Flooring Laminate

Laminate Flooring Buying Guide

ByDIYnut

Flooring › Laminate

Laminate Flooring Buying Guide

DIY Guide

Choose the right laminate for your room, budget, and subfloor — first time.

Quick Answer

A laminate flooring buying guide helps you choose the right board by AC rating, thickness, and wear layer for your room type. Match the AC rating to foot traffic, choose 8–12mm thickness for most domestic rooms, and always check the warranty before buying.

Before: Laminate Flooring Buying Guide
Before
VS
After: Laminate Flooring Buying Guide
After
Difficulty
Beginner
Time
1–2 Hours
Cost
£8–£40 per m²
Tools Needed
  • Tape measure
  • Calculator
  • Pencil
  • Graph paper or squared notepad
  • Moisture meter
Materials
  • Laminate flooring boards
  • Foam or combination underlay
  • Vapour barrier sheet
  • Expansion gap spacers
  • Threshold strip
  • Flexible silicone sealant (for wet areas)
How To

Step-by-Step Guide

1

Measure your room accurately

Measure the length and width of the room in metres, multiply to get the floor area in m², then add 10% to account for offcuts and waste. For rooms with alcoves or bay windows, break the floor plan into rectangles, calculate each separately, and add them together. Accurate measurement prevents costly shortfalls.

2

Match the AC rating to your room’s foot traffic

The Abrasion Class (AC) rating tells you how much wear a laminate can handle. AC3 suits moderate domestic use such as bedrooms and living rooms; AC4 is suitable for heavy domestic use including hallways and kitchens; AC5 is commercial grade. Choosing too low an AC rating for a busy room means the surface wears through within a few years. For most UK homes, AC4 is the safest all-round choice. You can read more about flooring options and ratings in our Flooring Guide.

3

Choose the right board thickness

Laminate is sold in thicknesses from 6mm to 12mm. Thinner boards (6–7mm) are budget options that transmit more sound and feel hollow underfoot. An 8mm board is the minimum worth fitting in most domestic rooms. Aim for 10–12mm where comfort underfoot matters, or where the subfloor is slightly uneven, as thicker boards bridge minor imperfections better. Thicker boards also tend to carry longer warranties.

4

Check the wear layer, surface finish, and warranty

The wear layer is the transparent protective film over the decorative print. A thicker, harder-wearing layer means the floor resists scratches and scuffs for longer — check the manufacturer’s abrasion value alongside the AC rating. Surface finish also matters: embossed or textured finishes hide minor scratches better than high-gloss boards. Always read the warranty terms; a 15–25 year domestic warranty indicates a quality product, but check what it covers and whether a specific underlay type is required to keep it valid.

5

Assess your subfloor and select the correct underlay

Laminate must be laid on a flat, dry, structurally sound subfloor. Use a spirit level or straightedge to check that the subfloor is within 3mm over 1.8 metres — humps and dips beyond that cause boards to flex, creak, and fail at the joints. On solid concrete, you need a separate vapour barrier or a combination underlay that includes one built in. On suspended timber floors, a standard foam underlay is sufficient. If your subfloor has flex or bounce, fix that before you lay anything. Our guide to the best underlay for laminate covers the different types in detail.

6

Decide on format, colour, and plank direction

Wide planks (200mm+) look more contemporary and make small rooms feel larger; narrower planks suit period properties. Longer boards reduce the number of end joints and give a cleaner visual result. Lighter colours make rooms feel airier; darker tones show dust and pet hair more readily. Run planks parallel to the longest wall or towards the main light source for the most natural look. Once you have chosen your floor, allow packs to acclimatise in the room for 48 hours before laying, and plan your installation — our how to lay laminate flooring guide walks you through every step.

Watch Out

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Ignoring the AC rating Fitting a bedroom-rated board (AC3) in a hallway or kitchen means the surface wears through the decorative layer within a few years. Once the wear layer is gone, the board cannot be repaired and the whole floor needs replacing. Skipping subfloor preparation Laying laminate over a damp, uneven, or bouncy subfloor causes boards to creak, joints to lift, and the locking system to crack. No amount of underlay compensates for a bad subfloor — sort it first, not after. Buying without adding a waste allowance Ordering exactly the m² you measure means you will run short after the first few cuts. Without a 10% waste margin, you risk mismatched dye-lots if you reorder later, and most suppliers do not hold the same batch for long. FAQ Frequently Asked Questions Can laminate flooring be used in bathrooms or kitchens? Standard laminate is not suitable for wet rooms because the HDF core swells when it absorbs moisture. Some manufacturers produce water-resistant laminate with a sealed core — check the product specification and look for a warranty that explicitly covers wet areas. Even water-resistant laminate should not be used in a shower room or anywhere standing water is common. For genuinely wet areas, our guide to the best flooring for bathrooms covers better alternatives.

What is the best laminate for a home with dogs?

Choose a minimum AC4-rated board with a textured or embossed surface finish — textured finishes hide claw scratches far better than high-gloss boards. Wider, longer planks with fewer joints reduce the risk of claws catching at the edges. A thicker board (10–12mm) also feels more solid underfoot for larger dogs.

How do I calculate how many packs of laminate I need?

Work out the floor area in m², add 10% for waste, then divide by the pack coverage stated on the box. Always round up to the next full pack. If you are laying boards diagonally, increase the waste allowance to 15% as diagonal cuts produce more offcuts.

What thickness underlay should I use under laminate?

For most domestic installations, a 3–5mm foam or felt underlay is adequate. Thicker underlay (above 5mm) can cause the locking joints to flex and fail under load. Always check the laminate manufacturer’s warranty — some specify a maximum underlay thickness to keep the warranty valid.

What should I do if a board chips or lifts after fitting?

Minor chips can be filled with a colour-matched laminate repair kit. Lifting edges are usually caused by insufficient expansion gaps or moisture ingress. Our guide to repairing a chipped laminate floor covers the fix step by step, and fixing lifting laminate edges explains how to address the root cause.

Pro Tip

Before you commit to a full order, ask the supplier for sample boards and lay them loose in the actual room for a day — colour and texture look completely different under your specific light conditions compared with a showroom. A board that looks grey-brown under strip lighting can read almost blue-grey by a north-facing window, and you cannot unsee it once it is down.

Sources

  • Which? — Laminate flooring buying guide — which.co.uk
  • HSE — Slips and trips: flooring materials and choices — hse.gov.uk
  • GOV.UK — Building Regulations: Part E (resistance to sound) — gov.uk
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This guide is for general information only. Always work safely and follow manufacturer instructions. DIYnut accepts no liability for injury or damage arising from DIY work.

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