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In short: Do cheap laminates over concrete slab work in FL?
We're looking to replace the awful carpet in our bedroom in the next month or so. The subfloor is a concrete slab of a 1 story home in FL.
This being a bedroom, it should not be a wet area, but we do sometimes drip water coming out of the shower. We also let our two elementary school age kids eat while watching tv in the room on occasion. This can easily result in some spills that don't get noticed for an hour or more. A couple small dogs (< 15 lbs) will walk on it as well. My wife also heavily prefers mopping to all other forms of floor care.
Unfortunately, we don't have the $ to get a higher end floor, or pay someone to do the installation, so we've adjusted our expectations accordingly and are looking at the cheaper floating floor options. We were pretty set on LVP but the costs are in the higher end of our budget and we're having difficulty finding the styles that we like (we're not fans of the grey and rustic trends).
In a recent trip to Home Depot, I found laminates that better match our style and they're way cheaper too. I think I could convince my wife to damp mop instead of wet mop with some effort. Can we expect these to hold up for a few years, or would they be a disaster from the get go?
In short: Do cheap laminates over concrete slab work in FL?
We're looking to replace the awful carpet in our bedroom in the next month or so. The subfloor is a concrete slab of a 1 story home in FL.
This being a bedroom, it should not be a wet area, but we do sometimes drip water coming out of the shower. We also let our two elementary school age kids eat while watching tv in the room on occasion. This can easily result in some spills that don't get noticed for an hour or more. A couple small dogs (< 15 lbs) will walk on it as well. My wife also heavily prefers mopping to all other forms of floor care.
Unfortunately, we don't have the $ to get a higher end floor, or pay someone to do the installation, so we've adjusted our expectations accordingly and are looking at the cheaper floating floor options. We were pretty set on LVP but the costs are in the higher end of our budget and we're having difficulty finding the styles that we like (we're not fans of the grey and rustic trends).
In a recent trip to Home Depot, I found laminates that better match our style and they're way cheaper too. I think I could convince my wife to damp mop instead of wet mop with some effort. Can we expect these to hold up for a few years, or would they be a disaster from the get go?
Any other suggestions?
I've had mixed results from laminates - they are all different. Main problem is warping from moisture - even damp mopping will warp some laminates after a while - even top brands. And no amount of reading reviews or asking sales people will help determine the long-term viability of laminates. Don't get any with a shine to them. They will show everything. If you go with one, make sure to get an extra box in case you need to replace warped pieces in the future.
I like the new vinyls - they stand up much better to any moisture or wear-and-tear. Look at Home Depot if you haven't already - they usually have a few on the discounted end. I've used the cheapest vinyl plank in commercial retail settings and they've been really good in both looks and wear.
I had Pergo for years. It withstood mopping and traffic well, but showed wear after about 12 years of constant use.
Give yourself a few more months of saving and buy LVP. If you are Costco members, look into buying flooring through them. You might save some serious money. Costco uses large local vendors, but you get substantial discounts.
Personally, I'd just save up (delay) the install for the better LVT/P.
Quote:
Originally Posted by silibran
I had Pergo for years. It withstood mopping and traffic well, but showed wear after about 12 years of constant use.
Give yourself a few more months of saving and buy LVP. If you are Costco members, look into buying flooring through them. You might save some serious money. Costco uses large local vendors, but you get substantial discounts.
Good recommendations but we're out of time. We've already been putting it off for years and the wife is demanding it be done in the next couple months. Saving up another $600-1000+ dollars to add to a project like this would probably take us about a year and there's no way I can hold her off that long lol. So we're stuck trying to keep the final installed costs to around $4 / sq ft (some flexibility, but $8+ isn't going to fly).
Edit: We're already leaning toward low-to-mid LVP (preferably SPC). I asked about the laminate because it's both much cheaper and has more styles that we like.
Quote:
Originally Posted by victimofGM
Consider hurricanes and flooding. Laminate flooring is relatively cheap and easy to replace after a flood. They’re also easy to maintain.
Thankfully, where we live (Tampa Bay) doesn't get many bad hurricanes, though who knows with the weather patterns changing... We've been here 7 years and have had one significant hurricane that didn't do much other than knock down some branches and take out some power lines. Our house is also at 60' elevation, on a grade, and a couple miles from the gulf so flooding shouldn't be a huge issue though it's obviously a possibility. Replacement cost is worth considering but I think my wife may have nixed the laminate idea because of the water sensitivity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shallots
I've had mixed results from laminates - they are all different. Main problem is warping from moisture - even damp mopping will warp some laminates after a while - even top brands. And no amount of reading reviews or asking sales people will help determine the long-term viability of laminates. Don't get any with a shine to them. They will show everything. If you go with one, make sure to get an extra box in case you need to replace warped pieces in the future.
I like the new vinyls - they stand up much better to any moisture or wear-and-tear. Look at Home Depot if you haven't already - they usually have a few on the discounted end. I've used the cheapest vinyl plank in commercial retail settings and they've been really good in both looks and wear.
Bummer! We're both drawn to the shiny red laminates. I plan to get an extra box or two of whatever we purchase. If you don't mind, what brands / models of laminates have you used / recommend?
Cheap laminate will not hold up to moisture at all. Not at all. In case you didn't catch that, cheap laminate won't hold up to moisture.
If you can't live with the carpet any longer and can't afford decent flooring right now, consider pulling up the carpet, scrubbing the concrete, and just throwing down some inexpensive area rugs until you can afford to do it right.
"Cheap" anything won't hold up well. The better laminates will hold up as well as any flooring. I had laminate flooring for over a decade and it's probably still at our previous house.
However, laminates as a whole regardless of price point don't like moisture. If something spills, wipe it up. Wipe up any water. Just like wood, they aren't no/low maintenance. Damp mops may work with wood floors but just use a microfiber mop with a laminate cleaner to prevent streaks.
If you know your tendencies is to let water sit then maybe wood look tile will work for you.
Is it humid in your area? Laminate right on top of concrete would be a disaster. Put a breathable sub floor in first.
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