We just picked up the rug in our bedroom and were considering having the hardwood floors sanded, or getting another rug. Then we came across laminate flooring at Home depot. Has anyone installed this type of flooring, and if so, are you happy with it? Was the installation easy? We are thinking this might be the way to go...thanks.
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laminate flooring
- Thread starter joyzilli
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Grandview At Las Vegas
[triennial - points]
Got A Bunch Of Generic Pergo At BJ's Wholesale Club
About 10 years ago we had some of that old original glue-together laminate flooring installed in our kitchen & family room. We got it from Ikea. The slats are glued together, but the laminate floor is not fastened to the subfloor. It just sits there, with a thin layer of springy plastic foam between the subfloor & the underside of the laminate floor. The floor is very nice, great looking, durable, easy to keep clean. We've been completely satisfied with it.
So a couple of years ago when we were faced with the need to redo the kitchen floor in a rental property we have in the western part of the county, we bought a bunch of generic laminate flooring from BJ's Warehouse Club that's just as nice as the Ikea laminate flooring, but lots easier to install. I don't remember the brand name; the stuff is made in France.
The French laminate flooring has foam cushioning already attached to the underside of each plank -- no need to cut & fit a separate layer of foam cusioning off a huge roll. Not only that, the French flooring from BJ's is glueless -- the tonge-in-groove joints are ingeniously made so that the plank edges snap together, fit together so well that the fine line between planks is virtually invisible, & are made so that the motion of walking on the floor pulls the planks tighter together rather than loosening them. It took The Chief Of Staff & me about 2 days to do the whole rental townhouse kitchen & dining area. The new floor looked great when we got done & still looked great the last time we were inside that property a year or so later.
So when we needed new flooring in another rental property that we have down in Upper East Tennessee, we bought a bunch more of that French-made laminate flooring from BJ's Wholesale Club, hauled it in the minivan down I-81 to Tennessee, & got about 1/3 of the living room done before turning the rest of the job over to an all-round skilled maintenance professional, who completed the living room & the large adjoining kitchen with large dining area. We haven't seen the completed job down there, but when we check it out next time we're in Upper East Tennessee I expect it will look as good as the kitchen floor The Chief Of Staff & I installed up here.
-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
About 10 years ago we had some of that old original glue-together laminate flooring installed in our kitchen & family room. We got it from Ikea. The slats are glued together, but the laminate floor is not fastened to the subfloor. It just sits there, with a thin layer of springy plastic foam between the subfloor & the underside of the laminate floor. The floor is very nice, great looking, durable, easy to keep clean. We've been completely satisfied with it.
So a couple of years ago when we were faced with the need to redo the kitchen floor in a rental property we have in the western part of the county, we bought a bunch of generic laminate flooring from BJ's Warehouse Club that's just as nice as the Ikea laminate flooring, but lots easier to install. I don't remember the brand name; the stuff is made in France.
The French laminate flooring has foam cushioning already attached to the underside of each plank -- no need to cut & fit a separate layer of foam cusioning off a huge roll. Not only that, the French flooring from BJ's is glueless -- the tonge-in-groove joints are ingeniously made so that the plank edges snap together, fit together so well that the fine line between planks is virtually invisible, & are made so that the motion of walking on the floor pulls the planks tighter together rather than loosening them. It took The Chief Of Staff & me about 2 days to do the whole rental townhouse kitchen & dining area. The new floor looked great when we got done & still looked great the last time we were inside that property a year or so later.
So when we needed new flooring in another rental property that we have down in Upper East Tennessee, we bought a bunch more of that French-made laminate flooring from BJ's Wholesale Club, hauled it in the minivan down I-81 to Tennessee, & got about 1/3 of the living room done before turning the rest of the job over to an all-round skilled maintenance professional, who completed the living room & the large adjoining kitchen with large dining area. We haven't seen the completed job down there, but when we check it out next time we're in Upper East Tennessee I expect it will look as good as the kitchen floor The Chief Of Staff & I installed up here.
-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
JLB
Banned
Carpet is gross. Pull it up and see what's there, what you live with and your kids and grandkids roll around on. Enough said.
We have laminate, the glue kind, did it ourselves, and are still married! And still to each other!
We have the kithcen, DR, LR hallway, one bedroom and the laundry room done. It's not the best idea for areas where it might get wet, but we are doing tile-look laminate in the laundry room and bathrooms anyway.
