Do you have laminate flooring?

[Honu]

I would love to pull up our carpet and put in laminate, but the fear of cold floors (and feet) has kept me from doing it. As much as I hate the look of wall to wall and having to constantly vacuum up dog hair, it is comfy.

 

[frndofpooh]

We have Pergo in the kitchen - its held up beautifully! We have an 85lb collie with a huge underbite that causes him to drool and initially I was worried about the drool/water on the floor but we have had no problems at all. Well, it's not like we leave drool lying around but when the installer told me that the Pergo could be damaged by water I was pretty worried. We wipe it up and move on, never had any puckering, etc.

As for cleaning, it definitely needs more than the wood floor does because you can see the dirt pretty easily. I tried the Pergo cleaner and that's okay but I like plain vinegar and water best, applied with a Miracle cloth. It's this cloth that you soak in the vinegar and water, wring it out well, and scrub away. Of course, you look like Cinderella in the process but you can't have everything; I like to think it inspires DH to take me to WDW!!!

I got the Miracle cloth thing at a mennonite market around here but you can probably find them online. Good luck!

 

[Nicolepa]

When I originally put in the hardwoods I had looked at Wilsonart.

I had Wilsonart in my last house. 5 years, a dog and 2 babies later it still looked like new. We wanted to put it in our new house and the builder talked us out of it. Said the finish on the new hardwoods was as good at Laminate, that it would lower the resale value of our home etc.

Well 3 years later our floors are trashed (no dog either), we hate them, all of our neighbors are wanting to put laminate in. I think in another couple of years we can get a great neighborhood deal since we all want to replace them in another year or two!

Wilsonart Rocks!

 

[NMAmy]

We have laminate flooring in dd's room and our spare room. Our bedroom has real wood floors. It was this way when we moved in but I've gotta tell you--my teenager is tough on her floor and it still looks great. It can get really slippery, though. She had an area rug in there that I finally threw away because I kept sliding across the floor every time I went in there.

 

[ZipaDeeDooDah]

We have laminate which we installed it ourselves. LOVE it!!! I clean it with Windex (I don't know if that is bad for it or not, but it works like a charm and dries super fast!)

 

[Lanshark]

When I did the kitchen I wanted tile or Wilsonart but was talked into hardwoods because of the value. I was guaranteed that my 85 pound Golden wouldn't scratch it. They were wrong.

 

[janette]

I've been shopping for floors and have decided to go with a Luxury Vinyl. It is a little expensive but should hold up against almost anything. My carpet is trashed completely between dogs & kids so I'm looking forward to getting it replaced by something pretty indestructible. It is used in the US more in commercial than residential. I'm going to be doing wood look, the appearance is like laminate but it isn't sensitive to moisture. Also has more give than a tile floor.

This is the type I plan on http://www.tarkett-floors.com/floors/site/en-US/topic/nafco/segment/208/segment.asp

 

[sm4987]

I have laminate hardwood in most of my house. Love it!! Doesn't scratch and ours is not slippery. We just put Dupont laminate grey slate in our bathroom and wow, I just like it so much better than the other materials.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

I tried the Pergo cleaner and that's okay but I like plain vinegar and water best, applied with a Miracle cloth.

Actually, if you look at the contents of the Pergo cleaner, it's mostly water and vinegar. Don't use anything abrasive to clean laminate or anything that's going to leave a film on the surface, and you'll be fine.

 

[drag n' fly]

We put our own laminate in. Use good quality at least 8mm. We have three kids, a dog, cat, a cockatiel and a macaw(and 2 fish). We have spilled, dropped, dragged, scraped you name it everything and not a single mark. You cannot even break it in half with a hammer. Looks as good as the day we put it in and extremely easy to keep clean .

 

[Lanshark]

I went to Home Depot today and asked some questions. They recommended the Dupont Elite line of laminates. She gave me a small sample and told me to run a key over it. Not a scratch. She did indicate that it's probably not a good idea to put on stairs because it is "floating" and slippery. I guess I'll have to rethink that one but it really looked great.

 

[two-plus-twins]

We have the laminate wood look flooring that is made by Mohawk. We put it in the foyer, dining room, hallway, guest bath, and kitchen when we built our house 7 years ago. I love it! We have 4 kids, including 3 boys and all of their toys, and a dog and it still looks good.

 

[arminnie]

She gave me a small sample and told me to run a key over it. Not a scratch.

Before I spent many thousands of dollars putting in Pergo, I took home a sample to "test". I put nail polish remover and all sorts of stuff on it plus I tried to scratch it with sharp objects - it passed.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Wow....I am convinced! I will have to go laminate.
Thanks for the manufacturers names....I am making a list.

 

[leafette]

We have Pergo in the kitchen. I love it, though it was expensive. It looks as new as when we bought it.

 

[hydster]

We had Pergo installed during the week of 9-11 and with 3 kids, 2 cats and daily living it still looks brand spanking new! Not a scratch on it. My youngest rode through the living room on his scooter, roller blades, my nephew's heelies and has used every single car/truck/backhoe toy he owns and it still looks as good as the day it was installed. We tried gouging it with a nail, left water on a left over piece for 3 days, used markers on the sample everything we could think of and it wiped off great with no issues. It is glued down in that room because it's our main living room and gets a LOT of traffic and use.

This last weekend we put in Dupont Brazilian Cherry that was snap and lock in our new office and I love it probably more than the Pergo! We have hardwood in our kitchen and I HATE IT! It has been refinished 4 times since we moved in in 1994 and with every refinishing it takes less time before it needs to be refinished again. When we get our tax refund it's going to go into the kitchen remodel which will include laminate flooring.

For cleaning the best thing I've found is using mostly Windex with a little hot water and vinegar *not much vinegar though* and it dries fast and with no streaks or slip.

 

[kdm31091]

From what I know, the maitenance of hardwood or laminate in general is a little easier. On a carpet, vaccuuming constantly becomes annoying, and they wear out within a decade.

However, I do prefer carpeting. Wood always looks kinda uninviting and cold to me. Carpeting is more soft and welcoming, despite the downsides.

If you really shampoo and care for carpet, though, it's fine. The carpet in my bedroom was at least 5 years old when we replaced it and yet it looked fine. We only replaced it cause it was purple; this used to be my sister's room.

Hardwood looks great but I hate how every single step is loud with shoes on; the slipperiness when it's freshly cleaned; etc. Carpeting is soft, safer, with the downside of less lifespan.

 

[cryssi]

we have Quikstep laminate in most of our house. It doesn't show scratches, but don't drop knives, scissors, or anything sharp because it WILL ding the floor...

we are having an issue with the floor lifting at the seams...have to check if it is a leak b/c it's by the fridge, but it's also bubbling in an area where there is no water at all...having to pick up spills is a pain b/c our dog doesn't know how to drink water neatly and there is always a large trail of water from her bowl to wherever she is going

I love the look, cost, and cleaning of it, but it really is a pain in the butt...