Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Sep 08, 2010 3:29 pm Hi, I want to replace carpet with laminate in the lounge room. Concrete slab and brick walls. Will need waterproof sheet and underlay. Because of the way the skirting boards are nailed into plugs in the brick walls, I suspect it would be a big effort to remove/repair/replace them. So I'd like to install the laminate while leaving the skirting in place, but have been unable to google any advice on this. First problem is raising the floor. The vertical gap between concrete and boards is about 13mm. - 7mm of edge boards around corrugated foam underlay, plus carpet. I was looking at Ikea Tundra boards (HDF, I think? cheap) which are 7mm. Should I try using a double layer of the standard Ikea 3mm underlay to lift the boards to the skirting level? That would also make it level with the tiling in adjacent room. Or is 2 layers bad, and I need a single layer of 5-6mm underlay? I don't suppose it would be a good idea to reuse the carpet underlay? Or I could pour 3mm of levelling compound on the floor - about 50L . I expect the 2nd layer of underlay is cheaper and easier. Are there any other problems with installing laminate under existing skirting? Obviously positioning the planks with correct expansion gap will be trickier, as spacer cannot be used. Hopefully some heavy weights will hold the first row in place? And the last plank of each row will need to be tapped in horizontally. I don't see any way around removing the skirting on the side of the last row, to put the final planks in. But I will make that the side with the double doors. Just two short skirting boards, and less visible. This little project is just a warm-up. I will soon be moving into an old house that needs work, and then either extend or build a new house behind it. So first post (essay!), but you might see a lot more of me here. Re: installing laminate under existing skirting boards 2Sep 09, 2010 3:39 pm 2 underlays is a no no. Best use an ardit mix. 2nd, just undercut the skirts with an undercut saw and you'll be fine. Re: installing laminate under existing skirting boards 3Sep 09, 2010 10:22 pm OK, thanks, I'll just try one layer underlay, and see how I go. Undercut? The problem is that the skirting boards are too high. I'm sure I can find something to plug the gap. Have bought the boards. Will look for a thick underlay while they acclimatise. Re: installing laminate under existing skirting boards 4Sep 16, 2010 10:50 am Tried it. Just left the skirting on the one side, where I started. Pulled the rest out. A lot of nails stayed in the wall, ripped out of the MDF skirting. Will need new nails and plug the holes in board. Use same hole and bigger nail?? Was too hard to leave the side skirting on. e.g. If the board is tapped in too far, you cannot get it back. It looks OK with the skirting at original height, but should I try to move it all down a couple of mm to reduce the gaps in places between floor and skirting? Or would that risk laminate not being able to float properly? Gap is uneven due to slab not being perfectly flat. I'm afraid dirt will fill the gaps. Better to use some kind of caulking? Building Standards; Getting It Right! Is this acceptable in a new house build. Floors where installed by builder. Already chips in board and skirting is not flush 0 186 I'm about to put down some Merbau. Is it necessary to oil underneath the boards before laying? 0 1935 |