acrylic filler to fill to the wall. Looked great and _much_ easier to cut and fit 'proper' skirting as it's all 'square'. Much cheaper too.
Globs said:
I fitted a lovely water resistant light wood-effect laminate to my living room.
Then we had a rug steam cleaned on it, which caused the corners of the laminate boards under the rug to bend upward.
Then wear wore off the raised corners and we can see the outline of the boards. TBH it looked a bit crap.
Last week I bought some solid wood flooring - I'm not arsing about with laminates again, too much work is written off - too easily.
The moral of the story is that even if it's super-quality water resistant, don't ever get it wet!
Not really the wet that was the problem was it! More the moron that cooked it.Then we had a rug steam cleaned on it, which caused the corners of the laminate boards under the rug to bend upward.
Then wear wore off the raised corners and we can see the outline of the boards. TBH it looked a bit crap.
Last week I bought some solid wood flooring - I'm not arsing about with laminates again, too much work is written off - too easily.
The moral of the story is that even if it's super-quality water resistant, don't ever get it wet!
Mr GrimNasty said:
Not really the wet that was the problem was it! More the moron that cooked it.
I can't say for sure as I wasn't in the house when the rug was cleaned. In fact I didn't even know it was cleaned until I noticed the correlation between the lifted edges and a damp rug, then realised the cleaning company had done it (it was rented out at that time).Not sure if they used steam or a carpet cleaner but it put me off that type of flooring, mainly because if it had been wood a light sanding would have fixed it (if I'd even noticed it - expansion aside), but the top laminate wearing off was unsolvable by me without taking up the whole floor back to that point.
Harpo said:
Jas, I have some Pergo laminate and it's the same as you decribed.
It gave me a pain in the brain as well. How to get both ends in at the same time? You can't and you don't! That will teach you to read instructions!
Yes, I have recently looked at some paper which fell out of the packet, which I refer to as recycling, my OH refers to as instructions........... It gave me a pain in the brain as well. How to get both ends in at the same time? You can't and you don't! That will teach you to read instructions!
The instructions say to lay the floor by rows and then slot them all together in one go....... But that means I have to cut each end which when I started laying the floor it was 8pm on a weeknight so I couldn't see to mitre, which is why I laid it in columns as it was "easier".......... Still, you live and learn !!
Simpo Two said:
Mitre? Where does that come in or are you doing something creative?
Sorry I just meant my new saw is a mitre saw. The mitre will come when I do the skirting, but I haven't got that yet...However, the floor is now down, less than three hours from start to finish, including cutting out around the radiator feeds. I feel quite smug for getting it down, and really stupid for getting it wrong in the first place...
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