Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A local tile and flooring retailer is trying to convince me to put laminate in my living room that is just inside the front door. We have a slab house built in 2003. Sand gets tracked in because this is South Florida. I cant believe the laminate will hold up, am I wrong.
We just bought our 2nd home in 2011 that was built in 2002, but is not a slab. I've installed Pergo in 3 rooms now, and it is pretty hard stuff. My 110 lb Rhodesian Ridgeback runs around like a nut on it. We're not South Florida, but there might be a little sand here in the desert.
My concern if I were you would be moisture intrusion. Can less than 20% be maintained in the house? I only bring it up, because I have no idea what it is like there.
Laminate is definitely more durable than a true wood product (engineered flooring).
But! Yeah, there's always a but- laminate CAN'T be refinished. Engineered can at least be refinished (re-polyed) a couple times.
And of course maintenance and care play a lot into that.
Not that sales people ALWAYS shoot straight- but what are their "reasons" for one over the other?
The flooring store owner recommended laminate because he said there have be huge advances in laminate recently. I will need to have a moisture barrier installed and he recommended the best-they sell no other because I am on a slab, Florida is hot and humid= some days 90% humidity. Now it is 65F the windows are open but it is damp outside because of the sprinkler system that runs several times a week.
For one room I will do the laminate, I like the look of the handscraped ones. The rest of the house is ceramic tile and it would be a nice contrast in the living room to have a wood look so soften it a bit. Since the way the house is configured: as you come in the front double doors the open dining room is to the left and the open living room (no entrance doors) is to the right it should look good. I will run the planks perpendicular to the opening since that is the direction you naturally walk into the room. As I said the foyer and the rest of the house is ceramic tile so My question is what sort of transition piece should I have installed between the laminate and the tile??
It is best for the flooring to run in the direction of the length of the room. In my opinion the Pergo is the standard of the industry. Put down the first 3 rows keeping it straight and butt joints aligned square, and offset joints 1/3 every board for each 3 rows. It is very important to keep an eye on alignment. Once you get to far going back is almost impossible.
The product I used has the pad already on the back. It costs a bit more, but simplifies the installation. However, with the pre-installed pad there's a joint at each board, because you are on a slab in a high moisture area I recommend the pad be continuous.
Transition strips are provided by the manufacturer. They clip into a U channel, and sometimes this channel needs to be shimmed up to receive the transition strip.
This floor system floats and only attaches to itself. You must keep it 1/4" away from the walls for expansion. You must either remove the existing base board, or use a base shoe (quarter round). I've always thought of a shoe as a second rate job, and always remove and re-install the base. You must be the one to make this decision.
They have tile now that duplicates the hard wood floor look...I saw some in Home Depot and Lowes on our last visit...you might want to check out some of the local tile places to see if you find something you like...
In Charleston SC (high humidity) I had engineered hardwood glued to the slab. This was recommended by a local flooring store/compnay that had been in business in the Charleston area for over 40 years. They were considered one of the best in the area.
It was a glue specifically made for that purpose. I was also told the flooring could be refinished at least once and maybe twice if need be.
The flooring stores make a better markup on laminate. They could care less about the consumer for the most part. Laminate is more durable then wood. Not even close. But that's the only compliment I can give it. It's just recycled plastic soda bottles, yes that is how they are made, and when you walk on it, it sounds like Fred Astaire doing his famous tap dance. Dogs can't walk on it properly without the risk of pulling something in their groin. It's cold feeling and downright fugly. For those of you who make fun and hatred of cabinets with a particle board and melamine finish....and call it fake.....why is it ok to accept "fake" floors? I don't use that word but wanted to make a point while copying off you all.
Wood is a warm feeling and home buyers usually have wood floors in their list of demands they relay to Realtors. Home Buyers are willing to pay more for a home with wood floors. Have you ever heard anyone telling their Realtor: "I want plastic flooring in my new home". I doubt it. The disaster of the industry is Pergo. It has been suggested by Realtors and Remodelers alike that Pergo may devalue a home. If that's not true then certainly one can honestly say it does not make the home any more salable and probably less attractive to buyers.
If you simply insist on buying plastic flooring, you simply must buy a higher quality higher priced product. The cheap ones are not colored all the way through. The better quality you can scratch it and will never even notice it cause the color runs through. But I must add that by the time you pay for a quality plastic floor, you might as well buy a medium quality wood floor.
The flooring stores make a better markup on laminate. They could care less about the consumer for the most part. Laminate is more durable then wood. Not even close. But that's the only compliment I can give it. It's just recycled plastic soda bottles, yes that is how they are made, and when you walk on it, it sounds like Fred Astaire doing his famous tap dance. Dogs can't walk on it properly without the risk of pulling something in their groin. It's cold feeling and downright fugly. For those of you who make fun and hatred of cabinets with a particle board and melamine finish....and call it fake.....why is it ok to accept "fake" floors? I don't use that word but wanted to make a point while copying off you all.
Wood is a warm feeling and home buyers usually have wood floors in their list of demands they relay to Realtors. Home Buyers are willing to pay more for a home with wood floors. Have you ever heard anyone telling their Realtor: "I want plastic flooring in my new home". I doubt it. The disaster of the industry is Pergo. It has been suggested by Realtors and Remodelers alike that Pergo may devalue a home. If that's not true then certainly one can honestly say it does not make the home any more salable and probably less attractive to buyers.
If you simply insist on buying plastic flooring, you simply must buy a higher quality higher priced product. The cheap ones are not colored all the way through. The better quality you can scratch it and will never even notice it cause the color runs through. But I must add that by the time you pay for a quality plastic floor, you might as well buy a medium quality wood floor.
Others made similar comments when newer, cheaper materials arrived in the construction industry. They also bad mouthed the following:
Plywood
OSB
Trusses both floor and ceiling
Metal Studs
Drywall
ABS pipe for waste
PVC pipe
Plastic electrical boxes
Shall I go on? Laminate floors are here to stay. Not everyone can afford solids anymore, and laminates use material that would otherwise be waste. Not too mention the increased labor costs involved as well. Laminate floors are far superior to carpet. If one can afford to live in a McMansion than hardwood is a luxury one can afford.
Is hardwood really better? When you consider you can put down 3 laminate floors for the cost of hardwood that ability to refinish isn't as important.
Others made similar comments when newer, cheaper materials arrived in the construction industry. They also bad mouthed the following:
Plywood
OSB
Trusses both floor and ceiling
Metal Studs
Drywall
ABS pipe for waste
PVC pipe
Plastic electrical boxes
Shall I go on? Laminate floors are here to stay. Not everyone can afford solids anymore, and laminates use material that would otherwise be waste. Not too mention the increased labor costs involved as well. Laminate floors are far superior to carpet. If one can afford to live in a McMansion than hardwood is a luxury one can afford.
Is hardwood really better? When you consider you can put down 3 laminate floors for the cost of hardwood that ability to refinish isn't as important.
Oh Mr you are correct on all counts. Very good points made. You can go on further. Remember the consumer cried foul when automobile makers started using more and more plastic? Now look how their building them. Plastic and rubber is well accepted in cars now.
Back to the subject, I really don't feel one can buy 3 lam floors for the price of 1 wood floor. Of course there are many price levels for each as well as many pluses and minuses for each. Price aside, my main beef is laminate is not attractive, does not have a warm feel to it and sounds like a tap dance when walked upon. And potential home buyers don't want it.
Now.... honest the goodness 3/4" thickwood flooring is very pricy, but today's generation of manufactured wood planks are priced well. Except for the big box stores of course.
Anyway......good points made!!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Laminate vs Engineered Flooring in S. Florida
