Laminate/Hard Wood Flooring Question

One of the first things we did when we bought our house three years ago was to rip out the carpet and replace it with laminate. I was a student and a new mom. So I knew I wanted something maintenance free. In between I hosted my sister's Lab for a year and a half and boy was I glad that I had laminate and not hardwood! If you do choose laminate, here are my suggestions

1. We got two rooms (study with lots of angles and a closet and the family room) done professionally. I paid a lot more of course, but especially in the family room, they cut the brick and inserted the laminate so it gave a very clean look. I would not have thought of it myself and it looks great!

2. When installing yourself, buy quality laminate - not high end, just good quality - no Sams club please. We used laminate from Sams and Quickstep. We could clearly see the difference in quality.

3. Make sure you keep your tapping board flush while tapping. If your laminate chips while tapping, it means your board is not flush and is moving while tapping.

4. The only thing they say is that if you spill liquids mop it up immediately. Of course you would have to do that even if you had hardwood floors.

All the best with your project!

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WE just put down laminate flooring and we really like it. It's easy to take care of and looks great. While you are shopping around, check out Lumber Liquidators. They have a website and a store in Dallas just off of I-35. We were able to get our flooring for less than $1 a square foot and it's a pretty high quality product,and came with the 25 year manufacturer's warranty.

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I own a carpet cleaning company, and we clean and treat all flooring. I prefer hard woods any day. Laminate flooring is considered temporary flooring, just like carpet. Hardwoods and tile and grout is considered permanent flooring. Hardwoods can be refinished and as for scratching...they are easily removed with a cleaning and polishing. Laminate also has a hollow/louder sound as you walk on them which can create more "noise" in the home. We've had many clients that have scratched up their laminate, and also it loses it's shine as you live on it and there is no way to make it look like new again. Hardwoods can be restored. Much cheaper than replacing the floor once you wear it out. Plus hardwoods are just beautiful no matter how you look at it. However, I tell my clients, if you are planning on staying in the home you are in for a very very long time...go with the hardwood. If this is a home that you would consider selling within a few years..then go with the laminate because it's easier on the pocket book. Also...if you need a couple numbers to carpet stores that can truly educate you on this major investment in your home I will be glad to give them to. You would be surprised at the level of customer service and the great installation process, and how you may need them over warranty issues and they will help you through it all and the price is comparable to the large chains.

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Here is my response...I have laminate that was put in 9 years ago that extends from my dining room to my entry way. It looks great! I was told that this stuff was practically indestructible. Well...if water gets on any of the grooves, forget it...it raises up like cheap furniture. This happened only one year after it was placed in my home. I called up the company who installed my flooring, their response is that water is one of it's foe's. Well why did they not tell me that to begin with or I would have gone with wood. I love the laminate flooring of today. It looks awesome! I wish I could afford to change or I would do wood or newer grade laminate. Ask the company many questions and include separation of the grooves and water damage. You are doing the right thing by asking questions.

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I use to work in a flooring store and it really depends on your personal preferrance. Some Lam. flooring scratches just as easy as hardwood. As far as the care of the floor, it is not harder to take care of hardwood. My boss had hardwood in the entire house and she cleaned it with a swiffer and then some floor cleaner by Mannington and a terry cloth mop that she could just take off and wash in the washing machine. If you are worried about a puppy scratching the floor you may consider going with a hadscrapped wood because then you couldn't see the scratches!! Laminate flooring also comes in a handscrapped look. The best looking handscrapped Laminate is made by Mannington (in my opinion). Or you could go a whole different route. There is a product called vinyl plank that looks exactly like real wood but can go in wet areas. It is strongly suggested not to put wood or Lam in kitchens or bathrooms or utility rooms due to water damage; but with the vinyl plank you can do the whole house in the same materials and not worry about water damage. The company I would suggest looking at is Karndean. They have different lines of product but the best is Art Select (again my opinion). In the store we put a piece of hardwood next to the vinyl plank and customers couldn't tell a difference. When we remodel our house we are going with vinyl plank everywhere but the bedrooms where we have carpet.
One more thing to think about is the installation. The big box stores may have a better price on some of their flooring materials, but they have a very high price for installation. I think it is often better to go with a smaller floor that specializes in Flooring only because they depend on the happiness of their customers. You also want a company that actually has their own installer crews that work for them. A flooring store is only as good as the installers they employ. Sorry if this is too long, but I really want you to know your options. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to send me a message and I will try to help you. If you want links to some of the companies I have mentioned just ask. Good Luck.

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I had this same debate with myself for several months before deciding on laminate. I shopped everywhere. We decided on a laminate from Floor and Decor in Arlington. Yes, it was almost as expensive as the hardwood. But I don't regret it. I have a six year old and two dogs and I'm so glad I don't have to cringe when my son plays cars on the floor or when the dogs run across the living room. We did buy the nice padding to reduce noise. It's called "Floor Muffler". Expensive but worth it. We had people tell us that only ceramic tile and hardwood would raise the value of our house, but I tend to disagree. I looked at it like this. I had stinky, stained carpet. Anything I put in our house would raise the value. And once you pull your carpet up and see how much dirt is under there, you'll wonder how you all could breathe!

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Since we have 2 big dogs and 2 kiddos, we chose to go with hand-scrapped hardwood floors and love them...this way the scratches from dog claws or kids' toys doesn't matter. Now I will be honest, hardwoods or laminate flooring will definitely show more dirt, hairs, etc than carpet. But it makes such a difference in the look of your home :) When you're ready to purchase, we've got a great guy---Bob Frealey with Coker Floors. Let me know if you need his contact info. We've been so pleased with him, that we're fixing to extend our hardwoods into the kitchen and replace counters with granite.

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When we got our house 2 1/2 years ago we took up the carpet and put the laminate in the entire house except for the kitchen & bathroom. We purchased it at Home Depot and had the contractor that was doing some other repairs and renovations to the house install the flooring. We were going to have to either replace the carpet or put this in. We chose the laminate because of allergy reasons. I have 2 boys - 8 & 3 1/2 so you know the floors get a ton of heavy duty traffic ! I love it! With everything they subject it to we have had no scratches, dings, or discoloration. This includes baseball cleates, hockey sticks, crayons & markers (both washable & unwashable !), dogs, rabbit, etc. I love the fact that I see all the dust & dirt so I can get it cleaned. My only drawback is that I have to sweep or use a stick vaccuum to get that all up and the floors have to be mopped. And I dislike mopping ! If I do a spot mop in the dining room each evening it stays alot cleaner and easier to really clean once a week. I would recommend the laminate over the hardwoods or carpet any time. Sorry this is so long and good luck on your decision !

1 mom found this helpful