We have three piles of laminate left downstairs that we bought salvage. The Quiet Walk padding cost more than than laminate. We need to get off our duffs and do the master bedroom and bath, the hall bath, and our downstairs 1-bedroom suite.
UGH!
All that said, if there was nice hardwood under our carpet, something that could be restored and sealed, we would go with that.
We have laminate, the glue kind, did it ourselves, and are still married! And still to each other!
We have the kithcen, DR, LR hallway, one bedroom and the laundry room done. It's not the best idea for areas where it might get wet, but we are doing tile-look laminate in the laundry room and bathrooms anyway.
We have three piles of laminate left downstairs that we bought salvage. The Quiet Walk padding cost more than than laminate. We need to get off our duffs and do the master bedroom and bath, the hall bath, and our downstairs 1-bedroom suite.
UGH!
All that said, if there was nice hardwood under our carpet, something that could be restored and sealed, we would go with that.
We have Wilson laminate flooring that has been in our kitchen and family room areas for about 10 years. It is the glue-together kind over the layer of foam padding. My husband installed it himself and we have been very happy with it. It still looks great and is easy to clean. We considered hardwood, but I just felt it wasn't right for our family in the kitchen. We have a lot of spilling going on!! (from the cooks and the kids!)
Prior to installing the laminate, we had vinyl flooring that was installed when we built the house. It was supposed to be good quality, but after about 3-4 years, it just didn't look very good. Despite twice weekly cleaning, the floor looked dirty even when it was just mopped.
Now I only have to mop the kitchen floor about once every 2 weeks. The family room has an area rug and I just vacuum or sweep the laminate in there. No need to mop unless something is spilled.
Good luck!
Prior to installing the laminate, we had vinyl flooring that was installed when we built the house. It was supposed to be good quality, but after about 3-4 years, it just didn't look very good. Despite twice weekly cleaning, the floor looked dirty even when it was just mopped.
Now I only have to mop the kitchen floor about once every 2 weeks. The family room has an area rug and I just vacuum or sweep the laminate in there. No need to mop unless something is spilled.
Good luck!
boyblue
TUG Member
All I need to say about laminate flooring is my brother did it!
My brother did his office floor himself & it looks great. For a guy that's all thumbs I figure it must be a great product.
My brother did his office floor himself & it looks great. For a guy that's all thumbs I figure it must be a great product.
CMF
TUG Member
Home Depot Install Quality
The sellers of the home I bought last year had the Home Depot install laminate flooring in the family room. The finish on the job was of very poor quality in my opinion. Although the job came with a lifetime warranty, HD will not come and look at the work because I was not the original buyer.
From what little I know about the install process, one of the hardest parts of the job seems to be the cutting of the 1/4 rounds that fit between the flooring and the walls. This is where HD botched the job. The corner joints are an eyesore.
Charles
The sellers of the home I bought last year had the Home Depot install laminate flooring in the family room. The finish on the job was of very poor quality in my opinion. Although the job came with a lifetime warranty, HD will not come and look at the work because I was not the original buyer.
From what little I know about the install process, one of the hardest parts of the job seems to be the cutting of the 1/4 rounds that fit between the flooring and the walls. This is where HD botched the job. The corner joints are an eyesore.
Charles
TheUnitrep
TUG Member
We have laminate in the family room, kitchen, guest bedroom (one the ground floor) and in the bonus room (upstairs).
In addition to the foam backing, be sure to lay a vapor barrier (plastic) if there is any possibility of moisture. (It was necessary for us since our first floor is placed directly on a concrete slab).
I highly recommend laminate for anyone, especially families with kids and pets. We are extremely happy with the product and how it looks in our home.
Good Luck!
Jerry
In addition to the foam backing, be sure to lay a vapor barrier (plastic) if there is any possibility of moisture. (It was necessary for us since our first floor is placed directly on a concrete slab).
I highly recommend laminate for anyone, especially families with kids and pets. We are extremely happy with the product and how it looks in our home.
Good Luck!
Jerry
CMF said:
We had a nightmare with Lowe's installation on laminate flooring. They subcontract the installation out and there was a lot of argument about how much to order. The measuring guy (from the subcontractor) measured the room as if laminate was carpeting--that is, as if we had to buy one giant piece and then cut away what we didn't need. We disagreed b/c the room has a lot of lumps and bumps.
