Hardwood / Laminate flooring: Thoughts?

[evsnova74]

If you go Hardwood it will look like you have been using it for a Shop Floor inside of a Year...

I have 3 50+lb dogs, my floors lasted about 4 years before I had to maintenance coat them again, which I did earlier this year. Should be good for another 5 now I would think... Not all wood is created equal nor all finishes.

 

[evsnova74]

I had laminate (I think it was Pergo) in another house, and it was fine; although after 5 years or so I thought I could detect the edges starting to rise a bit. In our newer house I used hardwood and went with a Swedish finish my architect suggested called Glitsa, which I guess is really nasty stuff to apply, but it wears like iron. Since you're on a slab, have you considered large format floor tiles?

OMG Glitsa, yep that stuff's legendary. We occasionally get the customer that demands it because they heard it was so good or lived on it before, and we'll definitely use whatever the customer wants, but you have to turn off all pilot lights, ventilate, remove all food products, ventilate, did I mention ventilate? LOL But yes it does wear well and is also a real beotch to sand off...

 

[Tripp11]

How old are your Children?!
Do you have indoor pets?!

I have laminate flooring (cheapest crap Sam's Club had) that is going on 6 years old I have 2 GSDs and a lab/pit mix that are inside/outside dogs. Sweep the Floor and run a Swiffer across it and bam it is back to looking good. The upstairs that is Hardwood Flooring, well that **** is ready to be stripped, sanded and refinished again. Especially the Stairs...

LAMINATE if you have dogs or small children that like to play with toys on the floor...

This^.

We refinished our hardwood floors on our entire lower level, and then thought it a great idea to get an ADT puppy (he's now a 70lb ball of energy) and also have a child (she's now 2 yrs old).

Awful mistake. Our floors look like we have a college hockey team using it for practice every evening.

 

[LionWeight]

We put down laminate flooring in our downstairs in our house in Michigan. It was put over a slab. I can't remember the brand, we got it at Home Depot. It comes in a yellow box and snaps together. It was middle road cost. It was light oak in color and the floor that was covered ran to 984 sq ft. We had 3 dogs, 2 small and 1 medium. Grandkids would come play with their hard wheeled toys on it. It held up very well for 8 years and was still there when we left. When you do put it together use scraps if you need to use a mallet at corners and ends to get it down. The tool they gave us for it buckled the ends on some of them. We lived on a dirt road and cleanup was quick and easy with a swifter and solution for laminate floors. Didn't streak unless you used too much liquid. I would do it again in a heart beat.

 

[jblomenberg16]

Something you could look at that may be the best of both worlds is an engineered hardwood. In essence it is a tounge and groove plywood base with a 1/4" veneer of real hardwood on top. Less expesive that solid hardwood, but still has the actual wood grain and texture and the look and feel of a solid hardwood.

It can and wills scratch, but can be touched up and refinished like real hardwood.


When we put it in our new house last year, it was about 1/2 way between laminate and real hardwood in price, and only incrementally higher than say a good quality carpet.

 

[Icarry2]

Clay I know of a place that is high traffic and just put down some new laminate looking stuff that they said was plastic. It is grained and if you scratch it you can hardly tell evidently the grain goes all the way through the plastic like real wood. I was told it can be sanded and sealed like real wood but wears like laminate.

Let me call them tomorrow and ask what it is and I will PM you tomorrow.

Also if you need help, give me a shout, I got an awesome set of tools..lol

TJ

 

[Ricnzak]

Real hardwood is "softer" than laminate. It's easier to scratch. And you can't let it get wet for very long.

Laminate is harder to scratch. And it's much harder than hardwood. (for example, if you jump up and down on laminate and real hardwood, your knees are going to be in more pain from the laminate.)
Laminate is easier to take care of. There are cleaners and mops that are made just for laminate. And laminate is easier, and cheaper, to install. It's easier to replace a broken/cracked section.

But hardwood looks a lot better.

I know many to be of this belief.

I have installed bamboo hardwoods. The stuff is tuff as nails and is a very renewable source of wood. One 130 lb mastiff and a very high speed 6 year old and not a nick or scuff. I do not like laminate products mostly for the clacky sound most put out and the 9 out of 10 times cheap look. Lumber Liquidator's currently has hardwoods on sale. They can be one of the best local outlets for the wood. Many local professional installers go to them and have to pay very close to the retail price.

Also use this time while deciding to think about sealing the concrete while the old rug is up. If you or a prior owner have ever had pets in the house this may be a good idea. Flooring is one of the biggest investments you have in your home. It also has the ability to make or break the interior looks of your home.

 

[eldirector]

We put down a hardwood (red oak) floor in my "office" last year. Turned out fantastic, and not much more $$$ than laminate. Got it at Lumber Liquidators, and a friend put it in.

For high-traffic and/or dogs, I'd look at bamboo, if you want real wood. Much tougher than most anything else, and the price isn't terrible.

That said, our last house had 100+ year old oak floors. They looked like hell before we moved in, but we had them refinished and WOW. Looked brand new. Can't do that with laminate.

My wife grew up with wood floors, so knows how to take care of them. She loves the look, too. We'll likely do the rest of the house over the next few years.

 

[winstonsmith84]

I used the cheapest Menards $1.27 sg/ft laminate I could find 10 years ago in my kitchen. 3 kids and one dog later and it still looked good until last week. No scratches. Hard to keep clean, but easy to clean. Just a damp( NOT WET) mop usually did the trick. Last week? Dishwasher pump failed and leaked water under the floor which I did not catch for a couple of days. Joints swelled up and buckled in a 5' radius around the dishwasher. Oh well. I got my moneys worth out of it. I will probably replace with the same.

Most all problems come from improper install or water damage.

 

[cbseniour]

MOst og the thin laminates are actually an overlay on masonite. they go down easily and look good but are subject to damage from water or heavy traffic. I have it in my office and my office chair rollers have distroyed the finish.

the heavier 3/8 wood laminate is a bit more difficult to install but still definately a DYI project and holds up very well. We put it in the living room and kitchn 10 years ago and it is still in pretty good shape. It also requires little in the way of mainteniance.