Please don't use that cheap, fake wood for your floor replacement if you're selling.

[torinsmom]

You do realize that the "dirt" you see on your feet or socks from hardwoods or laminate would be IN the carpet if that home had carpet, right? I'd rather have it where I can clean it myself. Not even the best steam cleaning can get all the dirt and allergens out of carpet. I got laminate because I have pets AND I have allergies. The allergies have been so much better since I got rid of the carpet. I don't even mind having cold floors; I just wear slipper socks.

Marsha

 

[barkley]

You do realize that the "dirt" you see on your feet or socks from hardwoods or laminate would be IN the carpet if that home had carpet, right? I'd rather have it where I can clean it myself. Not even the best steam cleaning can get all the dirt and allergens out of carpet. I got laminate because I have pets AND I have allergies. The allergies have been so much better since I got rid of the carpet. I don't even mind having cold floors; I just wear slipper socks.

Marsha

i clean it myself with my carpet as well-while we get periodic professional cleanings we have a carpet cleaner which we use regularly in addition to vacuuming.

neither laminate or hardwoods are very popular where we live probably in large part due to the snow. unless a person is fanatical about getting the mositure up hardwoods can warp, and with the laminates while you don't get the warping i've known people to not notice where some snows melted (on the type that has a high gloss finish) and take a nasty fall (and i'm not sure what it does to the laminate flooring but the hardwoods can get horribly damaged from the de-icer that gets tracked in on shoes).

seems like the popular thing is to have a tile or slate entry, kitchen, bathroom and laundry rooms-then carpet the rest (and it's definatly the norm to kick off your shoes before you ever set foot on someones carpet-for all i know it may be written into state law).

 

[Mickey Fliers]

Okay, so I literally just closed on a new house on the 29th. When we went house hunting, every house I looked at had something that I would change. I, of course, didn't ask the seller to change those things. Although, in one house we looked at, the carpet was so foul (pee stains!!!) that the seller's agent actually said "if you want to make an offer, please ask for a flooring credit".

Anyway, the house we chose has ZERO carpeting. All hardwood and tile. I love it. When the comps came in, our house was actually valued higher because of the flooring. The seller didn't get a higher price b/c of the flooring, but it did put that house to the top of my list.

On a side note, the house does have a "light" popcorn ceiling. When the heck did that come back in style?

 

[luvmy3]

There was an article in a magazine last year that stated one of the dirtiest surfaces in your home was the bottom of the vacuum. Dirt stays trapped in the brushes and bacteria grows so when you use it, you just deposit it all over your carpet.

 

[barkley]

Okay, so I literally just closed on a new house on the 29th. When we went house hunting, every house I looked at had something that I would change. I, of course, didn't ask the seller to change those things. Although, in one house we looked at, the carpet was so foul (pee stains!!!) that the seller's agent actually said "if you want to make an offer, please ask for a flooring credit".

Anyway, the house we chose has ZERO carpeting. All hardwood and tile. I love it. When the comps came in, our house was actually valued higher because of the flooring. The seller didn't get a higher price b/c of the flooring, but it did put that house to the top of my list.

On a side note, the house does have a "light" popcorn ceiling. When the heck did that come back in style?

i agree-there was one thing (or lots of things) or another with every home we looked at too-and flooring i did'nt care for was never a make it or break it. i figured i could hire someone to change flooring (or just deal with it for the time being) whereas when it was something like an insane, makes your eyes water, it's so BRIGHT paint job that i knew would take coat after coat of primer before i could even think of putting a new color on-that was a concern (i thought the home with the one LARGE accent wall in chinese restaurant orangey red was bad until i walked into 'night of the living eggplant', the ENTIRE interior was that dark purple eggplant color except for the darkest hunter green crown molding you can imagine-even the custom blinds were eggplant. it was like being trapped inside a bottle of wine).

 

[ryanshana]

Totally agree. If hardwood floors are finished properly then they will hold up as good as laminate if not better.

No need to bash the OP because she prefers hardwood.

