02GF74
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 posted on 26/8/11 at 08:02 AM |
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OT. laminate flooring question
I am fitting laminate flooring - AquaLOC (moisture resistant) to a bathroom, approx 2.3 mx 2.3 m withh 0.7 x 0.7 corner cut out for airing
cupboard.
Now the leaflet with the boards says:
Under no circumstances should the toilet, bath or sink pedestal be screwed directly to the floor. Instead a 12 mm expansion gap should be left around
the base.
How come? And if I did fit on top and screw down, what is the worst that will happen?
(I realise the gap is there as the floor can contract and expand but surely not that much???)
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John P
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| posted on 26/8/11 at 08:12 AM |
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Not sure about the theory but I fitted this in our bathroom around 10-years ago and I put the basin and loo on top as it made it both easier and a
better job visually.
We've had no problems at all and in fact it still looks like new. My daughter said she had always thought it was ceramic tiles and since then
has also fitted it in the bathroom of her flat again with no problems.
John.
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Davegtst
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| posted on 26/8/11 at 08:20 AM |
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I recently fitted laminate to my living room and then did it all over again as it started bowing and looked terrible. I refitted it with a 5mm gap
along 2 sides and it has been fine since. Years ago i fitted it to the kitchen with no gap at all around the edges and it didn't bow at all. I
guess different make/quality laminate moves more than others but 12mm seems a bit much. It is also worth leaving it in the room you are going to fit
it for a few days before to acclimatise it.
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02GF74
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| posted on 26/8/11 at 08:30 AM |
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I am hoping your living room is much bigger than my bathroom so the overall expansion wiull be more. I will ahve 10 mm gap aroudn the edge.
Once the floor is down, I'll leave it for a day or so (board have been acclimitsing for past 2 days) and then bolt the stuff down; worse case I
need to lift up and buy one of those rotorsaw things to make a small gap around the pedestals.
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Irony
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| posted on 26/8/11 at 09:36 AM |
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With the moisture changes in the air the floor will expand and shrink slightly. If you leave no gap around the edges it buckle horribly in the middle
(guess how I know). The easiest way in my opinion to cover this 10mm gap is to take the skirting board off and then lay the floor. Get new skirting
board and screw it to the wall with it resting loosely on the laminate floor. This should then cover the gap very nicely.
I don't know about your toilet situation but I imagine that the screws will go through the laminate into the floor below causing a fixed point
in the laminate. This means that the laminate cannot move around the toilet and may cause buckling. I suggest that you might be okay if you leave a
gap at the wall end though.
You may be able to put the toilet up on some wedges that are slightly thicker than the laminate then the laminate could side underneath.
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SteveWalker
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| posted on 26/8/11 at 10:24 AM |
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I'm another one that has put the toilet and washbasin pedestal on top of the laminate and screwed through. No problems at all with it after 7
years.
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stevebubs
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| posted on 26/8/11 at 12:12 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by SteveWalker
I'm another one that has put the toilet and washbasin pedestal on top of the laminate and screwed through. No problems at all with it after 7
years.
Is my plan, too. If you're particularly worried, make the screw holes in the laminate elongated a little so if it does start to buckle, you can
just loosen the furniture without having to take it all apart again.
The biggest thing for me is moisture ingress - if you leave a gap around the toilet/washbasin, the edge of the laminate is exposed to high humidity
and more prone to absorbing water causing a different set of problems further down the line.
HTH
S
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britishtrident
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| posted on 26/8/11 at 12:57 PM |
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Instead of screwing the loo to the floor just stick it down with silicone sealant.
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eznfrank
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| posted on 26/8/11 at 01:30 PM |
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I left a 5mm expansion gap and where the toilet was screwed down just did a 20mm hole where the screws passed through the laminate to allow for
movement
[Edited on 26/8/11 by eznfrank]
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JoelP
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| posted on 27/8/11 at 06:38 AM |
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I only silicone toilets down (just round them in fact, not under), but screwing would be fine as it could just move in other directions. I dont
believe the figures the manufacturers give, as it should be a percentage anyway. I allow a couple of mms and silicone round the edges.
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