Laminate Flooring

[lulu]

Does anyone have it? We just bought a house in Florida and a contractor I''ve been speaking to tells me it is much improved. It''s much less expensive than wood,

but I''ve seen older laminate floors that appear to be peeling. We''re only going to be at this house three months of the year but we also have a 100 pound dog.

Any advice from people with laminate would be appreciated.

 

[Clio]

We have it in our kitchen, and it''s held up quite well. We''ve lived in our house 4 years, but I don''t know when the previous owners installed it - maybe 1-2 years before we bought the house. We don''t have any dogs, but we have 3 active children!

I don''t love it from an aesthetic perspective; it''s not as nice as the hardwood we have in the rest of the public rooms, nor is it as nice as the tile we had in the kitchen of our previous house. It''s proved to be quite sturdy, though.

 

[Haven]

Date: 9/30/2009 11:59:19 AM
Author: Clio
We have it in our kitchen, and it''s held up quite well. We''ve lived in our house 4 years, but I don''t know when the previous owners installed it - maybe 1-2 years before we bought the house. We don''t have any dogs, but we have 3 active children!

I don''t love it from an aesthetic perspective; it''s not as nice as the hardwood we have in the rest of the public rooms, nor is it as nice as the tile we had in the kitchen of our previous house. It''s proved to be quite sturdy, though.

I agree. We also have laminate flooring in our kitchen, and real hardwood in the rest of the house. The laminate is holding up, but it doesn''t look nearly as nice as the hardwood, in my opinion. We''re going to replace it with real hardwood floors when we end up adding on to the house.

 

[TooPatient]

No. Not laminate!!

We bought a house just over a year ago. It had laminate flooring installed about a year earlier (in preparation for going on the market). This is supposed to be the nice stuff. 30 year warranty and all.

It has shrunk away from the walls all through the house. The steps have big cracks between them. It is peeling in some spots. The kitchen is a mess. Corners peeling up, strips separating. We''ve got 1/4 inch gaps in areas. The corners are sharp in some spots and I''ve actually cut my foot walking on it.

This was professionally installed.


What they don''t tell you is:

If it is wet for 20 minutes or more, it may be damaged (and the warranty is voided). So be careful with you pet water bowls or animals that may drool or urinate on it.

If it gets too cold, it may shrink. (and the warranty is voided)

If it isn''t left to sit in the house for several days before installation, it may grow or shrink. (and the warranty is voided)


Stay away from it. If you feel like you have to get it, keep it out of bathrooms and kitchens.

 

[crystalheart1]

I have it.. and it is the" better" laminate.. No problems at all, and it does not scratch the way wood does. I have one cat
and two boys in their early twenties. I have had it about nine years now.

I still looks new, and very easy to care for. You just have to sweep the floor alot
It was less money, and problems seem to be when it gets wet... poor installation and not letting
it adjust to the house''s temp. prior to install.

I have Mohawk - top of the line and
Dupont - top

best of luck

 

[lvnut]

I have it - we installed it when we were building our house ten years ago and it still looks brand new! No peeling issues at all and I''m sure that what you can buy now is much better quality than what we have. We also have several friends that have laminate and they have had the same experience. Also, even though I don''t feel like it looks exactly like hard wood does, some people have been shocked that it was actually laminate because they couldn''t tell the difference.

 

[lyra]

We have it in a few areas in the house. I don''t think anything stands up to a 100 lb dog, which we also have. He is never in any of the rooms with laminate, but he is in rooms with hardwood and the claw marks really show. We are replacing the hardwood when he passes, as he''s 13 now and he''s having a lot of issues, including getting stranded on the hardwood at times!

The laminate is in the kid''s bedrooms and basement and has held up great, looks like new and can always be replaced down the line. Our neighbours installed new bamboo floors 2 years ago and it is completely ruined from their golden retriever. Hardwood/laminate does not work well with dogs IMO.

 

[Hera]

We have Pergo flooring and it looks brand new and I estimate it has been on the floor for around 10 years. My Rottweiler has urinated on it while we''ve been gone and there has been no warping. I think it''s all about the quality of the product and installation as we have no gaps or separation and ours wasn''t even professionally installed.
The only thing that bums me out is the aesthetics, because while it looks like wood and I bet some won''t be able to tell a difference, it lacks the visual warmth of wood.

