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laminant fake wood floors

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brokenarrow
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1288 Wisconsin
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2005-04-14          109858

I am caving into the wife and buying here a 20 yr anniverary gift. The whole first floor of our house is going to get a high pressure laminant floor. I think I have decided on "Alloc". It will be in a Oak color/pattern that matches most of the rest of the wood in the house. Anyone have any comparisons or horror stories about those? Any good stories? LOL All comments and experiances are appreciated.
Thanks
Tom


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laminant fake wood floors

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-04-15          109874

Tom, a number of years ago I redid the floor in my office with that sort of product.

Myself and the staff enjoy having windows and doors open in the nice weather, A/C is a last resort only, so the carpeting was turning into a beach from all the dust gathering in it.

I was rather skeptical at the durability in an office scenario but the suppliers assured me it would be fine since they had it in their office. I went ahead with it and they were right, it has held up fine. The only catch was that special precautions must be followed as to things like caster wheels and heavy objects since there is a thin pad underneath. Plastic desk sheilds and such solved it fine.

I must admit, it looks a heck of a lot nicer than carpeting does too.

Best of luck.

BTW, Happy Anniversary too !!!! ....

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laminant fake wood floors

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StephenR
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 230 New Tripoli, Pa.
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2005-04-15          109875

They used something like that on "This Old House". ....

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laminant fake wood floors

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funchy
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 128 north eastern corner of Maryland
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2005-04-15          109877

I've installed laminate floors several times. Tried Pergo and Armstrong. No idea about your brand, but be aware some brands are a PITA to install... seams weren't 100% straight. Laminate floors look like poo if there are gaps, even small ones, between pieces. Some floors (the glueless ones) *require* a good, straight fit on all sides.

it does hold up well. I have a room in my basement done with it years ago and had no problems.

You'll want to rent/buy the install tool as this will make your life soooo much easier.

Best of luck! ....

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laminant fake wood floors

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shortmagnum
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 848 Wisconsin
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2005-04-15          109886

When we were finishing our present house we decided to go with traditional oak. My wife and I were planning on oak just on the lower floor but when we got the first floor nailed down I went back to the twin cities and bought another thousand square feet for the upstairs too. So we have no carpet except for area rugs. The cost then (about 4 years ago) was about the same for oak or laminate. Of course there is the finishing time to consider too unless you get the prefinished. People seem to like the laminate but even the best still looks like... well, laminate.
Dave ....

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ScooterMagee
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 201 Nebraska
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2005-04-15          109888

I installed a Wilsonart laminate floor in the kitchen of our previous home. It was the glue-together type, ...I don’t think the snap-together type was available back then.

No major problems. I used two of the suggested strap-ratchet clamps to pull the boards nice and tight for gluing. There was some chipping of the edges when cuts were made with a table saw, but this was overcome by cutting them 1/8" big, then taking that 1/8" off with a router-table, to achieve a nice crisp edge.

Our current home (which was new construction) has the traditional 3/4" oak. Other then the occasional ding or dimple when you drop something, We like the real oak better.
....

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controlman
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1 Lexington, SC
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2005-04-15          109893

Tom
I did several rooms a few years ago with Armstrong SwiftLock. The square rooms were a piece of cake, hallway was a PITA. I did a 16 by 14 in one weekend including moving and demo. Heavy falling objects tend to crack laminate. I'm pleased with how well the floor has held up.
JCS ....

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brokenarrow
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1288 Wisconsin
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2005-04-15          109901

Thanks to all!
I have entered a stage where I can't stand maintanance on any thing but my toys. Yes real wood looks better, but only when its in top condition and installed correctly. Other than that real wood is a beauty! My wife and OAK is like water and a water bug. Her mom has a real hardwood floor 3/4 oak. After watching that floor for a few years my wife has fallen in love with the laminants. PHEW!!! ME too. Dont anyone scream at me, I am going to have it INSTALLED! LOL. Nasty word here I know, but I am as lazy as they come (unless it is something I WANT to do) I dont want to install a whole floor of my house so the next best decision is to have a pro do it. I am doing a personel version of the tv show "while you were out" While we are up at the cabin for a week in June doing some field work (for me) and a college prep (for the kid) I am going to have them come in and install. (My sister in law will monitor them to make sure there is not a party here). When we come home she will be totally suprised. I just have to get her to LOOK at the different colors and give me a "someday wish list".
The laminant I am looking at has a aluminum locking feature that is supposed to be the newest cats behind for a positive lock ans straightness. Also it has a wax impreganated bevel to keep water out. A life time gaurentee (big deal we wont be here more than 4 more years) LOL But I figure for the extra grand in top of the line I will have a piece of mind anyways. This is a huge expense (as expenses go in my book) But still not even close to HALF a tractors cost LOL. To be honest with you all, I am doing this for her because she showed me a side of her that I knew was there but never realized. When my dads health was failing, she walked over to his house everyday, took him to many doc appt. helped him with his cathader and so on and so on. This went on for over 5 months. We just sold his house and after the bills are paid {he was divorced twice and as recently as 3 years ago} LOL So he had a healthy mort. med. etc. bills, we will have some extra money left over. I figure,
(NO,I KNOW) my father would of like to give her something for all her care she gave him. This would be a great way for me to say thanks to her and for him to say the same. So yes, it will be installed by some one else. LOL
Its funny how shopping around will save you big bucks. One NAME company in my town gave me a qoute. Anouther decent name in my town (the ones that put all my flooring I have now in my house) gave me anouther qoute on the same product. Can you believe that there is a $1800 difference? Both comp. are reputable. This tells me that the first comp. so to speak thought they ""saw me coming"".

Anyway, thanks alot folks! ....

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Oliver
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 210 Massachusetts
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2005-04-16          109908

I'm in the process of building a new house. I am very traditional, hence "knew" I would only put down real wood. My wife dragged me to look at some laminate flooring last weekend and my mind was changed. What did it for me was three things. First, we budgeted for strip oak. For the same price we can have some really nice, rustic, wide-plank patterns in laminate which will fit the house better than strip flooring. Second, we have three children, 2 months to three 1/2 years old and are getting a dog. Having grownb up with wood floors (and having them now) I know haow hard it can be to keep them looking nice. Laminiate flooring has a harder, more durable finish. And third, we're building a house we plan on living in forever. Flooring is something we will probably change over time. Maybe when the traffic diminishes we'll put in the wide pine flooring we both like.

And I, too, will be paying to have in installed. There's only so many hours in the day, and right now I just don't have the time. Until I had kids I never knew how much time they required! ....

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grinder
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 677 central Maine
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2005-04-17          109943

Brokenarrow.
I have installed many of these laminate floors. I tend to stay with a product called uniclic. The one with a 25 yr. warranty. These products seem to work best over a basement floor.
Negatives I've noted.
They call be slippery in stocking feet.
They (the floating floors are noisey when walked on with hard soles). as there is movement.
If you damage a section of snap together, you have to take up a large area to replace it.
For the cost I think you can have real oak nailed down that can be refinished three times.
The bevel type (IMHO) is a PITA when it comes to keeping it clean. Seems to be a catch all for fine dirt. ....

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