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Oh how popular laminate flooring is, it’s laid everywhere these days though I personally fail to see the attraction in the stuff 😕
In my experience almost every other home seems to have yards of it in every room and kitchens are a popular location. However a word of caution from me may save you a lot of heartache over badly laid laminates and the damage that can result.
Kitchens are especially vunerable to leaking water from a faulty sink drain or dripping pipe joint. But overall leaky washing machines and dishwashers reign supreme in their ‘leak potential’. Laying laminate flooring in a kitchen therefore needs careful consideration and good application. 😉
Unless these appliances are first removed to allow the flooring to be installed ‘wall to wall’ then you run the risk of water damage easily penetrating the flooring and that wonderful synthetic ‘lining’ underneath. Water then creeps un-noticed and reaches in all directions creating very expensive damage caused by wet and dry rot. Very often the water damage is not detected until several months later when (for example) emulsion paint starts to flake off an opposite wall. Or a leak developes in a washing machine and its not until you call out the repairman who discovers it’s been leaking for months. But not until the motor packs in under the deluge of cascading water!!
How good is your kitchen floor I wonder? Where’s that damp smell coming from? Is your machine leaking?
Re: Washing Machines v’s Laminate Flooring
just to add to this the amount of machines i go to where the laminate is added after the work surface thereby raising the floor level and it is only ever laminated up to the front of the machine meaning that to remove the machine from the gapy you either have to remove the worktop or the flooring either way i always leae andtell the customer i am here to repair a washer not a kitchen fitter
but i have to add i prefer laminate over tearable or spongy lino 😕Re: Washing Machines v’s Laminate Flooring
Its easier to clean than carpet Martin and more hygenic as well. 😉
Apart from that if the person fits poor quality laminate (as many do) to a high traffic area such as a kitchen then add on the moisture content in the air as well as spillage to low cost stuff and it just warps.
Laminate or wood is fine in such areas IF you use the correct stuff for the job. Sad fact is though many people don’t because it costs more.
I seem to recall reading that about our industry as well. 😕
K.
Re: Washing Machines v’s Laminate Flooring
If someone has laminate flooring it is a good idea to recommend an appliance tray http://www.birbek.com/mall/productpage.cfm/Birbek/APPTRAY/77313
This will not solve the problem if the laminate does not run under the machine but this can save problems should you have a small leak or the floor slopes back so you wouldn’t see the leak before a great deal of damage is done.
One customer said an insurance company wouldn’t entertain a claim for damage unless these are fitted.
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