Laminate floors....the good, the bad, and the ugly?

[Kies99]

Could I ask how much the installation cost?

Don't know about Lowe's, but HD wants $1.99 per square foot. When the flooring only costs $2.99 or $3.99 per square foot (can't remember), that add's a good bit to the cost.

 

[luvsJack]

Ask the people in the flooring department about gluing the seams, which on some floors makes it more water safe. Not that you would want a bucket of water spilled and sitting on the floor, but you don't have to worry about every drip. That being said, we've had spills on our living room floor and it did bubble slightly, but the bubble went away on its own (phew!).

When we replace ours, we will most definitely use glue.

In our first home dh installed laminate wood when dd was born (11 years ago). Back then most all of it had to be glued. When our house caught on fire the floor got wet down with the water hose by ds and then, of course, doused by the fire department. The only thing not ruined in that section of the house was the floor. Fast forward to the house we are in now, the builder picked out the brand of floor and the person to lay the floor. No glue and it does bubble when it gets wet--so far, so good most of it has gone away. I asked a guy that does floors about it and he said the difference was the glue.

 

[spima3]

Thanks to all for your responses.

Looks like I'll be shopping for Pergo today!

DH actually likes one that is a little more expensive than I was looking at, but hey, works for me!

lori

 

[spima3]

Oh, meant to ask. For those having issues with streaking etc, does the color have anything to do with it?

DH likes the darker laminate, I would prefer a golden oak type. Since he's going along with it, I'll probably go with the darker one, maybe, or maybe I'll surprise him!

Does color impact the look, durability, etc.?

 

[DonnaL]

We have Pergo on the floor in my sewing room and I love it. We also own a 3 unit apartment building and have it in all the kitchens and inside entryways of the apartments. It's been down about 4 years and holding up beautifully.......granted the apartments have all adults living there and no pets. We did have what we thought would be a problem with the garden level apartment when the water heater broke and leaked from the utility closet onto the kitchen floor. Fortunately, it happened early in the A.M. before the tenant left for work and he called us immediately. We immediately soaked the water up from the floor with beach towels. We did open an insurance claim, had an adjustor out to take pictures just in case it started to buckle. But, it's been almost a year and so far, so good. So, I think we got the water before it got under the boards. I also suggest you get the best underlayment you can. As far as installation, it's very easy, especially if you don't have a lot of custom corners in the rooms you're doing. We did it all ourselves .......it is hard on the knees, though......because you're down on the floor fitting the pieces together with a rubber mallet and you will need two saws, a table saw for cutting lengths and a chop saw for cutting the door moldings. For cleaning, I recommend just plain vinegar and water with a damp sponge mop. I find it leaves the floor streak free. We had a change of tenants about a year ago and the previous tenant told me he used a Swiffer damp mop for cleaning it. It was very streaky and as I was cleaning it in preparation for showing the apartment I used white vinegar and water and every streak was gone. I needed to mop it two or three times to get the Swiffer residue off, but, it came out beautiful .........looked like a new floor.

 

[arlenesp]

I use a steam cleaner for my tile floor and bathrooms. Love it . Has anyone used this on the laminate? I am planning to do most of the house and rip up the carpets.

 

[MickeyMom2Boys]

When we were shopping for floors we considered hardwood and laminate. We were worried about both - hardwood is so expensive and scratches easily and laminate can not get wet. We have 2 young boys and 2 big dogs. The flooring stores highly recommended these vinyl strips. They look like hardwood (a little more realistic than most laminates, but not as realistic as hardwood, of course). This stuff installs in strips just like hard wood, has a sticky backing to it that you just peed off and stick down, is very durable (kids drop trucks on them all the time), does not stratch, and is very easy to replace one piece if it does get damaged. You just take a razor blade and cut the corner, then peel it up and put a new one down. It also does not absorb water. The guy said you could pour a bucket of water on it and leave it all day and it wouldn't damage this stuff. The guys that installed it loved it. Said it was so easy to install. They even told us that we should have just done it ourselves. According to them it installs much easier than laminate. We have had it over a year now and absolutely love it. I'll see if I can find the picture of one of our bedrooms and post it for you. I can get the exact name for you too if you are interested. We couldn't be happier!

 

[spima3]

When we were shopping for floors we considered hardwood and laminate. We were worried about both - hardwood is so expensive and scratches easily and laminate can not get wet. We have 2 young boys and 2 big dogs. The flooring stores highly recommended these vinyl strips. They look like hardwood (a little more realistic than most laminates, but not as realistic as hardwood, of course). This stuff installs in strips just like hard wood, has a sticky backing to it that you just peed off and stick down, is very durable (kids drop trucks on them all the time), does not stratch, and is very easy to replace one piece if it does get damaged.

Yes, if you have the name that would be great. When I was looking at the laminates in Lowes, I did notice the strips. Maybe I will take another look at them, and check the price. It might be something to consider.

We have the peel and strip vinyl tiles in our bathroom and they look terrific, we've had them for several years already. They were actually what we were going to put in the kitchen but I just couldn't find the right color/pattern.

Like someone else posted, when there are too many choices, I can't seem to make a choice!

 

[Lucky4me]

We were always told if you're going with laminate, buy top of the line for worry free wear and better sound underfoot. $4 and up was the number the floor installers I know told me.
Since we didn't have the money for that, we bought Novalis vinyl planking from Lowes in Golden Oak. We've had it over three months and LOVE it!
So easy to install, looks and feels more like wood than the $1.99 laminates.
When a plank gets damaged, you just pull it up and replace it, so simple.
I've dropped a hammer on it not to mention a lot of water and it appears to be impervious to anything. Clean up is swiffer, then wet mop with a little dish soap.
It looks great, is warm and hides the dirt.
I'd recommend it to anyone who has a lower end laminate budget.

 

[Lucky4me]

Here are some reviews and pics of this floor.
I think the golden oak hides more than the darker planks and looks more like real wood.
Only one person on that thread had problems with scratching and it was minor.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/flooring/msg0911023312366.html

 

[Alexander]

We have laminate in the kitchen, dining room, living room, hallways, and one bedroom. It will be in the remaining two bedrooms by the end of the weekend actually. I feel like the house is so much cleaner! I can't believe how dirty carpet is, even if you vacuum everyday. With all of our allergies, the laminate has been a great relief.

Our first laminate we did glue down--PITA! What a hard job that was! The glue is a mess. DH said he will never do that again. We now have the lock 'n lock stuff that just snaps together.

I use my Shark steamer on the laminate without a problem. It doesn't leave any streaks because it is just water and it is dry almost instantly, so there is no water sitting on the boards.

I used to use the Swiffer wet or wetjet but it did leave a lot of streaks. After the floors were dry, I had everyone put on a clean pair of socks and shine up the floor! It actually worked pretty good!

 

[arlenesp]

Thanks. Was wondering about the steamer. Have been using one for years and love them. Will be looking into the laminate.