Laminate hardwood flooring ?

[BigBake]

Iv had it for about 4 years and won't put it down again.

Does not handle moisture and warps easily. My son spilled a cup of water and we didn't notice right away...seams warped.

He also had a large tonka truck he likes to do hot laps with. Needless to say after he did this the first time the floor was noticeably marked by the plastic wheels.

We installed the name brand pergo flooring and it wasn't the cheap stuff. It is for the most part easy to install in a square room but any room that requires multiple corners/cuts is going to be a pain.

I still think real hardwood is a better choice.

[dmclone]

I'm fine with ours in the basement but if I was going to do our main level I would spend the money and go with real wood.

[JY07]

I recently replaced the entire flooring for the main floor of my house, and this is what I ended up doing:

I chose hardwood over laminate since it looks better, is easier to repair, and unlike laminate flooring it adds value to the house (or so I've been told, wouldn't be surprised if that's not actually the case, though).

I wanted something lighter in color, and ended up getting a 3/4" natural grade maple from lumber liquidators for $3/sqft (odd lot sale; should have been ~$5). So the cost wasn't really that much more than the laminate you'd find at a big box store.

I'm far from handy, but ended up installing it myself; it's not really that hard, just time consuming... this is what you need:

Stuff you probably have:
-Air compressor + nail gun
-Table saw to cut the pieces along the length of the boards (edges length wise)
-Miter saw to cut the pieces to a certain length (edges of each row)

Stuff you'd need:
-Flooring nail gun - you can get this @ harbor freight for about $110 or so; you could probably re-sell it after you're done on craigslist to recoup some of that cost
-Tar paper (about $20 for a roll of 400 sqft)
-Nails ($14 for 1000; I went through about 2000 I think)
-Noise canceling headphones - Optional, but the flooring gun gets pretty loud, so it's nice to cancel that out and listen to music at the same time

From there, there are tons of videos on the internet showing you how to do everything. Like I said, it's not hard, but it's extremely time consuming.. in the end you'll spend a bit more $$$$ and time, but it'll look much nicer.

[DaddyMac]

I recently replaced the entire flooring for the main floor of my house, and this is what I ended up doing:

I chose hardwood over laminate since it looks better, is easier to repair, and unlike laminate flooring it adds value to the house (or so I've been told, wouldn't be surprised if that's not actually the case, though).

I wanted something lighter in color, and ended up getting a 3/4" natural grade maple from lumber liquidators for $3/sqft (odd lot sale; should have been ~$5). So the cost wasn't really that much more than the laminate you'd find at a big box store.

I'm far from handy, but ended up installing it myself; it's not really that hard, just time consuming... this is what you need:

Stuff you probably have:
-Air compressor + nail gun
-Table saw to cut the pieces along the length of the boards (edges length wise)
-Miter saw to cut the pieces to a certain length (edges of each row)

Stuff you'd need:
-Flooring nail gun - you can get this @ harbor freight for about $110 or so; you could probably re-sell it after you're done on craigslist to recoup some of that cost
-Tar paper (about $20 for a roll of 400 sqft)
-Nails ($14 for 1000; I went through about 2000 I think)
-Noise canceling headphones - Optional, but the flooring gun gets pretty loud, so it's nice to cancel that out and listen to music at the same time

From there, there are tons of videos on the internet showing you how to do everything. Like I said, it's not hard, but it's extremely time consuming.. in the end you'll spend a bit more $$$$ and time, but it'll look much nicer.

You used tar paper and not a simple rosin?

[JY07]

You used tar paper and not a simple rosin?

What's the difference, minus the price? Most of the examples I saw they used tar paper, so that's what I went with.

From what I could tell from the people at lumber liquidators, and what the installers were saying on the internet, it really doesn't matter what you use... honestly I couldn't find any definitive information on why you needed anything there to begin with. The guy at lumber liquidators said it helped keep the moisture off the sub-floor, but I'm not entirely sure how accurate that is.

The best answer I could find was it's just to keep 'wood off of wood' to keep it from making noise

[DaddyMac]

What's the difference, minus the price? Most of the examples I saw they used tar paper, so that's what I went with.

