In a week or so I will be moving back into my house after 12 months of living in a rented apartment due to a burst water mains pipe

As a result of that I need to and want to put new flooring down everywhere in my house

At the moment I am thinking of having carpet on hall stairs and landing and laminate flooring everywhere else
I know there are pros and cons for having carpet and the same for laminate flooring

Does anyone on here have Laminate Flooring?
And do you love it or wish you never had it

Does anyone think me having carpet on hall stairs and landing and laminate flooring everywhere else is a good idea

Or should I carpet everywhere

Your views please
Thanks

Laminate flooring was all the rage at one point with nearly everybody installing it, nobody speaks of it anymore.

Carpet all the way.

We have a mixture. Laminate in the hall, as it is easier to clean, and in a couple of rooms. Elsewhere we have carpets or tiles, depends on the look we are after.

We had laminate fitted through the entire downstairs and carpet on stairs and everywhere else (except the bathrooms as that is just wrong) when we moved into new build.

Reason for laminating downstairs is that would be easier to clean than carpet when coming in.

We do love our laminate floor although currently having a debate with the builders/fitters as we don’t think they left enough gap and it has “lifted” a little due to expansion

Good quality laminate flooring is very good for hallway; kitchen; cloakroom etc, because its relatively easy to keep clean, but it can feel cold underfoot in the winter months. Personally I'd have bedrooms, living room and stairs with carpet and laminate elsewhere. the other option is high quality vinyl flooring (like Karndean https://www.karndean.com/en-gb/floors" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or Amtico https://www.amtico.com/flooring/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) these have been recommended to me as a better alternative to laminate, apparently its more hardwearing but also feels better underfoot - but you get what you pay for.

We've got Karndean down in our hall, kitchen and conservatory and it's very good but you do need to make sure the floor is as even as possible before it's laid (we had ours screeded) which might not be an issue for you if you've had a refit after a flood.

We have had laminate floor which was cheap and didn't really last long. It was easily marked and got a hole in it when something fell on it. We also had some cheap stuff in the kitchen which swelled up when the dishwasher leaked. More recently we have had some QuickStep real wood laminate installed and are delighted with it. The range spans from an economy selection to an Elite selection which is waterproof and extremely strong. Buying cheap stuff from the likes of B&Q is false economy in my book. We got the latest lot from Padiham Carpets and they provided a fitter. Couldn't be happier. Just don't cut corners....

had laminate everywhere except carpet in bedrooms and tile in bathroom, was very pleased. Recently changed to the Karnead as mentioned above except for tile in bathroom, I love it and looks much more like engineered wood flooring than the laminate did although it was good.

Not a big fan of carpet but we're all different and of course all have different budgets and space to cover.

You could try that bloke up on Heasandford Ind Est who sells carpet tiles,very nice chap (I am) who will sort out a good price for you, just mention this site. PS not there Sat afternoons.

Hendrickxz wrote:We have had laminate floor which was cheap and didn't really last long. It was easily marked and got a hole in it when something fell on it. We also had some cheap stuff in the kitchen which swelled up when the dishwasher leaked. More recently we have had some QuickStep real wood laminate installed and are delighted with it. The range spans from an economy selection to an Elite selection which is waterproof and extremely strong. Buying cheap stuff from the likes of B&Q is false economy in my book. We got the latest lot from Padiham Carpets and they provided a fitter. Couldn't be happier. Just don't cut corners....

Exactly what is said here. We had Quickstep installed about 15 years ago in the hallway, gym and conservatory and 3 years ago in the living room and dining room/study. Genuinely you could not tell that the hallway stuff is over 10 years older, it looks just like the new one that that was installed. Shop around and can get it cheaper, I got some off ebay that came from Liverpool (to Surrey) for the hall etc. and a website for the others the second time around. We have the one with a single groove in it - Perspective 2V I think.

I've got it through most of my place and (including one of the bedrooms) and it's fine. Much, much easier to clean; you're never panicking about dropping some food or drink or having muddy shoes on it and, if you get a premium one, still looks good.

I wouldn't skimp on the quality as that is when it looks cheap.

I've just removed it from the kitchen but intend to replace it with the same or Karndean. I would only use laminate or similar in the kitchen/utility everywhere else wants to be carpet. To much fluff gathering on laminate in hallways and living rooms.

It's a personal taste thing to me. Laminate is easy to clean/maintain cf carpet is "cosier".
I refurbished my house completely a couple of years ago with carpet in all bedrooms/living rooms/landing/stairs but floor tiling in kitchen and bathroom and (70s flashback) cork tiles in the vestibule/adjoining cloakroom.
No regrets about my choices at all.

Have you considered the benefits of fitting Cork laminates not tiles throughout the property save for potential wet areas like the kitchen and toilet.

Benefits include reletively soft and warm under foot for any bare foot fans in the summer, floor insulating affect built in their construction, they come as slabs about 15 millimetres thick containing Cork, insulation etc.

Easy to keep clean, can be fitted by a DIY fan, no fitted carpet required just the occasional spread.

Treat it well and it should last for years.

Thanks for all of your advice guys

I will also ask the advice of the carpet guy who has been recommended to me

At this moment I am leaning towards laminate/Karndean in the Hall Kitchen and Bathroom and carpet in the Lounge Stairs and Landing and the three Bedrooms

I am getting married in the next few months and.my fiancee has a 3 year old daughter so think it will be safer for the little girl with mainly carpets

You should get a board with a minimum thickness of 12mm , AC4 wear rating and 20 years+ guarantee. I've had this one from B&Q down for over a year in the living/dining through room and it still looks brand new. Use felt pads under table and chair legs and tell the girls to remove their stilletos when indoors

https://www.diy.com/departments/concert ... 047_BQ.prd

Hire an industrial sander, clean up your existing floorboards and varnish or wax.

Miles better then clicky clacky flooring.

Spend the money on some quality rugs.

(Though I do have laminate in the kitchen).

Laminate is good if you have allergies or asthma as it's easier to clean, but with it upstairs, you will notice downstairs that it is more noisy, both people walking about and particularly when things are dropped. Also if you have creaky floors they will be a bit more noticeable - of course you should try and solve creaky floors if you can.

Carpet tiles are halfway between fitted carpet (with underlay) as they are made with their own thin underlay. You can fit tiles yourself easily and if some get worn or badly stained they're easy to replace. You can also make your own patterns.

I was talking to an estate agent the other day who was selling a flat that had had laminate installed ten years ago. It looked good to my eyes but he said the style was out of date and should be changed.

We have karndean in my wife’s office, quality product but the floor was new - so level. The whole of the downstairs of our house is sanded and varnished which is good for cleaning up after the dog. Wouldn’t recommend doing it yourself....took me ages!

I have had laminate flooring in a previous home. We're had quite a lot of work done in our current place 4 years ago and went for engineered oak flooring in the kitchen/dining room and the utility room. I also put underfloor heating in so no cold floors in winter. Go for the better quality stuff and it can be sanded and refinished up to 6 times.

We use Karndean and Amtico in the kitchen, hall and bathrooms for the reasons expressed above. There was a big selection at the mill shop next to B and Q in Brierfield. We have used Colin at Inspired Flooring at Earby to supply and fit several times.

Karndean and Amtico seem to be leaders but there is also Quickstep which is similar but has a thicker wear-layer. Got some and it's fine.

Can’t beat a proper wood floor when it’s been sanded back, stained and lacquered. Looks ten times better than laminate and not much difference in price.