Cork flooring VS Laminated flooring

dev · Post by **dev** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:38 am

Hey guys,

newbie here from London(UK) :). Hope i'm posting in the rite forum. I've got a question and hope you guys can answer me.

Okay i've just bought a property, i'm a real amateur at DIY, i know nothing and i mean nothing about DIY.

Anyway at the moment the property has carpets and i wanna get rid of it. Originally I was gonna get laminated flooring installed but then i came across CORK FLOORING and i've read a few things about it, it sounds quite good. Its comfortable, fire resistant, sound absorbent, all good things.

But i'm confused I've never come across it, never read about it, just heard of laminated flooring. So was wondering if any of you guys have used it in you own home or know about the difference between the two.

Is laminated better or cork? what about the cost ?

hope some one can help me out.

Thanks in advance

Gadget · Post by **Gadget** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 8:45 pm

Cork tiles are a bit dated now and really only suitable for the likes of toilets and bathrooms. As for the cost, laminate would be cheaper!

Hoovie · Post by **Hoovie** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 9:01 pm

The laminates around today are very cheap, very easy to fit with a minimum of tools and experience and very easy to keep clean.

There is also a "how to" on this site that would be worth having a look it.

Welcome

dev · Post by **dev** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 9:28 pm

hmm... thanx for the reply guys.

about laminated flooring, what about the noise?, or does it get cold during winter?, is it a good idea to install it in a kitchen? (good chance of the the floor getting wet quite often) ... can you mop the laminated floors ??

so you guys suggest not to go with cork flooring...

thanx for the advice in advance.

Hoovie · Post by **Hoovie** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 9:55 pm

I am replying as a DIYer who has used Laminate, so this is based on my own experience of Laminate flooring, not as a professional giving you professional advice

I have never fitted cork flooring, but when I have had it, it tended to look a bit second hand and grubby (my personal opinion again) and is not good for high traffic

You can get laminate that is designed for areas that have moisture - ie bathrooms and kitchens and so are moistur resistant - but you would not be advised to soak in water, but a good mopping would be fine.

B&Q do a range of Laminates which seem to be popular with people on this forum, and one of which is the Aqualoc - comes in a tile-like finish and a wood-like finish ( i have actually got some aqualoc ready to install in my bathroom to replace a standard laminate floor which has also been fine (and only replaceing as my floor layout has changed after a rework)

cold in winter? I guess more so then carpet and probably more then cork, but you can get an underlay that has thermal properties to enhance this.

noise? well it is a hard flooring, so will be noisier then carpet, but personally, I have not found it THAT much different.

Finally, the term Laminate typically refers to an MDF type tongue and groove flooring with a wood or tile effect finish and is around £10 a Sq M or less.

Laminate CAN also refer to real wood flooring (usually now referred to as Engineered Wood Flooring) which is a ply of real wood layers and can be anything from £20 to £50+ a Sq M. (I am presuming you are referring to the cheper flooring?)

bathstyle · Post by **bathstyle** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:17 pm

I can't understand why anyone fits laminate nowadays, vinyl flooring is a much better alternative.

Gadget · Post by **Gadget** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:32 pm

bathstyle wrote:I can't understand why anyone fits laminate nowadays, vinyl flooring is a much better alternative.

When you say vinyl flooring, do you mean vinyl tiles?

Jaeger_S2k · Post by **Jaeger_S2k** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:44 pm

I hate laminate, and I think he means lino! I like lino!

Gadget · Post by **Gadget** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:51 pm

Jaeger_S2k wrote:I hate laminate, and I think he means lino! I like lino!

KInky *wat!...

bathstyle · Post by **bathstyle** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 11:03 pm

Something like karndean:-

http://www.karndean.co.uk/newhome.asp

Hoovie · Post by **Hoovie** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 7:06 am

I got a Kardean brochure and couldn't believe the prices for their stuff - I guess maybe it is a matter of you get what you pay for, but I just want stuff to walk on!

For a novice DIYer, I think Laminate is a lot easier to deal with then a roll of lino (if that is the type beung talked about) as you are dealing with smaller 'pieces' so if a cut is wrong, less to fix, if a join is needed, with sheets it will be much harder to but up and seal invisibly - and this problem is expounded if there are awkward shapes and angles.

I wouldn't say I LOVE laminate, but I reckon it is a very good value for money product and have fitted it in bathroom, WC and two bedrooms.
I also have lino in a breakfast room and that looks very good - I thought initially it was real tiling when we looked around the house when buying.
Both are nicer then carpet that tends to hold a lot more dirt and dust - not nice if you have pets and/or are an allergy sufferer

Just my 2 cents worth

Hoovie

bathstyle · Post by **bathstyle** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 1:12 pm

karndean comes in planks or tiles.

Post by **ultimatehandyman** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:27 pm

My sister had karndean fitted in her kitchen and dining room, It looks great but is very expensive. The floor needed screeding first as well.

bathstyle · Post by **bathstyle** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 7:13 pm

Some of the Karndean ranges are expensive, I just bought some stuff that retails at £59 + VAT per metre but most of it is much less than that:-

http://www.completelyflooring.co.uk/index.php/cPath/22