Why Clapham North Homeowners Will Choose Laminate Flooring This Year
Clapham North makes a bit of a strange area. Victorian conversions bump up against shiny new build flats on the same streets just by the tube station. Every building has its quirks, that’s worth knowing before you book a laminate fitter or a wooden flooring fitter.
The old wooden floors in the conversions will have the odd springy or squeaky place. The flat above a pub on the high street might have one hundred percent flat concrete for a subfloor. Same postcode, different jobs.
That’s where we are different. Two decades fitting laminate in London means we know every little creak and wobble in your neighbourhood. Ten minutes in your floor and we can tell you which joist gaps need some extra support.
The Expensive Truth About Do-It-Yourself Fitting
Yep. We get it. No one likes to pay someone else to do a job you can do yourself for cheaper.
Plastic laminate flooring fitting look easy-peasy when you watch the YouTube videos.
Click, lock, repeat.
Until the moisture barrier gets left out. Or the expansion gaps aren’t left wide enough. Or the plank is warped. Or six months down the line there’s a twenty-pence sized gap behind your skirting.
No thank you. We get calls about this at least once a week. A couple of hundred quid to do the job, then double that once the planks are up and the mess is cleared. Cheap laminate is never cheap in the long run.
Book one of the Best Flooring Fitters London specialist teams today by calling 020 3322 7001. We give honest, straightforward prices with no upselling.
Why Clapham North Homes Present More Challenges Than Average
Leakage is the main bugbear. Flats on the ground floor, abutting the railway line, tend to hold moisture differently than the block of 1930s flats down at the other end of the road. Laminate hates damp when it’s laid directly on the concrete or screed without the right underlay.
We always do a moisture test of the existing floor before laying down a plank. We do this because that’s just how we are – your subfloor should always be tested before you install a new floor. Miss this vital step and you’re gambling.
Noise is next on the list. Flats with thin party floors, squeaky staircases, close-spaced joined houses, and the lack of soundproofing in some of the larger conversions all cause problems. Proper underlay cut down on the noise that traverses the property, so your neighbours notice less foot-fall.
You might be surprised to know how convincing modern laminate looks, with lots of ranges mimicking high-grade oak, walnut, or more rustic reclaimed wood grains. It’s also far cheaper than solid hardwood, which makes it ideal for properties that you think are on the market for a few years. Wood floors take more TLC, and they scratch easily and need refinishing, where laminate shrugs off most wear and tear.
Some period flats may actually suit engineered wood, especially if you’re selling and want a bit of that woodgrain look in the photos. Some of the Handymen London teams who only carry one sort of material in the van are quick to recommend whatever is cheapest. We install both engineered and laminate wood, so we advise based on what’s best for your home, not what’s in our truck.
How Quickly Can You Get It Done?
Most flats in Clapham North, two or three bedrooms, can be completed in a day. Larger conversions, or those that need levelling of the existing subfloor before installing, can take two days. We give you a realistic timeline after inspecting the job, not after ripping up the carpet and discovering the phone lines were running through the levelling compound.
Everything hides behind the tiles, from subfloor adhesive residue to the odd pipe chase or uneven screed. Two decades fitting laminate and hardwood floors means we’ve seen it all before, saving you surprises on price and shortening installation time.
Best of all, we include a proper trade warranty, so if your floor’s ply separates or expands within the timeframe then we repair or replace it at our cost. No one means as much as that to some of our competitors, because they’ve moved on to the next customer.
People Also Ask: Is Laminate Flooring A Good Idea for a London Flat?
Short answer: yes! Especially when you’re worried about durability and price. Laminate handles Britain’s winters and apartments that tend to get a little warm a lot better than you might think, with suitable underlay and acclimatisation. It can costs at least a third less than solid wood, works perfectly with pets or children, and the latest ranges are genuinely starting to look like the real thing.
For landlords in London, laminate flooring installation should be the default option. Tenants turnover every eighteen months or so, and your choice of floor will be the first thing they notice. Cheap laminate wood floor fitters London wide will always push what’s in their warehouse. Our teams fit both laminate and engineered wood, so your choice is based on what’s best for your flat.
If your existing flooring has seen better days, give our helpful team a call. It doesn’t take much longer on the phone than a text and there’s no obligation to move forward. Call 020 3322 7001, or visit flooringfitterslondon.org.uk to view recent work in your postcode and get a non-salesy quote today.