Laminate flooring - How easy is it? Also IEE wiring regulations

I am decorating my room this week and wondering if I should have a laminate floor. My DIY are skills are at best moderate, I built the flexy without too much problems and I own a jig saw.

My room is a funny shape with lots of different corners so do you think a lamnite floor will be too hard?

Also I plan to do a bit of wiring but not quiite sure what I plan to do is legal does anybody know if any IEE rewiring regulations exist on the internet?

What I want to is I have a wall light that is currently powered by a 3amp plug into the plug socket. I want to take a wire from the plug socket, but into a fused connection box (3 amp) and then attach it the lamp.

 

nope youll have to buy a copy
The iee regs arn't statutory (yet)just a guide to good practise,Complying with the regs however meens your compling with the electrical supplies act which is statutory,and also if your installation complies with the iee regs then your insurance company cant use the "dodgy electrics" getout clause.
Ok back to your lighting query,from the back of the socket take a piece of 2.5mm twin and earth to a fused spur,change the 13A fuse for a 3A, and come out the spur (1mm t+e big enough) to the wall light,if you use a switched fused spur then no need for an extra switch.If your burying the cable's in the wall they should be "mechanicaly protected",what this realy means is either use oval conduit or capping (both plastic) to cover the cable before you replaster.
As for laminated flooring i fitted some a few years ago seem to rember it was straight fallward enogh,dont forget the underlay and the 10mm gap all the way around the room,i removed the skirting board as well do the expansion gap disapeered when new skirting board was fitted.If you need to cut lots of odd angles it may pay to get a mitre saw,makes live so much simpler

 

Laminate flooring is easy if you do all the correct preparation and buy decent laminate that locks together.

Top tips:

- Remove the skirting boards.
- Fix any loose pipes and complete any electrical work such as extra sockets, then nail down the floorboards.
- Remove the bedroom door. (You may need to plane a bit off the bottom so that it swings clear of the new floor)
- Put a good underlay down, it will hide the bumps that you get from uneven floor boards. I used the 1cm thick fibreboards. These are much better than the stuff on a roll.
- Leave a 0.5cm gap around the edge of the floor to allow for expansion and movement. Use little wooded wedges to hold the floor in place as you lay, then remove them before refitting the skirting board (or use new skirting which does give a much nicer finished look)
- Finish off with a door boundary strip where the laminate joins the carpet to the hall.

Tools: - you'll need a jigsaw, a drill with a drill bit big enough to cut holes for radiator pipes, a set square tape measure and pencil for marking up.

Product: - B&Q LOC900 laminate worked well for me. I used it 2 yrs ago when converting a small bedroom to a homeoffice. The flooring is tough, scratch resistant and hasn't warped or had gaps open up despite heavy wear. It's glueless too which makes fitting quicker and less messy.

My father-in-law bought a more expensive locking product and I helped him lay the floor in his master bedroom. He used the lightweight underlay on a roll. The flooring was quick for us to fit - we did the job in an afternoon - but 12 months later the floor is now uneven. Moral of the tale - use good underlay.

Regards

 

I did my floor, and it was pretty straight forward..........

correction: my Dad did it and I sort of stood around watching

The point about taking the door off is a good un!

The stuff we got seemed to ask for a huuuuge gap to be left for expansion! I had it for about 2 years (MOved house) and it didn't seem to expand at all! ReMOving skirting is a good idea too. Cutting holes for pipes and such will probably be as hard as it gets.

 

I have laid a couple of floors using the glueless laminate. I am no DIY expert. The main things to remember are to buy at least one pack more than you need. Follow the suggested laying pattern, otherwise you can end up with loads of wrong ends. If you intend the floor to be down for a long time, I would buy better underlay than usually available in the DIY wharehouses. It helps with sound deadening, warmth. Don't go to mad on the thickness otherwise it will feel like you are at sea when you walk accross the floor. I used a felt underlay with a foil back.

Be very careful when you are tapping the boards together otherwise the laminate can chip. It is worth buying a block designed for the job.

As they say, measure twice, cut once.

good luck

Rod