Are you thinking of having new laminate flooring added to your home? Would you like to know what is involved in fitting this type of floor? In this article, we’ll break down the cost of different types of laminate floors ranging from walnut laminate to oak laminate.
In this article, we’ll break down the cost of different types of laminate floors ranging from walnut laminate to oak laminate.
We’ll also look at the steps involved in fitting a laminate floor and answer questions such as whether you can do so as a DIY project.
This cost guide is ideal if you’re planning to have this type of flooring installed or are at least considering the prospect.
Laminate floors are made of timber products that are bonded using resins as part of a laminate process.
There are multiple layers to a laminate floor.
This type of flooring is popular because it is a relatively inexpensive option, resistant to stains and is generally not an issue for those with allergies.
It generally costs between £400 and £500 for a laminate floor installation.
This includes both the supply and labour costs.
The cost of fitting laminate flooring will vary significantly depending on the type and floor size.
Take walnut laminate flooring for instance.
For a small 10 square metre room, the average cost is £220 to £410 to have this type of laminate flooring installed.
For a mid-sized room (around 15m2), it would set you back approximately £320 to £540 while for a large 24m2 room, the price would land around £550 to £830.
To fit oak laminate flooring will cost about £220 to £430 for a small room, £370 to £480 for a medium room or £520 to £630 for a large room.
If you’d like a maple laminate floor, the laminate floor installation cost will land around £240 to £390 for a small room, £390 to £440 for a mid-sized room or £540 to £590 for a large room.
In the case of hickory laminate, to lay this type of floor will set you back £310 to £390 for a small room, £460 to £740 for a medium room or £610 to £790 for a large room.
As for elm laminate flooring, its installation cost will end up about £350 to £410 for a small room, £500 to £560 for a medium room or £650 to £710 for a large room.
The labour cost will probably be about £150 per day although it will depend on where you live.
Other factors can influence the cost are the type and size of the floor, as shown above.
In addition, ease of access also plays a role in the total laminate floor fitting prices as well as the general state of the installation area.
Cost of Installing a Laminate Floor:
| Type | Size | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Walnut | 10m2 | £220 to £410 |
| 15m2 | £320 to £540 | |
| 24m2 | £550 to £830 | |
| Oak | 10m2 | £220 to £430 |
| 15m2 | £370 to £480 | |
| 24m2 | £520 to £630 | |
| Maple | 10m2 | £240 to £390 |
| 15m2 | £390 to £440 | |
| 24m2 | £540 to £590 | |
| Hickory | 10m2 | £310 to £390 |
| 15m2 | £460 to £740 | |
| 24m2 | £610 to £790 | |
| Elm | 10m2 | £350 to £410 |
| 10m2 | £500 to £560 | |
| 10m2 | £650 to £710 |
We’ll now take a more detailed look at the various types of laminate flooring.
Each option comes with a range of pros & cons and the costs also vary.
In the following subsections, we’ll explore these topics and also answer questions such as which is the most costly to install and which type of laminate flooring is the most or least popular.
The installation difficulty will be practically the same regardless of the type of laminate flooring you choose.
The costs we will discuss in this section relate to supply costs rather than an overall installation cost.
This type of flooring is made of a type of timber which can have its grain textured and dyed quite easily.
It is also more eco-friendly than most choices.
With a dark variety of colours to choose from, walnut laminate flooring tends to come in colours ranging from light brown to a dark chocolate brown.
It is easy to find a design and colour tone to suit any room with walnut laminate flooring and it also offers both durability and a luxurious aesthetic.
To purchase walnut laminate flooring will end up around £8 to £15 per square metre, making it one of cheapest options.
✔ Particularly inexpensive option.
✔ Variety of colours to suit different properties/rooms.
✔ Eco-friendly.
✖ Its rustic appearance may not be your cup of tea.
Perhaps the most popular but certainly one of the most popular laminate floor types is that of oak.
If you’re looking to avail of the aesthetics and style of oak with a lower cost than regular oak flooring, then this is the right option for you.