 

[Haven]

Date: 9/30/2009 2:35:28 PM
Author: heraanderson
We have Pergo flooring and it looks brand new and I estimate it has been on the floor for around 10 years. My Rottweiler has urinated on it while we''ve been gone and there has been no warping. I think it''s all about the quality of the product and installation as we have no gaps or separation and ours wasn''t even professionally installed.

The only thing that bums me out is the aesthetics, because while it looks like wood and I bet some won''t be able to tell a difference, it lacks the visual warmth of wood.

Yes! This is the difference I was trying to pinpoint when I first read this post. No warmth.

I really love our wood floors, and I think that a bit of normal wear and tear is also a part of what gives a good hardwood floor its character. I''m not talking about huge scratches across the room, but just that worn-yet-well-maintained feel.

Even if you keep your wood floors perfectly untouched, they still have much more warmth than laminate.

As for wear and tear, my mom has Pergo throughout most of her house, I think it was installed over a decade ago, and it still looks pretty much brand new. She also has two big dogs who have been clawing all over it for years. So, the maintenance is extremely low if you buy a high quality laminate.

But I''d still say go for the wood floors over laminate *any* day. Our wood floors are over 50 years old and they still look gorgeous. It''s obvious that all of the previous owners really took good care of our house, so with proper maintenance wood can really last.

I should tell you that my distaste for laminate only began after we moved into our house with laminate in only the kitchen. The difference is so easy to see, and since the wood runs right up to the laminate, it drives me crazy. I can''t wait to replace it.

 

[shimmer]

Date: 9/30/2009 1:18:19 PM
Author: lyra
We have it in a few areas in the house. I don't think anything stands up to a 100 lb dog, which we also have. He is never in any of the rooms with laminate, but he is in rooms with hardwood and the claw marks really show. We are replacing the hardwood when he passes, as he's 13 now and he's having a lot of issues, including getting stranded on the hardwood at times!

The laminate is in the kid's bedrooms and basement and has held up great, looks like new and can always be replaced down the line. Our neighbours installed new bamboo floors 2 years ago and it is completely ruined from their golden retriever. Hardwood/laminate does not work well with dogs IMO.

Lyra, I'm sorry to hear about your dog. My 100lb (13 yr old) baby had the same problems on our hardwood. It's awful to watch. I wish that I didn't have hardwood installed in our house, we had rugs on almost every inch but he would still manage to find a little corner that wasn't covered and slip. There are tons of claw marks, but now they are just little reminders of him so I don't mind anymore. We have American Cherry, so not the best wood.

I have seen laminate that has lasted and some that has not, same for hardwood. I think it really depends on the quality of manufacturing and installation/acclimation as others have said. I would recommend buying the best you can afford, if you can only afford the 'cheaper' hardwood maybe it's not the best choice.

ETA: Not sure if it's been mentioned but there are different 'types' of hardwood floors. There is solid hardwood, and composite with a thin hardwood top IIRC. We have the solid which is slightly more expensive but can be refinished. I believe the composite/hardwood can not be refinished. HTH!

 

[sparklyheart]

I have laminate and I don''t know anything about the brand or quality.. I''m guessing it has been here for about 3 or 4 years.. It has held up quite well. There is definitely a difference in appearance but I still like it. If I had the option to redo it, I would probably redo it with laminate but a higher quality. If my house were in a higher price bracket and I could afford it then I would definitely go for the real thing!

I haven''t had any problems with warping, shrinking, peeling, etc. I definitely have to sweep it all the time though... but then again my parents have real hardwood and they say the same thing! One bad thing has to do with scratches.. There is a pretty decent sized scratch from the previous owners and the only way to get rid of it is to replace the whole floor.. You can''t just replace part of it.. At least that is how I understand it! Other than that I haven''t had problems with water (the dog bowls are always surrounded by it) or anything else!

 

[lulu]

Thanks for all the info everyone. I talked to the flooring contractor today and he estimates we need about 800 sq. ft. for the living area and bedroom.

In our full time home we have tile and prefinished hardwood. It''s been 4 years and Louie has made some significant scratches in the wood, but I still think the

wood is attractive. Also the area to be done includes the spot grandkids would enter after coming out of the pool, so getting it wet is an issue. I guess I just hate

to spend a lot when we''ll only spend three months in Florida. It will cut into my Michigan gardening budget!