Laminate flooring in kitchen

FWIW when I moved into my current house there was fake-stone-slab laminate on the kitchen floor and I haven't had any cause to remove it yet. The washing machine hasn't overflowed on it (yet) but the dog has - several times. Nothing happened that the wet'n'dry George couldn't cope with.

That's an amazing price - what have you got to lose?

Nick

Yes, a washing machine leak is the nightmare scenario, as is someone draggi ng the machine out to investigate said leak. I'd always tile under a WM

I'm worried that:

1. The washing machine overflows.
2. The MDF backing to the floor gets saturated and either swells up or disintegrates.
3. The kitchen units built on top of this subside.
4. I have to take it all to pieces, etc.

There would be less room for catastrophe if I install the kitchen first then install the floor around it, but that means cutting round the units. It seems neater to install the floor first, then the units on top, but nobody else does that.

I'm probably overthinking this. :)

We had a big flood in the kitchen a good few years ago. Four year old flexible pipe to the kitchen sink burst............ bloody kitchen fitters. The laminated floor was well and truly under water, but suffered no damage.

If it's not "water resistant" designed for kitchens and bathrooms, I suspect you will regret using it in a kitchen...

You won't be able to seal it that reliably - water will get in the edges via the joints and it *will* swell like a bitch, being basically MDF.

At that price I doubt you can afford to think for long - assuming it's definitely, categorically, indubitably not labelled "flood damaged stock" :)

Funny, my house has never done that. What a shithole you must live in.

-- =

When shagging a goat you are best taking it to the edge of a cliff becau= se they push back harder. -- Billy Connelly

There's also cleaning. There are good reasons why kitchens are so often til ed. I would not put MDF backed laminate on a kitchen floor.

NT

Why d'ye think we just put Amtico down?

Is the right answer. Then, when the WM overflows, it won't run off the laminate and onto the wooden floorboards.

FWIW we floored the entire dining kitchen living area with laminate before fitting the kitchen.

So far, so good, but one day I assume we will have to do something about the laminate under the units. Perhaps.

I have thought that the kitchen units all stand up on legs, with the legs hidden by a kicking board, so in theory you could get under the units to remove and replace the laminate but it would be very fiddly.

More likely when (if) the day comes it will be new floor and new kitchen at the same time.

Cheers

Dave R

Been there, done that, horrible job, but doable.

I did want to put in laminate from wall to wall, as we have already put cupboards where we had appliances and vice-versa and might do so again in the future.

We removed a worn vinyl floorcovering and put down a tile effect laminate. I did not want to get the work-tops off, empty the cupboards and remove them and fill the living room with everything from the kitchen - especially as we had a through living room, no other downstairs room and three young children.

I managed with the help of two small trolley-jacks as temporary, moveable, adjustable supports.

Far, far easier!

SteveW