I recently had a laminate floor laid in my kitchen which I was initially delighted with. However, my washing machine leaked and although I mopped the water up within an hour, the floor has been completely ruined. I am very annoyed that the Homebase advisor told me the laminate was excellent for kitchens and bathrooms and highly recommended it, unfortunately she didn't mention what could happen if the floor became wet. I went back to Homebase to explain what had happened and was told that adhesive should have been used between all the joins when it was laid (it was advertised as glueless). They said it was nothing to do with them!
Could anyone please advise me if this is the case and if it is worth pursuing.
Many thanks

Sandra, December 2009

Hi, my name is jim and i have layed a lot of laminate flooring , if you look at the flooring panels you will notice that they are not made of wood but they look like wood , they are made of M.D.F board ( medium density fiber ) board , which , if layed on top of water will soak up water like a sponge and then expand and get very soft and pliable ,these boards are designed to lock together and do not need any form of glue or adhesive they are designed to stay locked , once they become water logged im afraid they will have to be replaced hope i have helped .

jim, January 2010

Go here...

http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/

or call them on 08454 04 05 06

They will have seen cases like this before and will be pleased to explain your rights - for the cost of the call.

Good luck...

Peccavi, December 2009