From what I could tell from the people at lumber liquidators, and what the installers were saying on the internet, it really doesn't matter what you use... honestly I couldn't find any definitive information on why you needed anything there to begin with. The guy at lumber liquidators said it helped keep the moisture off the sub-floor, but I'm not entirely sure how accurate that is.

The best answer I could find was it's just to keep 'wood off of wood' to keep it from making noise

Not much I suppose. Just curious. I can see that for a basement or wet area (I lined my shower with tar-paper).

I suppose I never heard anyone using tar paper.

Definitely want that barrier to act as a release between the flooring and subfloor though. Whatever it may be

[cyclone_fan_1000]

I recently replaced the entire flooring for the main floor of my house, and this is what I ended up doing:

I chose hardwood over laminate since it looks better, is easier to repair, and unlike laminate flooring it adds value to the house (or so I've been told, wouldn't be surprised if that's not actually the case, though).

I wanted something lighter in color, and ended up getting a 3/4" natural grade maple from lumber liquidators for $3/sqft (odd lot sale; should have been ~$5). So the cost wasn't really that much more than the laminate you'd find at a big box store.

I'm far from handy, but ended up installing it myself; it's not really that hard, just time consuming... this is what you need:

Stuff you probably have:
-Air compressor + nail gun
-Table saw to cut the pieces along the length of the boards (edges length wise)
-Miter saw to cut the pieces to a certain length (edges of each row)

Stuff you'd need:
-Flooring nail gun - you can get this @ harbor freight for about $110 or so; you could probably re-sell it after you're done on craigslist to recoup some of that cost
-Tar paper (about $20 for a roll of 400 sqft)
-Nails ($14 for 1000; I went through about 2000 I think)
-Noise canceling headphones - Optional, but the flooring gun gets pretty loud, so it's nice to cancel that out and listen to music at the same time

From there, there are tons of videos on the internet showing you how to do everything. Like I said, it's not hard, but it's extremely time consuming.. in the end you'll spend a bit more $$$$ and time, but it'll look much nicer.

I've been interested in doing something like this (i.e., install hardwood myself) in our house. I'm probably similar - not super experienced in this type of project, but I've done a few big projects like this (bathroom remodel, etc.) that came out nice, so I feel comfortable trying this myself. I'm curious as to how long it may take me (with one or possibly two helpers). Could you provide any info on the amount of square feet you covered in a day, so I can possibly estimate how long I'll have things torn apart?

[KezClone]

A friend and I installed laminate wood flooring in my living room and hallway. It was pretty straightforward although I'd do a few things differently if I had to do it again like removing the baseboards and door trim prior to install and not relying on quarter round to cover wall gap.

[BryceC]

I've done hardwood too, it's not bad. As he said, not hard, just time consuming.

[jbhtexas]

It was pretty straightforward although I'd do a few things differently if I had to do it again like removing the baseboards and door trim prior to install and not relying on quarter round to cover wall gap.

Very much recommend this. We removed trim the second time around and it looks much, much better. We didn't take door trim off, but were able to sufficiently get laminate underneath it.

[JY07]

I've been interested in doing something like this (i.e., install hardwood myself) in our house. I'm probably similar - not super experienced in this type of project, but I've done a few big projects like this (bathroom remodel, etc.) that came out nice, so I feel comfortable trying this myself. I'm curious as to how long it may take me (with one or possibly two helpers). Could you provide any info on the amount of square feet you covered in a day, so I can possibly estimate how long I'll have things torn apart?

I did everything over 4 weekends, which worked out to a room a weekend; however, with help you could get it done much quicker than that. This is how everything usually went:

Friday: After work I'd spend about 2-4 hours moving out the furniture and prepping the room I was going to work on the next day.

-Remove the old flooring: for carpet, i would just cut it in about 7 feet wide or so chunks with a utility knife, then pulled that up along with the padding. From there you need to remove all of the staples, and then the tack strips along the edges. If the flooring's laminate, you might not have to remove it depending on how thick it was... my kitchen had 2 layers of the stuff, so I ended up ripping it out, and just sanded down the adhesive a bit (since there's no way I was getting that all off) to keep the height difference as minimal as possible.

-Putty/replace any sub-floor that's uneven.

-Remove the base trim

-Use a scrap piece of hardwood, along with a flat handsaw (I'm lazy so I used something like this: Finecut Power Handsaw/ Model: 1640VS) to cut the bottom of the trim around doors and closets to a height so you'll be able to slide the hardwood under it.

