Laminate Flooring

[holly247]

I have a room fitted with foam backed carpet , very flat type almost no pile, in excellent condition as it has been covered by rugs . I am going to laminate the floor of this room in a few weeks time. I was about to buy some underlay for this purpose when this thought occurred to me . Could I lay the laminate on top of the carpet ? As stated the carpet is flat and in good condition , on the face of it it does not seem dissimilar to the insulating underlay sold to go under laminate. This is quite a large room ( 20x 12 ) and the money saved would be very worthwhile . I have laid a few panels loosely on the carpet and they interlock and look as though this could be done . Anyone have any thoughts or experience regarding doing this ?

[Old_Geezer]

I do not know but I'm not sure I would. In my limited experience underlay for laminate tends to be quite thin. Almost card. Might it not be a bit too much give for what is a hard floor surface ? But give it a try and let us know how it goes.

[jennyjoan]

Holly - my friend moved to like sheltered dwelling (she calls it an apartment) They were brand new. Her cousin (in the same building) had a terrible time lifting the carpet cos she didn't like the colour. So the friend when she moved put the laminate on top of the carpet and it is great so you will be ok to go ahead and do it. Laminate has been laid about 3 years now. Hope that helps. Hope you understand the post Holly. JjCon

[douglas9401]

Have you tried a couple of pieces under any doors to check for clearance, holly?
Great plan if it works out, good luck. :-)

[holly247]

Thanks "old geezer " The underlay I was looking at is about 3/16 thick and quite expensive ! I know you can also buy the thinner version ie. .paper or foam

[holly247]

Thanks JennyJoan and Douglas9401 . Have plenty of clearance under the door . Good to hear of someone who has actually tried this ! Will probably not get started on this until the Autumn but will certainly let you know how I get on . Nothing ventured nothing gained ! Many thanks !

[Old_Geezer]

Ah it is the paper/card, and the foam types I've used in the two DIY laminate flooring jobs I've done. Good to know there are options. You'll be literally springing across the floor soon then ;-)

[Clanad]

Your only problem is that the carpet probably goes fully wall to wall, whereas the laminate requires about 1/2 inch (perhaps 1/4 inch) per side where it joins the vertical wall for expansion purposes, else it'll buckle duitng heat and cold extremes. This will, posssibly leave the carpet exposed in the resulting expansion space.

One could either live with it (it is kinda out of the way after all) or using a box cutter type razor bladed tool and a straight edge, simply cut a strip away around the perimeter...

[holly247]

Thanks Clanad , cutting around the perimeter is what i thought also

[The Builder]

My only concern is how you're going to fix it down. You obviously can't glue it.

Is there a timber floor under the carpet?

[alavahalf]

The laminate will be about 6mm thick .. that's a 6mm raised edge you will be left with, straight across the doorway and that's without a joining strip which will need to slope down to join the adjacent floor covering.
How will you finish the edge all round the room, as the laminate will be above the lower edge of the skirting board .. it's sat on top of the carpet.
I feel ill at the thought of trying to cut it with a Stanley knife. Have you ever seen the end result when someone is struggling to use a Stanley knife and slips, as a rule it's straight to the bone ... anyone attempting to cut a rooms worth of laminate will struggle.. don't do it !
( My son builds F1 cars and the tool most used in their creation is the Stanley knife, he has got a great collection of photos of his mates and their fingers sliced to the bone).

Personally I'd do it properly or it will look like a half finished dogs dinner.

[Old_Geezer]

When I laid laminate I didn't realise normal practice was to cut out the bottom of the skirting so it could go under it and expand or contract out of sight. I left a small gap all around the room between it and the skirting and filled it with, can't exactly recall what now but I would suspect silicon rubber. Not seen that bulge or stretch yet. Would have been prettier (if a lot more hassle) to get it under skirting though.

[hammerman]

It should be fine to use the carpet as backing, done it several times especially in upstairs bedrooms....it helps muffle the noise. Laminate flooring is a floating floor and doesn't require glueing or fixing down. It can be cut 10mm short of the skirting and either a cork expansion strip is used to fill in the gap or a beading in glued to the skirting to cover the gap.

[The Builder]

Hammerman ....... that's what I was afraid of, if it is only 6mm thick.

Floating floors are a common construction. Usually 18mm chipboard, but can be anything that interlocks (or tongued & grooved.)

But, it's good practice to glue the joints to create a "whole". We've all walked on thin laminate floating floors. They tend to bounce and deflect when you're walk over them.

Much better would be something at least 18mm thick.