Laminate Timber Flooring......How much$$$?

[Dribbler]

Hi All,

Just wondering what the going price is for laminated timber flooring per square meter? Im in Melbourne in case it matters. A work friend gave me contact details of a shop that sells it for $17.50m2 with 2mm underlay. Is that a good price? If so it will save me a lot of time shopping around.

Also does the underlay come in different thicknesses cos as my last post mensioned my slab is not exactly ice smooth so I'm a bit scared that 2mm would not be thick enough to take the discrepencies in the slab. I was thinking 3 or 4mm would be better just incase although 2mm should be ok but I'm a worry wart.

Cheers.

[rowie]

if u mean the stuff with a fake timber surface, u may be able to save a few $$$ if u shop around. if it has a real timber veneer on top , then thats a good price. im sure u can get thicker underlay. if not, just double up the layers.

[Dribbler]

if u mean the stuff with a fake timber surface, u may be able to save a few $$$ if u shop around. if it has a real timber veneer on top , then thats a good price. im sure u can get thicker underlay. if not, just double up the layers.

Its the fake stuff. My friend said he shopped around heaps and that was the best price he found but I wanted to be sure so I thought I would post to see what the experts say. with the underlay I was thinking to double up if I couldnt get thicker but wanted to be certain its ok to do that :)

Thanks heaps for your reply :)

Cheers.

[macca2]

Yep, that's not a bad price, but get the thicker accustic underlay. It is dearer but worth it.
The one I have is silver backed as a moisture barrier.

[Felder]

This is a good price, but is it a good product?

There are heaps of laminate 'timber' flooring manufacturers on the market at the moment, and you truly get what you pay for.

If the retailer can sell it to you for $17.50m2, then he is probably buying it for under $10.

And just be aware that you aren't supposed to allow this product to get wet. This includes mopping it. Water will get between the gaps and into the substrate (high density fibreboard) and it will swell.

Sorry to play devils advocate. I used to be in the flooring game selling products against laminate flooring, and I also used to work for a company that sold (amongst other things) laminate flooring. I know the pros and cons of this product and I'm personally not a big fan. It looks good (when it's first installed) but it isn't the easiest product to maintain, and it is quite noisy when you walk on it with hard soled shoes.

Go back to the flooring retailer and ask to have a look at some the designer vinyls from Karndean, Amtico and Polyfloor. I know vinyl has a bad rep (bit daggy), but you might be suprised how it has changed in the past twenty years. You will pay a bit more for these products, but they will last a lot longer than the $17.50 laminate flooring.

[Wongo]

I did the floor in my townhouse a few years ago. The floor borads are imported and thery are about 1 cm think. (2mm of ironwood on top and 8 mm of ply underneath) It worked out to be around $100 per m2 (floor + underlay + glue + off-cuts). These days any decent one will cost around $100 per m2. So $17.5 m2 sounds too good to be true. Have a look first and it could be something totally different.

The underlay I used was about 5mm thick. I think thicker is better.

Good luck.

[Larry McCully]

To get thicker u/lay, put down two or three layers on top of each other.

[Dribbler]

thanks to everyone for your input :) much appreciated. Cheers.

[jonassen]

hi
I HAVE JUST LAYED 150 M2 8 MM QUICK STEP 800 IN MY HOUSE IT IS A GREAT PRODUCT RETAILING FOR AROUND $40-45 M2 + UNDERLAY
PRICE AND QUALITY
I HAVE BEEN IN THE TIMBER AND FLOORING INDUSTRY FOR 20 YEARS
MY EXPERIENCE TELLS ME THAT PERGO, QUICK STEP, PARADOR ARE THE MARKET LEADERS IN THE LAMINATE FLOOR INDUSTRY ALL HAVE GOOD PRODUCT
I HAVE BEEN TESTING MANY DIFFERNT LAMINATS THESS 3 BRANDS DID NOT SWOLLOW NOT EVEN AFTER 20 MIN IN BOLING WATER
DO NOT BUT THE CPEAPEST BRANDS ON THE MARKET
HOWEVER IKEA HAS THE TUNDRA WHICH IS A SWEDISH BRAND I LAYED 50 M2 IN A FRINDS HOUSE (LOUNGE ROOM) 12 MONTHS AGO AND TODAY IT LOOKS LIKE BRAND NEW
GET THE UNDERLAY WITH THE PLATFOIL (GLUED TO IT) much easier to install.
Jonassen