Good thanks Helen, 10cm is a decent step, I was just checking whether it was practical to try and retain the level throughout. Then as you are going from the floating floor to tile, there is also no need to try and match the timber, as it were. This is excellent because matching almost never works. Too close is worse than an obvious planned mismatch. Plenty of light means you will not be restricted on the depth of colour either. A dark floor will look just as good as a light floor; with plenty of light, the old decorating adage that a light or busy colour will make the room look bigger, holds less validity. I am a great believer in Laminate; it is what we have in our home. Timber and structured timber will scratch and dent quite naturally and this is a quality that a lot of people admire. If you walk across your structured timber floor in high heels you will dent the floor. Far more people like the idea that Laminates do not dent and are harder to scratch and that's why the rest of us admire Laminates. Unlike Tiles and waterproofing membranes, a floating floor can be laid once the concrete has 'gone off'. I.e.as soon as the builder says it's OK to move in with your piano etc. Usually within 3 months. Please Note that the concrete slab will most likely not be level. I know it looks level but if you grab a length of straight timber and lay it on the slab you will see daylight underneath. You can get away with a hollow or mound that is less than 3mm over a metre - not more! When it all goes to pot after you've laid it, I don't want to hear you saying that Peter said 3mm was OK and it was just a little bit more. If you examine the way the laminates click together you will note that they are only just engaged at 3mm. if you try and pull them apart by hand at this stage you will not only succeed but also damage the clicky bits. Therefore you will need to further level the slab where it is out by 3mm and more. Relax this bit is easy. There are some readymade floor levelling products as well as ones you mix with water, that are easy to use. They say they are self-levelling, this is builders babble. If you dump it in a pile on the floor and walk away you will come back to find it has set in a pile on the floor. You need to grab the straight edge or timber that you used to see the daylight and use it to spread the levelling stuff around the mound or into the hollow. These substances are effective to 1mm thick so you just spread it thin to finish. They dry fairly fast and you can usually start work within a few hours. If you plan your work carefully you can always level in one area whilst laying in another. In your case Helen you could level the slab anytime whilst waiting for the slab to go off. A lot of words but this bit is quick and easy. For the next 16 or more years the new concrete will continue to dry and therefore release moisture. You will therefore have to lay a moisture barrier on top of the slab. Plastic sheeting is just that. Overlap the edges by 200mm and tape together with a moisture resistant tape and up the wall to skirting board height; A raincoat for the floating floor. Next you will need an underlay. This helps to further protect the flooring, reduce above and below floor noise and make it a bit softer underfoot. Most underlays come with an overlap ‘flap’. Just tape it together. Remember nothing gets stuck to the floor. There are Laminates on the market with underlay attached and underlays that incorporate a moisture barrier. Now bung the flooring down onto the floor. Start in the corner of the long wall in the direction you wish it to run; Longways along the wall, placing 10mm spacers between the flooring and the wall. When you get to the end of the wall, holding the next plank in the same way as though you are going to lay it, flip it upside down and lay it over your work and slide it upside down to 10mm from the end wall. Where it overlaps your last piece is where you need to cut it. The cut off becomes the last piece in that run and the off cut (leftover) becomes the first piece in your next run. Continue to run along the room until you have covered the floor. Any cuts needed in the final row, width-wise are done in the same manner that you have cut all the end pieces. Now stand back and admire our work. It looks great and is 95% finished. Now go out and buy the trims. Take a photo with you to give you a better idea of the choices available. You will need to drill and plug Skirting boards around all the walls to cover the 10mm gap/s and to hold down the floor. Where the floor comes to the 100mm step, you could use a Skirt if there is room or a wall end or adapt just to finish it off. A final note; if there is more than 10m in width or length of the room, you will need an expansion joint (trim). I would love it if you could send us progress photos of your project. If you have any further questions or if you need further clarification of anything just ask. Thanks for inviting me into your project. Peter