Oak laminate flooring is generally a mid to dark brown but lighter colours also exist.
On average, it costs between £8 and £16 per m2 to buy this type of flooring meaning that it’s practically as cheap as walnut laminate flooring and often it will even prove less expensive.
✔ Low-cost.
✔ Aesthetics and style of oak flooring with less cost.
✔ Durability.
✔ Range of colours.
✖ Heavy type of wood.
With this type of laminate flooring, you generally get a more consistent grain than with most options.
It is also one of the more environmentally friendly choices.
Maple tends to come in a light to mid-brown colour but darker maple laminate also exists.
It is a reasonably popular option.
One disadvantage of this type of laminate flooring is that its grain is not as complex as you might get with other types such as oak or walnut laminate flooring. Maple laminate flooring generally costs between £9 and £14 per metre squared.
✔ Not too expensive.
✔ Eco-friendly.
✔ Especially consistent grain.
✖ May fade with time.
✖ Plain look.
✖ More expensive than oak or walnut laminate flooring.
If you are looking for a wood effect that is versatile and distinct, look no further than hickory laminate.
This type of laminate flooring comes with a whole host of colours and tones making it likely that you’ll find the right design and look in the form of hickory laminate flooring. In addition, there are many eco-friendly hickory laminate products out there.
One major downside, however, is that this type of flooring costs about £17 to £23 per m2, positioning it as one of the most expensive types of laminate floor types. In addition, its rustic style may not be what you’re looking for.
✔ Versatile and distinct look.
✔ Often eco-friendly.
✔ Good range of colours and designs.
✖ Expensive option.
✖ Rustic appearance will not suit everyone.
Lastly, we have elm laminate flooring. Many products of elm laminate flooring offer a 3D effect, giving a perception of depth as part of the design.
This helps to give it an especially authentic appearance.
Elm laminate flooring also appears with a cabin dark brown colour although there are still a variety of alternative options out there.
This type of laminate flooring will set you back around £21 to £25 per square metre making it the most expensive type.
However, if the look of elm flooring is your preference, the laminate alternative to the real thing is a great way to save on money overall.
✔ Authentic look.
✔ 3D effect with sense of depth.
✔ Great alternative to original elm flooring.
✖ Expensive.
Let’s take a look at what installing a laminate flooring entails.
We’ll now break down each of the steps involved in the process:
Firstly, you need to ask yourself what type and style of laminate flooring matches your home’s decor.
You’ll want to have laminate flooring installed that will complement the installation room appearance-wise.
Not only that but you need to consider the various properties of each type of laminate flooring such as durability and cost.
Once you know what type and look suits you, it’s time to measure the floor space or hire a contractor to do so.
This will allow you to gauge how big the installation area will be and therefore how many planks of laminate floor you’ll need from the supplier.
You may choose to purchase the laminate flooring yourself or to request a carpenter to do so before they install it for you.
However, since you should acclimatise a laminate floor before installing, it is best to buy it yourself and you should do so at least 48 hours prior to the installation.
Before getting to this stage, you should hire a contractor to perform the work either by contacting an independent labourer or an appropriate company.
In most cases, planning permission will not be required.
With that being said, if your home is considered a listed building, then you should get in touch with your Local Planning Authority.
In general building regulations for installing new flooring is mainly in relation to noise.
As a result, you are more likely to require a visit from a building control officer if you live in a terraced or semi-detached house or of course if you live in a flat or apartment.
If you have any doubts, you can contact your local council.
To acclimate laminate flooring, you should keep it inside its original packaging and lay it flat on the floor.
This must be done in the room in which it is going to be installed.
Manufacturers will generally recommend doing this for a period of about two days before being installed but it will depend on the product, so make sure to read the instructions given.
Once the contractor arrives, they should inspect the laminate flooring to ensure that there are no issues or defects before installing it.
Some small defects may prove nothing more than a superficial concern while others may need to be replaced although in most cases, this won’t happen.
