What Thickness for Laminate Flooring Would You Recommend?

[Deactivated] on 10/04/2020 - 18:28

Hi guys,
we've decided to do some rennos on the house while all this #%&t has hit the fan and we're looking at laminate flooring as a cheap and sturdy option.
We'll be living in this house for a few years at least before we have to upsize for more kids and life etc…
Could you guys give any thoughts on what thickness to go with for laminate floors?
It's a single storey home and the laminate will be laid down over some older/outdated tiles. 7mm start at 15$ a square metre and the 10mm stuff I'm looking at starts at $30 a square metre.

Thanks for any input/ideas/recommendations on underlay as well.

Home & Garden

Comments

  • SnoozeAndLose on 10/04/2020 - 18:35
    +3

    The thicker the better. Costco selling $36/sqm with underlay.

    I would suggest you go for bamboo or timber if you are living in it.

    Laminate floor expand/absorb quickly when you split water on it.

    • [Deactivated] on 10/04/2020 - 18:58

      thanks for the info, didn't know that.

      • SnoozeAndLose on 10/04/2020 - 19:03
        +1

        Costco one is 15mm including the underlay

        • [Deactivated] on 10/04/2020 - 20:36

          thanks bud, do they provide contacts for local installers in most areas you reckon? Thanks again.

  • Edsanwong on 10/04/2020 - 18:50
    +1

    The thicker, the longer and the wider

    I used oakleaf brand, $26/m2

    • [Deactivated] on 10/04/2020 - 18:58

      Thankyou, can I ask what mm you used?

      • Edsanwong on 10/04/2020 - 19:18
        +1

        12mm. Long board

    • ntt on 14/04/2020 - 15:50

      The thicker, the longer and the wider

      That's all the men want!

  • emrifusion on 10/04/2020 - 19:07
    +1

    Personally I would avoid having laminate or ask a lot of questions before buying. I chose laminate over timber flooring to save a couple bucks. You need to have a specific method when cleaning floors as if water gets in to the cracks and isnt dried/cleaned up it can lift the laminate off the board. Maybe i just got duped in buying an inferior product as was told it was high quality made in europe.

    • SnoozeAndLose on 10/04/2020 - 21:08

      Laminated floor is like this not matter how high the quality is.

      Would you pay $60/sqm to install highest quality one vs standard quality Bamboo?

      • emrifusion on 10/04/2020 - 21:26

        yes. however was not aware how quick is this can happen. Bits can raise/swell if you have scratches(slightly deep) and leave water on it.
        Markings/raised bits you dont notice unless you have a good look for them, but because i clean the floors i see all the damages.
        Bamboo, although more resistant can warp with water. Mate had bamboo and it warped in areas and just ended up tiling his floors. If i could do it all over again would have spent the extra 2-3k and chose timber with the highest thickness as there is room to resand/refinish if required.

        • SnoozeAndLose on 10/04/2020 - 21:31

          I installed bamboo 4 years ago about $80/sqm and never has issue with water, had many occasions split water on and it never tilt.

          For me.if I need to upgrade to timber it will be $30 extra / sqm and I need to cover about 100 sqm. So another $3,000 too

  • ZloyKrys on 10/04/2020 - 20:33
    +6

    I would say look at hybrid vinyl, it may look like laminate but it's waterproof and way more sturdy. Looks good as well.

  • crashloaded on 11/04/2020 - 06:34

    Yeah Ive got vinyl planks in my house, water and scratch proof.

  • savage bargain on 11/04/2020 - 21:09

    Another for vinyl planks - I'm amazed at how the kids still haven't ruined one yet. We got commercial ones and dropped scissors didn't make a mark as well as everything they've tried ruining it with (paints, biros, crayons, permanent markers, glue, labels, stickers, etc) has come off. They're quiet for walking on too.

    • ntt on 14/04/2020 - 15:53

      are those vinyl look cheap, touch/feel cheap? Which brand/company did you go with?

      • savage bargain on 15/04/2020 - 10:28

        Not at all, they're really good quality and they don't have that hollow sound when walking on them like floating floors - they feel more 'solid' (can't think of the right word). It's definitely not the same as the rolls of plastic flooring that was popular decades ago - both from quality and the appearance. If you can get to a display room, you'll see what I mean.

        The planks we got are really durable and surprisingly heavy. If we had laminate instead, it would have been destroyed. And the benefit is if one is damaged, it's much easier to replace the damaged plank (not that we've needed to test that yet).

        We got the Inovar in the grey steel colour.

    • oliman on 08/09/2020 - 10:14

      Can you share how much area you covered with vinyl and how much did it cost you?

      • savage bargain on 08/09/2020 - 22:45

        Sorry I can't remember specifics as it's been a while, but it's a 3x1 and cost something like $1500 installed…
        It's still going strong, just scrubbed off more crayon and texta on the weekend with no mark left behind.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join