Has anyone had cushion flooring in a lounge?

I would love the laminate wood effect but laminate fitting is so expensive and wondered if to get a top quailty cushion floor and have in the lounge.

As anyone got any views on this!

i wouldnt be keen. Fitting laminate is easy, invest £20 in a jigsaw and fit it yourself ......... its simple

If it was that simple to fit, why are the fitting costs £250? I wouldnt want to pay the high cost of the planks for me to mess it up.

If it was that simple to fit, why are the fitting costs £250?

It is simple to fit laminate. They probably charge £250 because it takes a lot longer than laying a carpet.

That said, if you aren't confident with a jigsaw and tape measure - then leave it to someone else.

Isn't cushion flooring just fancy vinyl with a built in underlay?

We fit our own laminate shortly after moving into our house about 18 months ago. We had never done it before but managed it in a day. It isnt hard once you have got the hang of it. We bought more expensive laminate with waxed edges and it has been worth every penny. It looks good and it hasnt moved like cheaper stuff can do. Have a go yourself you may be suprised how easy it really is. £250 is about a days labour rate so is about the right price to have it laid.

Laminate is noisy and cold .. and if you have a dog, the clicking of the claws will drive you insane! I had it fitted because of the dogs and it was the worse thing I ever did, they slipped and slid all the time, and hated it and it constantly needs either sweeping or wiping.

The cushionfloor might actually be more forgiving .... but the top quality stuff probably costs more than laminate. It can be very expensive, Pyramid Carpets at Woodseats have a good range if you need a supplier.

we fitted all our own too, we bought the little kit with the spacers etc in it (about £10) and a jigsaw(about £15) and did our living room in about 4 hours...it really is very easy.

been down about 5 years now and we are now going back to carpet :0)
couple of things to remember, you need to leave a small expansion gap around the edges (which can be covered by skirting boards or beading)
and try to go for real wood rather than laminate...laminate is so so cold....thats the reason we are going back to carpet.

Laminate is noisy and cold .. and if you have a dog, the clicking of the claws will drive you insane! I had it fitted because of the dogs and it was the worse thing I ever did, they slipped and slid all the time, and hated it and it constantly needs either sweeping or wiping.

The cushionfloor might actually be more forgiving .... but the top quality stuff probably costs more than laminate. It can be very expensive, Pyramid Carpets at Woodseats have a good range if you need a supplier.

Laminate being cold is a misconception. If you lay the proper insulation beneath, it is as warm as carpet. You have to spend a little extra and get the good quality stuff though. Our floor in the lounge/diner is as warm as the carpeted flooring upstairs in the bedrooms. The flooring in the kitchen which was laid before we moved in (vinyl) is freezing in the winter. It all depends on how well you prepare the area before hand and how willing you are to pay the extra for a good quality warm finish.

Laminate being cold is a misconception. If you lay the proper insulation beneath, it is as warm as carpet. You have to spend a little extra and get the good quality stuff though. Our floor in the lounge/diner is as warm as the carpeted flooring upstairs in the bedrooms. The flooring in the kitchen which was laid before we moved in (vinyl) is freezing in the winter. It all depends on how well you prepare the area before hand and how willing you are to pay the extra for a good quality warm finish.
You may think what you like, I disagree, that is MY conception. What are you? A laminate floor saleman? :D

... and preparation and underlaying it doesn't solve the problem of the clicky clicky clicking of doggy claws.

I dont have a dog, but am aware of the noise from a dog, mums drives me mad.

I have a 1 year old son, our kitchen isnt big enough to eat in, so we eat in the living room.
he has a table and chairs but food is everywhere, I just want something where i can get squashed bannana off easily!

... food is everywhere, I just want something where i can get squashed bannana off easily!
I feel your pain! I did have cushion floor which aped floorboards in my sitting/dining room many years ago when the offspring were small and the dogs multiple, and before laminate had been invented.

It looked very nice, was soft and warm for little botties, didn't echo clicky claws and generally was easy to keep clean. After all in another few years when your littlie can eat without mess, fashion will undoubtedly have changed and you can carpet over the top without fuss, if you want to.

I'd be inclined to go for it ... but consider the choice carefully, you don't want it to look kitcheny!

Laminate being cold is a misconception. If you lay the proper insulation beneath, it is as warm as carpet. You have to spend a little extra and get the good quality stuff though. Our floor in the lounge/diner is as warm as the carpeted flooring upstairs in the bedrooms. The flooring in the kitchen which was laid before we moved in (vinyl) is freezing in the winter. It all depends on how well you prepare the area before hand and how willing you are to pay the extra for a good quality warm finish.

i disagree too, we bought decent underlay and decent laminate....but its still cold, the wooden ones are much warmer ....but then they aren't laminate..
if i had have fitted a wooden one I probably wouldnt be changing.