After a TON of back and forthing, we ordered what we felt would be more than enough. Then the subcontractors refused to come out and install it b/c we "wouldn't have enough for the job." More back and forthing. Finally, in desperation, we ordered the eight extra boxes they said we would need, which Lowe's assured us could be returned if not needed. Backordered. Months of phone conversations. Concern about matching dye lots.
Finally the order came in, the installers came and slapped it down...and guess what? Eight boxes left over, plus yards and yards of the foam stuff that couldn't be returned b/c the subcontractors had opened the huge package and then never used it. Back to the store for a refund for the eight boxes. FOUR HOURS of arguing with customer service over why we had ordered so much, why it was being returned, could they take it, could they not. Ugggghhh. I swore off Lowe's for a few years and then realized Home Depot is even more awful.
So I would say either install it yourself or go to a reputable local store, not a big chain.
Those of you who did it yourself in a kitchen, did you rip up the vinyl? We have icky vinyl in the kitchen but I can feel that the subfloor has peaks and valleys. How much accommodation for a lousy subfloor does this stuff give? Thanks for any info!
My husband installed a glueless, self padded laminate floor, purchased from Sam's, over existing vinyl tiles in a large room. He never used a saw before and has absolutely no experience laying floors. He did it in about a day and a half, all by himself and it came out beautifully. Looks like a professional did it. He said the hardest thing is when you first start you have to really pay attention to how the boards click together and make sure you take your time and line them up properly. After you get the swing of it, it goes very fast.
itchyfeet
TUG Member
Can laminate be installed over ceramic tile?
Just remember that the subcontractors for Lowes and HD don't work for the company. They are generally contractors that do high volume business and don't rely on referrals or repeat business for income. They attach themselves to the larger company like leeches.
Finding a good: painter, electrician, plumber, carpenter, landscaper is unbelievably hard these days, and when you find one, keep them. Price is just part of the equation.
Finding a good: painter, electrician, plumber, carpenter, landscaper is unbelievably hard these days, and when you find one, keep them. Price is just part of the equation.
wackymother said:
ricoba
TUG Member
Big Matt said:
I agree 100%. We had laminate in the LR & hallway just put in along with ceramic tile on the kitchen floor. It all came out wonderfully. But we had to wait quite awhile to get the guy we wanted to be able to do it. From the first time we contacted him, it was over six months before he was able to come and get the work done. But the wait was well worth it, he and his helper did a great job and we are very happy. We could have gone with someone sooner, but I probably would not have been as happy with their work. We have watched this fellow & his helper work around our neighborhood and have seen the quality of his work. That's why for us the wait was worth it and when we need more work done, we will use the same fellow.
I agree about hiring the good guys. In our situation with Lowe's, the main problem was with Lowe's and their inability to LISTEN. When the installation guys finally came, they did a good job. They just did a lousy job with measuring and estimating, and then Lowe's wouldn't listen to us when we said they had done a lousy job with measuring and estimating.
Anyway, the floor looks very nice and the pain is pretty much a dim memory.
Now, does anybody know a good landscaper, mason, plumber, or electrician in Northern NJ? In exchange, I will trade the closely guarded numbers of my good contractor, roofer, and chimney guy.
Anyway, the floor looks very nice and the pain is pretty much a dim memory.
Now, does anybody know a good landscaper, mason, plumber, or electrician in Northern NJ? In exchange, I will trade the closely guarded numbers of my good contractor, roofer, and chimney guy.
sandcastles
TUG Member
We recently had laminate (that looks like slate) put in our kitchen. We purchased through Carpet One and had their installers do it. Very pleased with the job. We had vinyl down that was in good shape and they installed over it.
As far as Lowe's sub contracting: I was the service manager for a local plumbing and heating company. Over my objections the owner agreed to do Lowe's water heater installations. This lasted about a month. We were a union company with a very good reputation and had all the business we could handle. Lowe's paid us a fraction of the going rate and for parts such as elements, etc. they would give us replacements instead of paying us for them. Our good quality expensive parts we used for their cheap parts. I can't imagine any good company or installer staying with them.
As far as Lowe's sub contracting: I was the service manager for a local plumbing and heating company. Over my objections the owner agreed to do Lowe's water heater installations. This lasted about a month. We were a union company with a very good reputation and had all the business we could handle. Lowe's paid us a fraction of the going rate and for parts such as elements, etc. they would give us replacements instead of paying us for them. Our good quality expensive parts we used for their cheap parts. I can't imagine any good company or installer staying with them.
jberndt10
TUG Member
NO and digging up the ceramic tile is a dusty mess.itchyfeet said: