Q: Armstrong Floating Laminate Floor

gieriscm

http://www.armstrong.com/reslaminate...p?itemId=74275

I'd like to have the above floor installed in my townhouse in the dining/living area, front hallway, and kitchen. This is a "glueless" floating floor, the best quality that Armstrong makes. The floor would be installed over a concrete slab, and even though the water table is low in my area (Virginia) I'm going to insist that the concrete be sealed.

A contractor I spoke with said that I don't want a laminate floor since if one piece gets damaged beyond repair, the whole floor would have to be replaced. I could see that happening with a glue-down floor, but couldn't a piece of glueless laminate be replaced by carefully taking it apart, replacing a piece, and putting it back together? Or, do people replace floors because the manufacturer may no longer be making that particular style/color any more, so finding a piece to match is difficult, if not impossible, and very costly?

Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks!

Teetorbilt

High end Armstrong is a good choice. The contractor was wrong, changing out a panel is not that difficult and you don't have to disassemble the floor. Save a few of the big drops and buy an extra box, store in a cool, dry place just in case. A different lot# can make a difference.

Don Benham

Ditto.

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Benham Flooring
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Look, I know the voices in my head aren't real, it's just that lately they've had some really good points.

Floorwizard

Ditto here too.

By the way, find someone with a different opinion.

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"in 20 years you will regret more what you did not do than what you did"

ccoffer

The underlayment is key. You needn't depend on a sealer when you can simply buy a quality underlayment. I prefer a product called Sound Solution made by Healthier Choice in Dalton Ga. They have an iron clad guarantee.

Using 6 mil polyethylene is pretty cheap insurance toward avoiding moisture probs associated with laminates. Despite sales pitches to the contrary, none of them are very dimensionally stable.

CHU

Glasshousebltr

Get you a hamma drill and some tapcons and UNfloat the baby.

Bob

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Bob

Teetorbilt

Sealing the concrete is just cheap insurance. I noticed on my first job that just walking on the poly sheet can cause micro punctures due to a small stone in a boot tread or one trapped between the membrane and the floor. I spent a lot of time taping holes on that job. I'm pretty convinced that with 2 coats of sealer the vapor barrior is redundant but it goes down anyway for warantee reasons. I just think about what it would cost to tear it all out and start over.