Next, the following preparations are desirable, if not necessary for a sufficient installation:
Once everything is ready, the carpenter will begin by installing the underlay.
If you have a timber subfloor, a wooden subfloor underlay must be used while for a concrete subfloor, the underlay must have a damp resistant membrane.
Here is how to install the underlay:
Once the underlay is correctly installed, it is important to fit the laminate flooring.
The contractor will begin by clicking each plank of laminate floor together.
The fitting process should begin along a straight wall.
First, a row of laminate floor can be installed along this wall to join each of the edge boards.
The very first board should be a half board. Spaces are required to ensure that there is a 10mm gap between this row of flooring and the wall.
The next row should be installed starting with a full length board.
This is to make sure that the joints are spaced out appropriately.
Offcuts may be used when it comes to the remaining rows, so long as the joints will be no further than 30cm apart.
This process should continue across the room.
A 10mm gap should be maintained around the appliances and elements of the room such as door frames, stairs and radiator pipes.
Beading may be employed to hide the perimeter gap left after the installation.
Alternatively, skirting can be used so long as it has a minimum thickness of 1.2cm to ensure that there is an allowance for any shrinkage.
Further, it’s important that the expansion gap remains in areas where the floor crosses between rooms and where it meets obstacles such as radiator pipes or kitchen units.
Once the laminate flooring is fully installed, the carpenter will clean up the area to have it nice and tidy so that you can appreciate your brand new floor.
As for waste removal, this will generally cost around £3 per m2.
You may also wish to have some additional work performed at the same time such as the installation of underfloor heating.
This would cost an additional £55 to £70 per square metre.
The cost of new trims is about £4 to £9 per trim while having skirting boards replaced comes with a charge of about £200 to £340 for a mid-sized room.
Yes, you may install a laminate floor by yourself. It is important that you have a strong grasp of what is involved before undertaking this work.
However, you will need to ask the council for permission before undertaking this DIY project.
In addition, planning permission may apply if you live in a listed building and building regulations approval may also be required.
We’ll now take a look at what you’ll need to fit a laminate floor by yourself.
Tools:
Supplies:
You can complete the installation following the steps discussed in the previous section.
A building control officer may need to sign off on your work depending on whether you require building regulations approval.
As with any DIY job, there are some risks involved.
For one, you could perform the installation incorrectly meaning that you’ll have wasted plenty of time only to pay for a carpenter to come along and complete the job.
It’s important that you take adequate safety precautions during the installation work as there are also a range of hazards involved such as when working with nails and sharp or heavy tools.
There are a range of disadvantages with laminate flooring in general.
You should take this into account before deciding for sure that this type of flooring is for you.
Disadvantages of Laminate Flooring:
The installation itself will also be quite disruptive too.
If you fail to get approval for planning permission or building regulations where required, you will need to reapply.
You should receive feedback as to why your application(s) failed.
This will allow you to make adjustments with your DIY proposal so that you will improve your chances of success the second time round.
Thankfully, this scenario is unlikely to begin with.
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First and foremost, avoid using wet mops or steam cleaners. Instead, you may employ a damp cloth to clean up spills but you should do so right away.
Acetone can be used with a plain white cloth to remove tough stains/spots like paint, ink or marker.
For regular cleaning, you can dust, sweep or vacuum a laminate floor and you should do so on a regular basis.
As for cleaning products, ensure that you use those designed for laminate flooring in particular.
There is plenty that can be done.
Firstly, you should vacuum the floor before applying a floor leveling product to dips and low points in the floor with a trowel.
The edges of this patched area should then be feathered to create evenness with the surrounding area.
Allow the patch to fully dry before fitting the laminate flooring.
It should remain strong for about 15 to 25 years..
Plenty of stores provide laminate flooring and there are many floor specific sites online including Wood Floor Warehouse and Factory Direct Flooring.
More popular options are B&Q and Wickes.
In most cases, you should give it at least 48 hours but the manufacturer’s instructions should specify this.
