I have installed Laminate (Pergo) in my living room, about 5 years
ago. It has held up very nicely, but the installer screwed up alot.
Mind you, I installed it, so I have only myself to blame. Even with
some gaps here and there, it really has held up nicely. Since then, I
have installed 22 floors of laminate over the years (I am not a pro by
any stretch of the imagination, I just have alot of friends). And
while I have gotten better, so has the laminate. I used to swear by
the glued laminate, and now I just swear at it. The new stuff that I
am installing in the house is here in Canada at Building Box -
QuickStyle. Its glueless, waterproof (as found when I dumped a 2L
bottle of coke, in the corner, and forgot about it for several hours.
I pulled up the laminate to see that it didnt go through. Just a mop,
and some cleaner, and looks great.
I am going to put it in the bathroom - but I will be putting some glue
within the tongue and groove to give it some more water resistance.

The original laminate floor has survived 3 kids, 5 dogs (Collies, and
Labs, and yes it is a hoot to see them scurry into the room when you
throw a toy, to see them skid across and into a wall. Works well with
Guinnea pigs too.

If you are going to install it yourself, I did a 30 x 16 room, in one
day, even sleeping in. The kits are cheap ($16.00) that include a
pull bar, tap block, and spacers. My floor cost 99 cents / sq foot,
(Canadian) Foam underlay was 400 sq feet - $18.00.

If you know someone with a compound sliding miter saw- become friends.
I have a non sliding, and just had to flip the board over. Im not
that hand with my table saw, but used it for the end cuts along the
length of the wall.

I do have some straps used for glued laminates for sale - cheap

As for the hollow sounds - there is a material that you can put under
the laminate - WhisperWalk, Quiet Walk, etc. It looks alot like
ceiling tile. Whow knows - maybe it is. It will deaden the sound,
but really, I havent noticed the thud too much. You tune it out.

Scratches are minimized with felt tabs on the furniture, and cleanup
is a breeze.

John

HerHusband wrote in message ...
I received good feedback to my "Living With Tile Floors" thread, so I
thought I would get some feedback on Laminate floors. We are also
considering using a laminate floor in our dining, entry, hall, and perhaps
the kitchen. Naturally, all will be fairly high traffic areas.

I'm interested in hearing from people who have laminate floors in their own
homes, preferably something that was installed in the last couple of years.

I've heard there are issues with "smudges", sensitivity to water sitting on
the floor, "hollow" sounds as you walk on them, and that they are easily
scratched. What are your real world experiences? Are newer products any
better than the older ones?

I like the appearance of the laminate floor samples I have seen at the home
centers, and the ease of installation would be a real advantage. But, some
of the concerns I have read worry me.

Thanks,

Anthony