Hardwood or laminate is a choice one makes for all kinds of reasons, your choice may not be the same as you next door neighbors no need to put either choices down, both have their pros and cons.

Maybe OP wouldn't have gotten bashed if she didn't choose to bash everyone who put "cheap, fake" laminate in their home!

My house was built in the 50s and most of the cosmetics was original. We did all the work ourselves and used laminate. Did we buy high end....no.....did we buy middle of the line yes. Does it look beautiful YES. You don't like my home move on to the next someone else will like my laminate!

 

[ryanshana]

I bet they had popcorn ceilings too!!!

HAHA my house had GLITTER popcorn ceiling!!! lol

cause we took care of it before we moved everything in it was easy....you just wet it and take a scraper and TADA! Makes it look like a totally different home!

 

[claudia]

We've been house shopping and I'm just appalled at the overuse of the cheap laminate floors. I would rather see no floors or old carpet that I can remove and replace. The cheap stuff makes me wonder what other cheap fixes were done to the home and sends me running. I just saw two today. There ARE some very nice 'fake' wood floors that might not turn me off but seriously - just let me replace the floor covering because I prefer real wood and I'd rather have an allowance than have you feel like you need to recoup what you paid for rubber/wood look floors.

Vent over.

if you are willing to replace an old carpet, then replace the laminate floors. Better yet, tell your agent to only show you homes with wood floors.

 

[barkley]

HAHA my house had GLITTER popcorn ceiling!!! lol

cause we took care of it before we moved everything in it was easy....you just wet it and take a scraper and TADA! Makes it look like a totally different home!

MY MOM'S HOUSE HAD THOSE! when you went to dust down a cob web it was like tinkerbell waving her wand-you got sprinkled with sparkles

i remember as a teen repainting my bedroom-those popcorn ceilings sucked up paint like crazy-and you had to keep going over and over it with the roller to get into all the little crevices.

good lord, you've got me remembering my childhood home-sparkly popcorn ceilings, avacado green shag carpet, burnt orange pleather sofa and recliner, harvest gold appliances-and the combo tv/radio/phonograph in a wood cabinet that had to weigh a thousand pounds and let us not forget-the all important drapes with kind of velvety raised/textured pattern on it that just looked so right with the aluminum christmas tree all done up in matching silver ornaments that changed from red to blue to yellow to green thanks to the rotating electric disk thingy you plugged in next to it

 

[AftertheSunset]

We've been house shopping and I'm just appalled at the overuse of the cheap laminate floors. I would rather see no floors or old carpet that I can remove and replace. The cheap stuff makes me wonder what other cheap fixes were done to the home and sends me running. I just saw two today. There ARE some very nice 'fake' wood floors that might not turn me off but seriously - just let me replace the floor covering because I prefer real wood and I'd rather have an allowance than have you feel like you need to recoup what you paid for rubber/wood look floors.

Vent over.

Is this a joke, seriously? Do you honestly expect to find a home with exactly EVERYTHING you want?

Sorry, but if you're that picky, maybe you should build your own home, so you don't have to be bothered changing everything.

We put in THOSE cheap laminate wood floors (from Lumber Liquidators, NO LESS!) about a year ago and it's beautiful! It looks better than the lineoleum we had and it holds up very well to the kids. Plus, I didn't spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to replace it either!

I didn't install it to please the next seller of my house. I installed it to please ME and my family. If we ever sell and the next seller doesn't like it, rip it out. It's not my house anymore.

 

[Disney Doll]

MY MOM'S HOUSE HAD THOSE! when you went to dust down a cob web it was like tinkerbell waving her wand-you got sprinkled with sparkles

i remember as a teen repainting my bedroom-those popcorn ceilings sucked up paint like crazy-and you had to keep going over and over it with the roller to get into all the little crevices.

good lord, you've got me remembering my childhood home-sparkly popcorn ceilings, avacado green shag carpet, burnt orange pleather sofa and recliner, harvest gold appliances-and the combo tv/radio/phonograph in a wood cabinet that had to weigh a thousand pounds and let us not forget-the all important drapes with kind of velvety raised/textured pattern on it that just looked so right with the aluminum christmas tree all done up in matching silver ornaments that changed from red to blue to yellow to green thanks to the rotating electric disk thingy you plugged in next to it

Did you live in my Gram and Pop's house?

