[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by Raiderman

I don't think it was a bad idea to put laminate where he did (honestly, he only bought the place 2 months before we moved in, so I'm sure it wasn't him anyway).

The first thing I do when I buy a place is rip out all the flooring (and then paint the interior) and replace the flooring with porcelain. I use dark-colored grout because that's the color it's going to be over time anyway. (My house has epoxy grout because I'm not interested in scrubbing grout. But I'm also not interested in paying more than $1/sqft for grout in a rental property.)

Porcelain -- Impervious to water and dog damage.
Laminate -- Look at it sideways and it scratches. Wet it and it bulges.

This falls squarely into the "landlord should have known better" department.

[bayview6]

Raiderman, I would wait awhile and see how the floor is after it dries out and people have walked on it for a few weeks. 7 or 8 planks is not very much and you might be able to find matching laminate. The biggest problem as I see it is finding out who manufactured the laminate. Even if you can't find the exact match you may be able to get every close.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by lvoc

I believe you can replace the individual planks in Pergo at least if you can get the same stuff. They are not generally tied down just tongue and grooved to the adjacent board.

Here is a discussion of the subject...


How to Repair water damage to pergo - DoItYourself.com Community Forums

Yep.

When we had Pergo installed in a kitchen, we just bought an extra box, stored flat, for exactly that reason. Cost a bit more, but great piece of mind. When we sold the house, we left the box there and told the new owners who were happy to have it.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by bayview6

Even if you can't find the exact match you may be able to get every close.

It will have to be made by the same manufacturer, otherwise the pieces won't fit. (It would be nice if there was a universal joint for laminate floors, but there isn't.) And even if it's the same manufacturer, they often change their tongue/groove system just to keep people from being able to make repairs.

If there isn't a box of leftover material, I'd say the chances are slim for finding a match.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

It will have to be made by the same manufacturer, otherwise the pieces won't fit. (It would be nice if there was a universal joint for laminate floors, but there isn't.) And even if it's the same manufacturer, they often change their tongue/groove system just to keep people from being able to make repairs.

If there isn't a box of leftover material, I'd say the chances are slim for finding a match.

Right. That is why at the time of installation we purchased one box more than we needed. Same stuff, same lot number, etc. We planned ahead.

We had that laminate for quite some time in the kitchen with no issue from pet claws, water, etc. I loved that floor.

[Raiderman]

I'm going to give it a little bit of time and then shoot an email to the property manager and see what their thoughts are. Our landlord is awesome, so we'll see. Worst case scenario we're out $500 deductible for renter's insurance.

[FrostyToasty]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

The first thing I do when I buy a place is rip out all the flooring (and then paint the interior) and replace the flooring with porcelain. I use dark-colored grout because that's the color it's going to be over time anyway. (My house has epoxy grout because I'm not interested in scrubbing grout. But I'm also not interested in paying more than $1/sqft for grout in a rental property.)

After installing polished rectified porcelain in my house, I don't think I would ever want to install anything else. I would install this over natural stone. Everyone that's entered my home have assumed that it is natural stone. You can find all sorts of porcelain tiles today that resemble natural stone while having all the benefits that is porcelain. They're practically indestructible, waterproof, stainproof, scratch resistant. No need to seal. And they look amazing.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by FrostyToasty

After installing polished rectified porcelain in my house, I don't think I would ever want to install anything else. I would install this over natural stone. Everyone that's entered my home have assumed that it is natural stone. You can find all sorts of porcelain tiles today that resemble natural stone while having all the benefits that is porcelain. They're practically indestructible, waterproof, stainproof, scratch resistant. No need to seal. And they look amazing.

We agonized over that a good bit but went with the natural limestone. I would think for a high polish finish that porcelain may well prevail. But for matte finish variegated limestone it does not do it. The limestone is more expensive to maintain though with a $500 cleaning every four or five years. And you have to clean and seal it or will degrage pretty badly.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by FrostyToasty

After installing polished rectified porcelain in my house, I don't think I would ever want to install anything else.

And now it's rotoprinted, too. The problem when we bought our floor is that all the porcelain tiles were identical to each other. It just screamed "manufactured." (And since there are only four possible positions to lay a square tile, a visible pattern is certain.)

Now the stuff is indistinguishable from real stone, so I'd install that in a heartbeat. No worrying about spilling lemon juice or vinegar (or any other acid, for that matter.)

[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

Right. That is why at the time of installation we purchased one box more than we needed. Same stuff, same lot number, etc. We planned ahead.

We had that laminate for quite some time in the kitchen with no issue from pet claws, water, etc. I loved that floor.

I have an extra box of wood planks (hardwood), a box of extra ceramic tiles (bathrooms and kitchen) and an extra box of saltillo (back patio) for the new owners when my place sells. I'm also leaving the paint cans with the formula / color in the garage so they can go to Home Depot and get more if they want to.

The hardwood is beautiful, but the dogs and the kids were really hard on it. The climate didn't seem to be a factor. At least it can be sanded down and refinished if so desired.

A friend of mine got some really cool tile. It looks like very dark hardwood and the grout (not that there is much of it) is dark too, so at first glance it really looks like a wood floor.