Laminate flooring covers a price range that runs from about £8 per square metre to about £45. The floors at both ends of that range will come in similar boxes and look broadly similar in a showroom photograph. The difference between them is real, and it shows up in five specifications. If you read those five specifications on the datasheet, you will know exactly what kind of floor you are buying.
This is what we look at when we decide whether a range is worth listing.
1. The AC rating
AC is the abrasion resistance class. AC1 is light residential. AC5 is heavy commercial. The middle is where most domestic flooring lives:
- AC3: standard residential. Bedrooms, sitting rooms with normal use.
- AC4: heavy residential or light commercial. Hallways, kitchens, families with pets.
- AC5: commercial. Will outlast the house.
For a busy home, AC4 is the sensible floor on most rooms. AC5 is overspecified and you will rarely notice the difference — the cost goes up and the visible appearance does not.
2. The thickness
Plank thickness ranges from 6mm to 14mm. This affects the sound underfoot more than anything else.
- 6mm to 7mm: contractor-grade. Sounds hollow. Feels thin.
- 8mm: the modern standard. Quiet enough with a decent underlay, robust enough for everyday use.
- 10mm to 12mm: premium. Reads as solid wood underfoot. Often comes with an integrated underlay.
- 14mm: rare. Specialist ranges. The point at which laminate starts to feel like engineered wood.
3. The decor and emboss
This is what your eye actually sees. Two specifications matter:
- Print resolution. 1200 dpi or above gives the realism. Below that, the pattern repeats visibly across a room.
- Registered emboss. The texture you feel matches the grain you see. On unregistered laminates, the emboss is a generic wood pattern stamped over a separate photographic image, and the surface looks slightly off when sunlight rakes across it. Registered emboss is the single most important visual difference between mid-range and premium laminate.
4. The locking system
Click systems vary. The two big names are Uniclic (Quickstep / Pergo) and Valinge 5G — both are excellent. Cheaper laminates use unbranded click systems that break corners during install and creak if the subfloor is not perfectly flat. Ask which click is fitted; if the answer is vague, expect a tougher fitting day.
5. Water resistance
Standard laminate is not waterproof. Modern hydrolock or aqua-rated laminates are. The plank edges are sealed with a waxy wax-resin coating, the boards are joined with a swell-resistant HDF core, and the surface holds water for 24 hours or more without damage. If the room is a kitchen, hallway, en-suite, utility or anywhere with appliances, hydrolock is what to look for. The premium over standard laminate is small — usually 10% to 15% — and the protection is real.
The brands we list, and why
We carry AGT, Eurohome, Falquon, Kaindl and the Anglo Flooring FloorLaBs and Estilo Hydrolock ranges. The selection reflects the spec sheet above, not the marketing. Falquon’s high-gloss stone-effect range, for example, is the only premium gloss laminate we have found that does not visibly scratch within months. Kaindl’s herringbone is the cleanest 8mm herringbone we have tested. AGT Effect carries the broadest oak palette at AC4 / 8mm. We list a brand because the floor stands up, not because the supplier is paying for the page.
What you should expect to pay
For a floor with the spec we would put in our own homes — AC4, 8mm or 10mm, registered emboss, hydrolock, branded click — expect £20 to £35 per square metre, plus underlay (£3 to £8) plus fitting (£10 to £20 if you are paying a fitter). For 30 square metres, that is between £1,000 and £1,800 fitted. It is a serious purchase. It is also a floor that will look like it did the day it was laid for fifteen years.
Browse our laminate range, sortable by AC rating, thickness and waterproofing. Samples ship free across the UK.