 

[Disney Doll]

Is this a joke, seriously? Do you honestly expect to find a home with exactly EVERYTHING you want?

Sorry, but if you're that picky, maybe you should build your own home, so you don't have to be bothered changing everything.

We put in THOSE cheap laminate wood floors (from Lumber Liquidators, NO LESS!) about a year ago and it's beautiful! It looks better than the lineoleum we had and it holds up very well to the kids. Plus, I didn't spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to replace it either!

I didn't install it to please the next seller of my house. I installed it to please ME and my family. If we ever sell and the next seller doesn't like it, rip it out. It's not my house anymore.

Well, that's true. You did put it in to please yourself. Just don't expect the buyer of your house to pay a premium for "laminate" floors if they are cheap, because that won't be happening either.

The rules of the game work both ways. You don't have to put it in to please me and I don't have to pay a premium for what you put in that you like that I don't.

 

[ryanshana]

MY MOM'S HOUSE HAD THOSE! when you went to dust down a cob web it was like tinkerbell waving her wand-you got sprinkled with sparkles

i remember as a teen repainting my bedroom-those popcorn ceilings sucked up paint like crazy-and you had to keep going over and over it with the roller to get into all the little crevices.

good lord, you've got me remembering my childhood home-sparkly popcorn ceilings, avacado green shag carpet, burnt orange pleather sofa and recliner, harvest gold appliances-and the combo tv/radio/phonograph in a wood cabinet that had to weigh a thousand pounds and let us not forget-the all important drapes with kind of velvety raised/textured pattern on it that just looked so right with the aluminum christmas tree all done up in matching silver ornaments that changed from red to blue to yellow to green thanks to the rotating electric disk thingy you plugged in next to it

HAHAHA you just described our house to a T! Well before we updated it a little....Its soo surprizing what a little painted, LAMINATE flooring lmao, some light fixtures and carpet will do to a house! We got it for a steal cause of it being outdated and now it looks just as great as some of the houses that was going for 20k more!

 

[mom2boys77]

mte!

People tend to put when they like and can afford in their homes.. If you don't like it, move along to another house.. Someone else will come along and buy that home who isn't quite as particular..

 

[suejai]

We put in laminate flooring when we built our house 7 years ago. You have likely heard all the arguments for putting in laminate so I won't add my comments about that. I haven't read the whole thread, I only made it through the first page, so I apologize if this has already been stated. But the OP made a statement about laminate being made from rubber which confused me a little - laminate is not made from rubber it is made from pressed wood fibers similar to MDF. It gets its floaty feeling from resting on top of either foam or felt - but it is not rubber.

 

[Chicago526]

Well, that's true. You did put it in to please yourself. Just don't expect the buyer of your house to pay a premium for "laminate" floors if they are cheap, because that won't be happening either.

The rules of the game work both ways. You don't have to put it in to please me and I don't have to pay a premium for what you put in that you like that I don't.

Ah ha! I think I see your complaint now!!!!

It's not so much that people put in laminate wood floors, it's that they put in those floors and raised the price of the house thinking the new flooring raised the value of their home, when in your opinion, it does not.

DH and I put in laminate floors, as I stated in a previous post, to replace some carpet that our dog ruined. Couldn't afford hard wood and carpet would have just been ruined again. But when we go to sell, we won't expect a huge return on our $500 investment. All other things being equal, I'm not going to ask for say, $10k over the asking price of an identicle home in my neighborhood.

 

[shortbun]

I work in the real estate business and I can say this is absolutely untrue. The median pricepoint for houses that are selling fast in this market (here in Charlotte) is $150-175k and under. If your home is in this price point you had better laminate wood floors. To a median price homebuyer in this area, a laminate wood floor = move-in ready!

