Laminate is the cheapest convincing hard floor in Britain and the one most often bought on the headline price per square metre alone. The fitted cost is the number that matters, and the three things that move it are the preparation of the floor beneath, the underlay, and how much you order.
How much to order
Measure the room in square metres, add a wastage allowance for cuts, and round up to whole packs, since laminate is sold by the pack and each pack states its coverage. The wastage allowance is larger in a room with bays, angles or many doorways, and larger again if the boards are laid diagonally. Buy from one batch, because colour varies between production runs, and keep a spare pack, because a damaged board in three years is easier to replace from stock than from a discontinued range.
Laminate flooring underlay is not optional
Laminate is a floating floor and the underlay does three jobs: it takes up small irregularities, it cushions the click joints so they are not working against a hard surface, and it reduces the hollow sound that makes a cheap laminate sound cheap. On a concrete floor it also has to include or be accompanied by a damp proof membrane, since moisture from a slab will destroy a laminate from below. Skipping or under specifying it is a false economy that is audible under foot.
How much to lay laminate flooring: preparation is where the price varies
Laminate needs a flat, dry, clean subfloor. On a timber floor that can mean screwing down squeaking boards and possibly overboarding. On concrete it can mean a self levelling compound and a moisture test. Add removing the old floor covering, trimming door bottoms, fitting beading or scotia at the perimeter, and thresholds at every doorway. Those items, not the boards, are why two fitting quotes differ.
LVT vs laminate
Laminate is a printed decorative layer over a fibreboard core. Luxury vinyl tile is a printed layer over a vinyl core, which makes it water resistant or waterproof, warmer and quieter underfoot, and thinner. LVT costs more and suits kitchens, utilities and bathrooms where laminate does not, because a fibreboard core swells when it gets wet and does not recover. For a living room or a bedroom, good laminate is excellent value; anywhere water lands, LVT is the sounder buy.
Where the cheapest laminate costs you
The savings at the bottom of the market come from a thinner board, a weaker click joint, a lower abrasion rating and a thinner wear layer. That shows up as joints that open, edges that chip, and visible wear in the traffic route within a few years. The wear rating is the specification worth reading rather than the price: a mid range board fitted properly outlasts two cheap ones, and the fitting is paid for twice.
Laminate flooring fitters near me: what a local fitter should quote for
A fitting quote worth comparing separates the floor from the work around it. Lifting and disposing of the old covering, levelling or screeding a subfloor that is out, the underlay, the beading or scotia, trimming doors and the thresholds between rooms are all separate lines, and they are where two quotes for the same room diverge. Ask the fitter to price the preparation after seeing the subfloor rather than from a room size, because a floor laid over an uneven base is the fault that shows up as movement and clicking a year later.
Questions people ask about cheap laminate flooring
How much laminate do I need?
The room area plus a wastage allowance for cuts, rounded up to whole packs. Allow more in rooms with bays, angles or many doorways, and more again for a diagonal lay.
Do I need underlay under laminate?
Yes. It levels small irregularities, cushions the joints and reduces the hollow sound, and on concrete it carries or accompanies the damp proof membrane.
Is LVT better than laminate?
In kitchens, utilities and bathrooms yes, because its vinyl core tolerates water where a fibreboard core swells permanently. In a living room or bedroom good laminate is excellent value.
Why does cheap laminate wear out?
Thinner boards, weaker click joints and a thinner wear layer. Read the abrasion rating rather than the price: fitting is paid for twice if the floor is replaced early.
Is it cheaper to buy laminate flooring near me or online?
The board price is usually similar and the difference is what surrounds it. Buying locally lets you see the wear layer and the joint before you commit and makes returning a damaged pack easy. Buying online can be cheaper per pack and is worth it only if you have ordered enough for the cuts and the waste, because a second delivery from a different batch can be a visibly different shade.