-Vacuum the room and put down the tar/rosin paper

-Optionally if you're just starting (not building off of previous work), you might want to get the first row lined up and in just so you don't have to worry about it later


Then on Saturday I'd spend most of the day putting in the flooring. The first weekend I spent the entire day working on it and hadn't finished a ~150 sqft or so bedroom, and had to finish up on Sunday. Every room after that went quite a bit quicker.

Most of the time goes in to figuring out what pieces you want to use as you're moving along, and then cutting the pieces around obstacles/end of rows. If you had someone working with you, if one person spent their time lining up/nailing the pieces in, with another person picking out the pieces/doing all of the cutting, I would think it should go much quicker, and you should be able to do a full room in half a day without any issues.

[cyclone_fan_1000]

Thanks JY07. That's very helpful info.

[Cyclonepride]

FYI......you need the tar paper for real hardwood. It serves to control (but not eliminate) moisture flow from underneath. Rosin paper does little for you.

I'd agree with most that real wood is the way to go if you can swing it. I installed wood floors professionally for three years before my back surgery, so I can give tips to anyone that is interested.

[sweetiecy]

FYI......you need the tar paper for real hardwood. It serves to control (but not eliminate) moisture flow from underneath. Rosin paper does little for you.

I'd agree with most that real wood is the way to go if you can swing it. I installed wood floors professionally for three years before my back surgery, so I can give tips to anyone that is interested.

Agree with your post, entirely.

There are some GREAT engineered hardwood floors that drop and lock in a similar fashion to a laminate; it snaps right together. I could install it, but my husband will not let me anywhere near a saw, lest we have hideous emergency room bills.

Those products used to be rather flimsy, but (I'm a wholesaler...sell to the retailers), we have one now that is 1/2" thick with a nice, thick wear layer, and a plywood core. It could even be refinished several times. I also sell 3/4" solid, but these new drop and locks are really great for the do-it-yourself types.

Super easy to install...easier than most laminates. And, trust me, I sell both products...you definitely want wood if you can afford it. These new engineered woods are nearly as inexpensive as a mid-range laminate.

The nicer products are NOT available at home centers. See your local retailer to find a quality product. I used to sell to Home Centers for a manufacturer & there is a REASON that their products are less expensive. Think of Ribs at Burger King as a prime example....they look like a regular food product...but what are they REALLY...HMMM???

[volclone]

Agree with your post, entirely.

There are some GREAT engineered hardwood floors that drop and lock in a similar fashion to a laminate; it snaps right together. I could install it, but my husband will not let me anywhere near a saw, lest we have hideous emergency room bills.

Those products used to be rather flimsy, but (I'm a wholesaler...sell to the retailers), we have one now that is 1/2" thick with a nice, thick wear layer, and a plywood core. It could even be refinished several times. I also sell 3/4" solid, but these new drop and locks are really great for the do-it-yourself types.

Super easy to install...easier than most laminates. And, trust me, I sell both products...you definitely want wood if you can afford it. These new engineered woods are nearly as inexpensive as a mid-range laminate.

The nicer products are NOT available at home centers. See your local retailer to find a quality product. I used to sell to Home Centers for a manufacturer & there is a REASON that their products are less expensive. Think of Ribs at Burger King as a prime example....they look like a regular food product...but what are they REALLY...HMMM???

It's really not quite as "cut and dry" as this. Both products have their place and advantages. Bottom line: it comes down to lifestyle.

If you are installing in a very high traffic area and/or you have two kids under the age of 13 and a big dog, then quite likely laminate is the best choice for you.

If these things don't apply to you and you prefer the "look and feel of the real thing," then you're probably a hardwood person.

The biggest mistake I see is people insisting on hardwood in a kitchen--who then are surprised in a few years when they have to move the family to the Holiday Inn for three days while the guys in Hazmat Suits come in the strip, sand and refinish...provided the hardwood they were sold allows refinishing.

Make sure you buy from someone you trust--and get all estimates, product warranties, etc., in writing. It pains me to say this, because I work in the industry, but you are often in better hands on the used car lot than in some flooring retailers. And the comment about home centers is a bit over the top--you can just as easily be sold a piece of crap at a flooring store.