"Tim" wrote in message
news
I've been looking into replacing our kitchen ceramic tile with a
laminate. However almost everyone I've talked to say this is a bad
idea.

Not only does it not wear too well and look bad when scratched, but if
it gets wet it will swell and turn real ugly on you. Water (or dog
pee) cannot be allowed to seep into the under layer of composite
material.

So I'm going with real wood. Once I get the tile up that is...


Real wood has the potential to swell, laminate is plastic and will not swell
at all. Soak a piece or each in water as see the results and judge for
yourself.

Real wood is very nice. It will take more care than any laminate. It will,
however, look better if properly cared for.

As for laminates, I installed WilsonArt in my foyer, stairs, landing to the
kitchen. This is the most heavily traveled section of the house. In five
years of traffic, you cannot see any signs of wear, scratches, color
changes, or anything else. It honestly looks as good as the day it was
installed.

FWIW, I'm going to install Mannington engineered wood in my family room. It
is on a slab and needs just a vapor barrier. Wish they had this five years
ago to use where I used the laminate. It is superior in appearance to the
cheaper brands. I pick it up on Wednesday and hope to get it done over the
weekend.
Ed

http://pages.cthome.net/edhome