Floating Floors

boman47k

How do you guys think these floors are going to hold up in the long run?

ron schenker

Depends on how well it was installed, quality, amount of traffic, humidity, thickness, etc.
In general though,in a perfect world, it should hold up very well. You can't beat real hardwood though and it's not that much more expensive.

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boman47k

Kind of what I was thinking. Have seen some in very old buildings refinished that look good comparatively thinking. I am wondering if somewhere down the road there will be a time when the floating floors may need a little repair and it may not be possible without replacing the whole floor and a lot sooner than 40/50 or even a hundred years.

ATH

It's not too hard to see first hand how these floors will stand up over time. Laminate floors have been installed in a number of retail stores and restaurants. If you want to see how they will wear in your home after a decade or so, visit a retail store a year or two after the floor was laid.

I know that this type of flooring is in a Bed, Bath, and Beyond around here as we were hired to repair a few boards that were uneven, wearing poorly, chipped, and causing a tripping hazard. It wasn't a true floating floor as it didn't cover the entire store and, so, had to be glued down. It was just used to create an aisle around the carpeted merchandise areas.

FYI, you don't have to replace the entire floor to fix something like this, but you better have saved some old flooring and pack some extra patience.

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Wayne
Around the House
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PrecisionFloors

It was never meant to last 50-60 or a hundred years, Neither is carpet, vinyl, and countless other types of floor covering. By comparing it to "real" wood, you do yourself and the product a disservice. It's not real wood and was never meant to be or to compete with it to be sure. It serves a purpose in the market place that real hardwood can't touch. Sell your products based on the needs and expectations of the customer, not the other way around.

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Richard

welp, that about sums it up then

next post please

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Rich

boman47k

I am aware of that as long as the same material is still being made, or as you say you have the extra boards. I thinking when this type becomes obsolete or replaced by a new type. I just didn't know how long it is designed to last. I do know it looks very nice. I have considered using some in my own house, but not so sure.

Richard

good points, well seriously now--wifey and I just bought a condo and I am also thinking about purchasing some laminate (floating) flooring. The guys in here directed me to use the 'pergo' with the foam already attached. I found a similar company who's "antique oak" looks amazing and we might just pick some up. We found it at Lowe's, it's gonna run about $900 for 500 square feet. We are also thinking about tiling the whole thing now, ugg...decisions--

ps--you can bet I'll be posting a before/after of my project in the near future!

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Rich

Teetorbilt

Tile can chip, crack and scratch too plus it is hard, cold and refects a lot of sound. Good tile is going to cost a few $$, the install takes more time and you have grout maint. (sealing) every few years.

Pick your poison. I blew out 20 yr. old tile and went with top-of-the-line Pergo. 5 yrs. now and no complaints. When replacement time comes, I won't be on my knees for days jacking tile. BTW, it's much lighter to carry and easier to saw.

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Richard

laminate 1 tile 0

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Rich

Floorwizard

Laminate comes in many qualities.

Wilsonart Estate is ranked highest in Consumer Reports.
Commercially rated.

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boman47k

I definitely agree that should be considered.

ARTSBEST

Have about 1/2 "drop" on one side of the room towards the wall. Does this cement type stuff that you mix/pour to level out the floor work well? Don't know the official name, but it comes in the concrete type size bags.

Teetorbilt

We use self leveling cement all of the time as finding a flat slab is almost impossible anymore.

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You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

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PrecisionFloors

Same here. Ardex K-15 is well worth the extra cost.

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Tile, Hardwood, Laminate, and Resilient
Installation, Sales & Repair - "We do it right the FIRST time"

boman47k

In one house we painted this past summer, Floating laminated flooring was also installed. A few places had bad dips in the floor. The flooring guy told the owners not to expect miracles. Looked like he spread s ome regular floor leveling mix on the floor. This did little to cover the dips. Could this have been corrected witht he self leveling cement?

fci

Hopefully I'm wrong but I think laminates are a fad. They wre big in the early 90's. They will pass just as masonite siding did. I don't use them in any projects because I see traffic patterns after 4-5 years and inform my customers of the shortcomings of the product. They look cheap and sound very cheap as you walk accross them. They chip, your screwed. Maybe I was oversold initially. I will install/sell hardwoods and ceramic tile and as a last resort carpet if they have to have it.

PrecisionFloors

Good, send all of your laminate customers to me...I'm just right down the road If you are seeing traffic patterns I assure you it is due to an inferior product. Are you aware that the wear layer in almost all laminates is aluminum oxide and melamine? Ceramic tile will develop a wear pattern easier than that combination, much less hardwood. As far as being a fad...i doubt it, they have been using laminates in Europe for nearly 30 years. Chipping and being screwed are only an occurance if you do not know how to do a plank replacement. I always order extra and tell the h.o. to stick it away in the attic in case the need arises. You would be suprised how many repeat jobs I have gotten while out repairing a damaged plank.

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(772) 237-9900
Tile, Hardwood, Laminate, and Resilient
Installation, Sales & Repair - "We do it right the FIRST time"

fci

My exposure to the product could very well be to inferior products. What are some of the better products out there? I always tell customers I'm still learning even after 21 years in this business. One area though that it will take alot of convincing is how cheap the product sounds when you walk on it. Are there products out there that sound better. My customers won't tollerate cheap.

Teetorbilt

fci, for high-end you can always go to old growth hardwood planking fastened with dowels and wedges or screwed and plugged. Both make a statement.

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You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

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