Flooring for new build house

Kirbi

Hi all,

Myself and my husband have (finally!) started the proper buying process for a house. It's a new build, and will come with most things included except the non-bathroom floors. The bathrooms are already tiled.

Given other costs we're looking to go fairly minimal on the spending but have preferences for carpet upstairs and on the stairs themselves, and wood-effect flooring downstairs - we're thinking laminate. We'd like to run the same ones through all the rooms.

I was thinking that there'd probably be some guides to this available online, but can't find anything recent. Do people have any idea what costs are likely to be for installation? We're going to try to get details for the people who did the showhouse, but I'd love a ballpark idea of what's reasonable beforehand.

The house is 109m2, but a small bit of that will be the bathrooms. It's in South Kildare.

Thanks

vinnie_cork

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058218946/flooring-for-new-build-house

When I was looking in

Cork in 2020.

laminate was about €10/m2 (obviously fit only as laminate can be bought at €8 to €80 m2). for herringbone pattern was €30-40

tiles were €25 standard style to €35 for herringbone style.

houseyhouse

I’d consider getting real wood or engineered wood (real wood glued on to plywood for increased durability) instead of laminate. It’s more expensive but you can get good deals if you shop around. I’ve seen solid oak for €40/m in a diy store. Wood is so much nicer underfoot, it lasts longer, can be sanded down and restained to give a different look, and it’s not going to rot in a landfill for centuries.

Kirbi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118242985#Comment_118242985

Thanks, but the fact that they're significantly more expensive makes those options a complete non-starter for us at the moment - it was difficult enough to buy a decent house at all in today's market.

houseyhouse

I understand. Congratulations on getting the house. We bought a house a year ago. Ours is a 1970s semi-d in poor condition. The existing carpets were absolutely disgusting and the vinyl in the kitchen was in tatters. We have young children so we need a clean safe floor but we couldn’t justify a big spend on flooring when we’re saving for a renovation. We painted the subfloor upstairs with Ronseal floor paint. Downstairs we glued down cheap plywood which we also painted. Not a perfect solution but much better than what was here and much better than laminate in my opinion. But opinions differ and that’s ok!

Anyway, what I meant to say in my original post is that you can get good deals on real wood (I looked into this a lot when deciding what to do with our floors). The price difference may not be as great as you think so I wouldn’t rule it it straight away. There are lots of YouTube videos on laying tongue and groove floors so you can also save on installation. Personally, I much prefer real wood so I would save/diy/wait to get it. But again, opinions differ! Lots of people have laminate and are happy with it.

Dudda

10 years ago I'd have suggested real wood but laminates have come on so much since then. They're now more durable than real timber and look really good. The choice of laminate is huge compared to real wood. Yes, you can sand and seal a real timber floor but this is disruptive and expensive. Laminate is so cheap and more durable that by the time it needs to be replaced it's very easy to rip up and put down a new one. If worried about landfill and the environment get a sustainable one. It would be quicker and cheaper in 15 years to rip up a laminate and replace it than sand and put three coats onto a solid timber floor. You'll have less dust and the floor will look better as a sanded and painted floor never looks as good. Deep scratches can't be removed.

Putting down a laminate is fairly easy. Just get three quotes from different people in the area. The biggest issue could be finding someone at the right time as trades are very busy. You want the floors done before you start moving stuff into the house. Best of luck with the new home.

houseyhouse

I suppose it’s a matter of preference. I actually like how real wood ages over time. And as for durability, I’ve lived in houses with 150 year old timber floors that looked great (but yes, did have scratches and marks). No way a laminate is still going to look good after that long!

spakman

We had laminate and replaced it with engineered wood.

The warmth and feeling underfoot is so much better from the engineered wood. Also, it looks much more natural (because it is) with different grain patterns, whereas laminate pattern is repeated frequently.

It's in less than a year, so still fairly new, but we have very few scratched anywhere, possibly because we don't wear shoes in the house anymore because the wood is so nice to walk on!

But it's definitely quite a bit dearer than laminate, and if you go for a good quality laminate I'm sure you'll be very happy with it. It's only if it was placed beside real wood that it would really stand out I think.

Kirbi

Thanks to everyone for your views on this - even if there's a large range of prices out there, seeing the conversation has made me feel a bit better about the whole process (the lack of horror stories helps!)

I was probably overthinking things a little, just because of the newness and urgency of the whole thing. We hadn't really thought about needing floors put in until we saw the showhouse and then our own prospective home.

We're waiting for details on the showhouse floors from the interior designer, but expect them soon. In the meantime, I've been looking around online a bit more and have a better idea of the market.

I was honestly trying to keep the more expensive options out of my head so I didn't get attached, but we'll beep an eye out for any that could have a lower price point and are going to have a chat with my husband's uncle who's a builder to see if he has advice on it.

If we can fit a more environmentally friendly option into our budget, we'll definitely go for it as well.

Alipiama

For flooring, since the thread is a bit dated, you've likely already made your choices. However, for those in a similar position, cost can vary widely depending on the materials and labor in your area. Generally, you could expect the installation to run anywhere from €20 to €30 per square meter for laminate, and carpet might range between €10 and €20 per square meter, not including underlay and fitting.

It's always wise to get a few quotes from local fitters to compare. And while considering flooring, if you ever think about expanding or going for a more substantial renovation, exploring options with a manufacturer of prefabricated integrated housing could offer innovative solutions that can be tailored to your sustainability and design preferences.