How big`s your room? I`m a carpet fitter and live on the shiregreen. PM and i`ll give you a price. I`ve fitted it in lounges before.

been down about 5 years now and we are now going back to carpet :0)
couple of things to remember, you need to leave a small expansion gap around the edges (which can be covered by skirting boards or beading)
and try to go for real wood rather than laminate...laminate is so so cold....thats the reason we are going back to carpet.


I strongly disagree with the 'go for real wood' bit, real wood is a lot softer than laminate and will sctach a lot easier, ..... but dont take my word for it, go to a store and simply press your finger nail into the wood flood display, i guarentee it'll leave a nasty dent, i originally went for real wood .... but the very nice sales man asked me about my lifestlye (wear stilettos, have dog/cat/kids) and recommended that i went for the much cheaper but more hardwearing laminate (i dont find it cold at all)

I suggested my sister had cushion flooring instead of laminate or carpet in her flat where the kitchen ran into the living room area. She had beech strip which looked great in both rooms

two things to bear in mind:
yes, it's great for all of the above mentioned (warmer to the touch than laminate, more water tight (though you can treat laminate)), but you really do need a really good quality one as it tears and damages much easier than laminate, but you can't use a filling kit to repair it as you can with laminate

Cushion flooring is coming back into its own at the moment (people are tiring of laminate as they do with every trend) so there are loads of great new patterns about if you look in the right places :thumbsup:

We originally looked at wood flooring but again were advised against it (by the salesman) due to it not being as hard wearing as laminate. The laminate we bought wasnt cheap but it was cheaper than real wood.

Laminate doesnt have to be cold. We never wear shoes in the house (cream carpet in hallway and upstairs) we just pad around in socks and have never had an issue with cold feet in the lounge. Our house is warm though.

We went for a wood with laminate top in our room . I agree real wood scratches and dents terrible.I have two dogs and they don't slide all over the place and it is not cold plus it is easy to clean.My dad fitted mine for me as I was quoted £350 for fitting:o The floor was £670.Cushion floor is really nice you can get some lovely ones but do get a good quality one.

Laminate being cold is a misconception. If you lay the proper insulation beneath, it is as warm as carpet. You have to spend a little extra and get the good quality stuff though. Our floor in the lounge/diner is as warm as the carpeted flooring upstairs in the bedrooms. The flooring in the kitchen which was laid before we moved in (vinyl) is freezing in the winter. It all depends on how well you prepare the area before hand and how willing you are to pay the extra for a good quality warm finish.

Laminate as warm as carpet??? Are you mad? No matter how thick the insulation it can't compare with carpet. It's COLD, clattery, noisy, slippery, not good where waters about and I don't like it. Can't wait for it to go out of fashion.

Having said that it's a cheap flooring that doesn't cost the earth if you like that kind of thing.

I have a similar problem,

Have a lovely cream carpet in our living room but have just acquired a feisty 10 month old dalmatian who loves nothing more than racing outside onto the back garden doing a bit of digging and before we know it he's back inside, muddy feet and all.
Our lovely cream carpet will soon be beige then no doubt brown!
Thinking of changing the flooring but not sure what to do.

Any ideas would be great.

ps sorry for hijacking thread:)

Laminate as warm as carpet??? Are you mad? No matter how thick the insulation it can't compare with carpet. It's COLD, clattery, noisy, slippery, not good where waters about and I don't like it. Can't wait for it to go out of fashion.

Having said that it's a cheap flooring that doesn't cost the earth if you like that kind of thing.

however its fab if you have sicky babies :hihi:

I have a similar problem,

Have a lovely cream carpet in our living room but have just acquired a feisty 10 month old dalmatian who loves nothing more than racing outside onto the back garden doing a bit of digging and before we know it he's back inside, muddy feet and all.
Our lovely cream carpet will soon be beige then no doubt brown!
Thinking of changing the flooring but not sure what to do.

Any ideas would be great.

ps sorry for hijacking thread:)

My dog hated laminate initially .......... running and not being able to stop ... the times she skidded across the lounge after a mad 10 minutes run ... straight into the opposite wall, but she soon got used to it. It can drive you mad with the constant 'click click click' of the claws tapping on the floor as they walk round .... but its a small price to pay for me, i love the idea of mopping with disinfectant and knowing i have a fresh, smell free, stain free flooring, and with kids and dogs and cats around the place, its invaluble