wrote in message
oups.com...
"Laminate floors I've seen lately are visually indistinguishible from
teh real thing unless you get down on the floor. Their thermal
coefficient and feel is different, so bare feet will tell tell you
from warmth and cush, but look wish, good quality flooring looks
better than the red oak in my house (without all the imperfections and
irregularities and stains LOL). "

I've yet to see a laminate floor that is hard to distinguish from real
wood without having to get down close to look. Laminates like Pergo
are fine and can be good choices for the right cost/benefit, but IMO
they never look like real wood.

I quite agree- IMHO they simply look like cheap fake paneling on the floor.
Only way I would even consider a laminate floor is if it had a Real Wood top
layer of some thickness, so actual grain was visible. But even then, the
faux 'board' lines and regular seams are quite easy to pick up. When I was
house-shopping, one owner-'upgraded' house had laminate in the kitchen, and
they had laid it like floor tile, with NO staggered seams. Looked like ****,
but he was SO proud of it, I had to just bite my lip and get out of there.
If I can't afford Real Hardwood, I'd rather have W/W carpet, or even a good
grade of sheet vinyl with area rugs. That was a strong selling point on the
house I bought- hardwood in the bedrooms, hall, and LR. Needs refinish, but
plenty of wood there TO refinish, when I get a round to it in a couple of
years.

aem sends...