[z28rich]

I want to replace the carpet in the master bedroom and Im leaning towards laminate. Does any here know anything about these floors or have one in there home? and what brand?
Thanks Richard

[DOUG G]

Are you talking that snap and lock wood flooring ?

I've put a few thousand feet down.
It is slipperier than regular wood flooring but pretty durable.

I've use a few brands and think they're all about the same anymore.

Going for about $2-3 a square here for installation.(flooring sold separately)

[parkbrau]

Lots of dust bunnies to. Your housekeeper will be using the swiffer at least twice a week.

[HwyStarJoe]

Follow the directions, follow the directions, follow the directions. The last thing you want is to damage the edges.
Use a new blade on your saw.
Don't let it get wet. If you spill something on it, clean it up IMMEDIATELY. Once it's down between the seams, the moisture can damage the laminate.

[ddx77]

I have had it my home now for 5 years and will never use it again.

Now I also have young kids which adds to wear and tear but I do not like the way it's looking now. In hindsight I would have done tile as much as I dislike it.

Just my opinion.

[HwyStarJoe]

If it's constantly cleaned with an appropriate cleaner for the type of laminating material on it, it should look good forever. Swifter mopping doesn't work. It leaves streaks.

I made the mistake of putting it down in the kids playroom just because of the ease of cleaning and durability. Cleaning it isn't a big deal, but it's not a good idea in an area for kids who spill crap on it and God knows what else they spill. Other than seam damage from spills that never got cleaned up ("I didn't see it!"), it's definitely durable enough. It wasn't a high-end product and there's not a chip in it. It's also right inside the door from the garage which tracks in all kinds of unGodly crap and other than the transition not holding up well, the floor isn't any worse for wear.
The only thing I don't like is that I laid it out in the wrong direction. Now one or two rows slide and separate when you walk into the room. I have to constantly kick them back together. My bad.

[BobKovacs]

Not a big fan of laminate- it looks fake, and the cheaper versions tend to click when you walk on them or sound hollow. As Joe said, any moisture is a problem, unless you get one of the newer ones that use glue in all the joints.

I'd go with real hardwood if it was me. Are you putting it over a concrete slab or on a wood subfloor?

[HwyStarJoe]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

...Not a big fan of laminate- it looks fake....

That too.

[drummerskey]

If you have pets, I would stay away from it as well. We have two dogs and there are claw scratches throughout the floor. To my understanding, they cannot be sanding or re-finished so you are stuck with it.

[dawg]

many people are wishing they installed the real deal wood floors instead of laminate due to the wear after so many years.
It cannot be sanded and refinished.

[77thor]

Yeah, we've had it down for about 10 years now.
There are a few sections that are de-laminating along the edges; it looks sort of like bubbles.
Anyway, I would not use it again.

[drummerskey]

"Team Laminate Flooring"

[Gbauer]

I cannot speak for laminate flooring but my house's hardwood floor were installed in 1986 and they haven't had to be refinished yet. A little wax and they're good to go even with two dogs.

[ebd]

First, don't buy the cheap stuff! It is just like buying the cheap stuff for your Camaro, you get what you pay for.
You can buy some good laminate for about $5 sq. ft.

You can put it down yourself and like mentioned, use a new blade! Don't think that you can use the blade for anything else afterwards because it will be toast.

I have a 65 lb. hunting dog that goes flying across the floor all the time with claws digging in all the way and it shows no damage after 6+ years.

Put the sound deadening underlayment because you will hate the sound without it.

Light colors are easier to keep "LOOKING" cleaner than the darker colors.
They have the same amount of streaks and smugges as the dark, you just can't see them.

The Hand Scraped style looks much better than the smooth finish and also not as slick. Not as fake looking.

My wife hates to clean it!!!! She bought one of those robots and it does an okay job of cleaning it but as soon as you walk on it, the prints are back.

You said you will put it in your bedroom, I think that would have less traffic and most of the problems would not apply to you. I have it in my kitchen, hearthroom and dining with lots of traffic.
That means the weekend that she is cleaning it I stay in my shop and out of her way because she is not a happy camper.

One last little minus for this type of floor. If you are in a dry climate like I am, West Texas, the underlayment is a foam type pad in most cases. This translates into static electricity which means that everything you touch or that touches you, you get a big A$$ shock and I hate that!
This occurs mainly in the winter around hear.

Well, that's what I think.

EB

[DjD]

If you don't want real hardwood floors I would suggest you look at *(Engineered) wood floors. For the most part they install like a laminate, are pre-finished like a laminate and once installed can be refinished like hardwood. They are not as thick as a real hardwood floor but are real wood and good for at least 1 refinish.