Even the people here who make GREAT money and are looking at really nice homes are looking for a steal. I'd wager (having spoken with many of them) that 99% of the homebuyers that my team leader has spoken to in the last year would prefer a home with nice laminates over a home with grungy carpet or no flooring at all. Right now, when many family's budgets are tight, they feel that they can move in and "deal with" laminate until a time when they are more able to upgrade to something nicer, rather than make an expensive purchase in their life ie: the home itself, and then have to immediately put down an entire house full of flooring before they can really live in it.

Well, I'm not looking in that price point so I want to be able to eliminate cheap upgrades that I will have to tear out before I move in. I suppose no one is using granite in kitchen upgrades in Charlotte either? I've spent loads of time in Charlotte but in more upscale houses and I guarantee you-rarely do people use cheap laminate to upgrade bad flooring. While there are a few really good quality and pretty laminates, I'm talking about the laminates that have wood grain printed on them and they look like cheap linoleum.

Why do you guys hate me for wanting my home built of quality products? I don't care what you have in your home-just don't think cheap laminate is an upgrade or suitable in higher level pricepoint homes. It's just not appropriate and it wastes your time and money.

Anyway, I might have found a house. My resl estate agent just called me.
YAY!

 

[Mickey Fliers]

Well, that's true. You did put it in to please yourself. Just don't expect the buyer of your house to pay a premium for "laminate" floors if they are cheap, because that won't be happening either.

The rules of the game work both ways. You don't have to put it in to please me and I don't have to pay a premium for what you put in that you like that I don't.

You really shouldn't be paying a premium for any flooring. Like I said earlier, certain flooring may help your comps, but it doesn't really add "value" to the home....rather your flooring likes/dislikes are what help narrow down your selection process.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Well, I'm not looking in that price point so I want to be able to eliminate cheap upgrades that I will have to tear out before I move in. I suppose no one is using granite in kitchen upgrades in Charlotte either? I've spent loads of time in Charlotte but in more upscale houses and I guarantee you-rarely do people use cheap laminate to upgrade bad flooring. While there are a few really good quality and pretty laminates, I'm talking about the laminates that have wood grain printed on them and they look like cheap linoleum.

Why do you guys hate me for wanting my home built of quality products? I don't care what you have in your home-just don't think cheap laminate is an upgrade or suitable in higher level pricepoint homes. It's just not appropriate and it wastes your time and money.

Anyway, I might have found a house. My resl estate agent just called me.
YAY!

I seriously doubt that anyone hates you. Now snobbery isn't pleasant in anyone.

 

[focusondisney]

I think you're absolutely right, but there's more to the story: Our society has been told that we "deserve" the newest, most up-to-date styles in everything -- including our housing. And if you can't afford it, don't worry! That's what your credit card is for!

If you believe HGTV, we all live in homes with some type of wood flooring, granite or quartz countertops, and stainless steel appliances.Actually, my preference is wood (either hardwood or laminate) in the living areas, but carpet in the bedrooms.


You are right, though, that we today have taken the trend towards more space to an extreme. Don't we all know a couple one-child couples who live in five-bedroom houses? Don't we all know people who have an in-home office (even if they don't work at home), plus a media room and a playroom and a sunroom and a craft room . . . we do need to get back to moderate in our tastes.

I so agree with all this. When I watch HGTV, I wonder who these people are that they can't possibly live with out granite counter tops, stainless appliances, hard wood & a home office. Especially the ones who are buying their first homes, look like they're just out of school & are just starting out. And what do they do for a living that they can afford all this right off the bat. DH & I both have excellent jobs & have been working for 30 plus years & I don't think we could afford all this in a house. What ever happened to starting out with what you could afford & working up to something better?

Of course HGTV is also the reason people think they have to upgrade that old kitchen floor before selling, instead of letting the buyer do it. You have to have the house "staged" just right don't you know!