Laminate flooring brands?

[outlawram]

I am going to be doing my kitchen and dining room with laminate. About 350 square foot. What brand is a good one. Willing to spend $3 a square foot. I have been leaning toward Quick Step and Armstrong. Have not heard anything good about pergo brand. Is it better to get the padding already on the back or just buy the rolls and put it down first. I want something that will not sound real hollow. thanks.

 

[LRotter]

I just got done putting down laminate flooring in the kitchen and dining room in my new house last weekend so I know a bit about the stuff. I heard just the opposite of what you heard. I heard the Armstrong and other brands were not near as good as Pergo. I talked to several people that had Armstrong and all I got were complaints about the Armstrong. I have several friends in the carpentry business and they recommended Pergo out of all the laminate flooring brands. The Pergo was very, very easy to put down. We had about 300sq. ft. to put down and were done by 2:30 after getting started around 9:00. Pergo comes with the underlayment already attached and it seemed to work very well. The finished product looks awesome. Made a huge difference. I'm very satisfied with it at this point. There doesn't seem to be any shifting and I rarely hear a slight "pop" from the joints. We'll see how it holds up but for now, I'm happy with it.

 

[outlawram]

thanks for the info. I am going to check into pergo also. I know it has been around the longest. Also what was the price you paid for a 1 sq. ft. I think i was quoted 1. 59 on the quick step brand, But I am going to get it for cost as soon as I find out exactly what I want, its always good to know somebody.

 

[DEickhoff]

For what it is worth we installed Pergo and love it. Took my non-mechanical husband about 5 hours to lay our dining room floor. I have 2 labs and their nails have not scratched the floor at all.



dawna

 

[AKAMAC]

If your absolutely sold on a "wood" flooring product for your kitchen be sure to look at what happens to laminate products when they are exposed to moisture. The seam glue that is sold with the product is messy and time consuming to apply. If you decide to go with LF use the pre-backed for ease of install. The cost per sq. ft. for tile is about the same and there are cost benifits when installing the trim. Check the prices for the matching trim pieces for the flooring.



Is the job new construction or remodel?



You'll need to cut out the existing underlayment/linoleum and replace it if it is a remodel. The cost of the underlayment needs to be figured into cost too.



I can post some pics of a current project if it will help. Mike

 

[outlawram]

I forgot to mention I have a dog, that is the reason for laminate. I am not going to use the glue kind. Interlocking is what I am looking at. I helped a buddy do his a few weeks ago and it took about 4 hours. So putting it down will be no problem. I have the saws and all the other tools I need. My main concern was brand quality and Pre backing verses non backing.

 

[Bertram65]

I have seen Pergo used in an commercial application and it has held up great for almost 5 years. It was the type that locks together, no glue. It looks as good as the day it was installed, pretty impressive as it has foot traffic pretty much all day.

 

[KennyM]

I just did about 350 sq ft laminate kitchen. We used Armstrong with the backing already on it. We also have a Pergo hallway and foyer that needed the blue stuff put on the floor first. . The pergo was easier to install. The interlocking on the Armstrong made it harder to smack sections together, I alsmost always had to lift and lock. The pergo smacked together very easy. Make sure you buy the special nylon tool so you can smack the sections together. Also remember you will need to use 1/4" spacers, or leave about 1/4" at all your walls to allow for exspansion. The hallway was done a few years ago and still looks new. The Kitchen was only done three months ago. We also used laminate because of the dogs.

 

[AKAMAC]

The glue I referenced is for the seams. Be sure to read the fine print in the warranty about moisture damage if the sealant isn't used. If the flooring gets wet it will ridge at the seams. Just a heads up. Mike

 

[DPKetchum]

2 years ago we installed PERGO in the kitchen,living room,dining room. The GLUE is no bigy and not a mess. Its just a little line used were it joins. Has held up GREAT with LOTS of foot traffic. The place we bought ours sold several brands and said the ORIGNAL(PERGO)was still tops in durablity. Has a 15 year warranty. Did have the ice maker line leak this past year and left fairly large puddles from under fridge out into the kitchen floor. NO damage whats so ever. Floor is quiet. Put down per instructions.

 

[smartineau]

we have had the glue together Pergo on our first floor for 5 years now. The two dogs (great dane/lab, and Chow/german shepard) have not messed up the floor. We sealed all around the edges with caulking. In the Kitchen we used Pergo brand just for the warranty, and in other place cheap stuff from Home Depot.



with any flooring if you get water under the flooring it will be ruined. Water on the surface no problem we just wipe it up when we are done in the kitchen.



steve

 

[RT66DOC]

We are debating about pergo vs tile for a bedroom. Wife's main concern is if one of the [7] dogs has an accident will it run through the seams and cause permanent damage/smell. Do you seal the seams somehow? Any thoughts?

 

[DPKetchum]

I've seen a bedroom done in tile because of dogs and accidents. One cold *** floor. You won't like my thoughts. Dogs OUT of the bedroom and in the DOG run. Carpet in the bedroom. They'll ruin a wood or laminate floor with urine. Tile is real unfriendly in the bedroom unless its a home in the tropics.

 

[RT66DOC]

Thx DPK. We have tile in every other room in the house so I guess one more will tie right in. We do live in the tropics and have a boatload of [washable] throw rugs scattered about. The dogs sleep on the throws so never pee on 'em, besides they're in and out all day long so accidents are rare.