Are laminate "floating" floors any good?

Wow ! I've been wondering that myself. I don't know.

A friend of mine has them and they look good and don't seem any worse
for wear about 3 years down the road.

I've been thinking about them for in the kitchen but now they don't do
the glue thing like they used to do, so I am worried about spilling a
jar of pickle juice and it getting in and under the floor via the seams.

mo wrote:
Are laminate "floating" floors any good?

Yes and no.

Like most things in life, some are good some not. Some fit your needs
and desires and some don't. Sort of like wives.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

"mo" wrote in message
news:6jmHf.10292$0H1.9353@trnddc04...
: Are laminate "floating" floors any good?
:
:
In my opinion, they're pretty good. But like most other things,
you get what you pay for and need to pay attention to the maker's
reputation. We have a floating laminate floor in our living
room. Here are my opinions:

No visible cracks. It's amazing they can make wood joints snap
together to perfectly and reliably. End to end or side to side,
all 4 sides lock together, and you just can't see any seams.

Water penetration: They do warn about that. Don't let liquids
stay on them for any length of time or it could penetrate the
seams. That's why we went with wood rather than mdf etc.
laminates.
They also sell a non-gluing to use inthe seams at outside
doorways etc.

Recommended cleaing is a damp mopping, never use floor cleaners.
Finish still looks excellent. They "click" together, making
perfect seams. NO idea how they accomlisth it so reliably and
perfectly, but they do. If you find a cull, they take ti back
and replace it or pay for it.

Goes down FAST and easy, full directions included.

NO scratches yet. None at all. Have a 25 yr warranty plus the
surface is extremely hard to scratch. Even dogs don't seem to
bother it.
It does "dent" though, just like any wood will. But, the
dents don't crack away any finish; it stays put. Dropped a
hammer on it recently; dinged it, but no other damage & the ding
isn't visible unless you turn on the overhead lights.

Claims it can be sanded three times. But needs surface
refinishing if you sand it. Sanding will void the 25 yr wear
warranty so they say sanding's for end of warranty replenishment
g. You interpret that!

Sbufloor must be straight; forget the specs. I discovered a
"sunken" part of my floor outside my coputer room door and had to
slide a bunch of 3/16" panelling in there to support it so it
wouldn't flex when stepped on; didn't want the joints to loosen
and break.

With a proper floating foam under it, it's not at all noisy to
walk on. They do warn against spiked high heels.

Can be hard to get the transitions looking right at doorways,
etc..

Have to allow (with mine anyway) 3/8" expansion joint all around
edges; can't use the cheapie mopboards, etc., but who wants to?

Can't nail or glue a floating floor. It -must- float in order
for the seams to stay so perfect. The nail/glue types I looked
at did have noticeable seams along the sides.

Many different kinds available. Lots of info articles on the
'net. Just search for them; easy to find.

Max length of our was 29 ft. At 29', needed to add a spacer "T"
and continue from there. Had a wide 5' doorway, so used it
there.

And finally, it makes the wife want to redo the entire living
room and the rest of the floors in the house! It's not cheap,
but it's a good floor, IMO.

So far, no visible problems noted. But it's far from 25 years
old! G

Pop

Pop wrote:
"mo" wrote in message
news:6jmHf.10292$0H1.9353@trnddc04...
Are laminate "floating" floors any good?

In my opinion, they're pretty good. But like most other things,
you get what you pay for and need to pay attention to the maker's
reputation. We have a floating laminate floor in our living
room. Here are my opinions:
[snip]
Claims it can be sanded three times. But needs surface
refinishing if you sand it. Sanding will void the 25 yr wear
warranty so they say sanding's for end of warranty replenishment
g. You interpret that!
[snip]

What you are describing is typically described as an "engineered wood floor".
What just about everyone means when they say "laminate" flooring is not real
wood on the surface and most definitely cannot ever be sanded. It is high
pressure laminate (formica).

While engineered wood floors are made from "laminated" wood that is not the term
to use when describing it.

I wonder how long the foam underlayment will last? foam generally turns
to dust after awhile.


have realtives with this floor, it looked good the last time I saw it,
and they have a big dog, still I dont trust the material. it will
likely be similiar to vinyl floor replaced every X number of years.

wrote in message
have realtives with this floor, it looked good the last time I saw it,
and they have a big dog, still I dont trust the material. it will
likely be similiar to vinyl floor replaced every X number of years.


I have WilsonArt laminate on my heavily used stairs and landing. After
about 10 years, it still looks as good as the day it was installed. I have
engineered hardwood for three years now. Two scratches from mishaps.

Any floor covering will wear over time and good products go a LONG time. Or
you get tired of it and want a change. I don't see that as a detriment at
all.

"Rick Brandt" wrote in message
om...
: Pop wrote:
: "mo" wrote in message
: news:6jmHf.10292$0H1.9353@trnddc04...
: Are laminate "floating" floors any good?
:
: In my opinion, they're pretty good. But like most other
things,
: you get what you pay for and need to pay attention to the
maker's
: reputation. We have a floating laminate floor in our living
: room. Here are my opinions:
: [snip]
: Claims it can be sanded three times. But needs surface
: refinishing if you sand it. Sanding will void the 25 yr wear
: warranty so they say sanding's for end of warranty
replenishment
: g. You interpret that!
: [snip]
:
: What you are describing is typically described as an
"engineered wood floor".
: What just about everyone means when they say "laminate"
flooring is not real
: wood on the surface and most definitely cannot ever be sanded.
It is high
: pressure laminate (formica).
:
: While engineered wood floors are made from "laminated" wood
that is not the term
: to use when describing it.
:
:
:
:
:
You're playing a symantics game: I have one of the package
images glued to my garage wll with the project date, etc.: It
very clearly and speficically calls it a "laminate floor"
mateiral in several places. Laminated wood = laminated wood.
Laminated flooring can be made from wood. You'll find plenty of
varying definitions around the various manufacturers. If you
want to split hairs, pull one from around your own bunghole. If
I want to laminate a bunch of cardboard layers with an acrylic
top finish and call it laminated, it's laminated. Lamination is
a method, not a product.

Sorry, no canter for hair splitters today - this group's got way
too many of them. I won't discuss this further with you.

wrote in message
oups.com...
:I wonder how long the foam underlayment will last? foam
generally turns
: to dust after awhile.
=== Actually, in my case at least, it's a bit more than "just"
foam. I don't think it's foam at all other than in
appearance;i'ts more like an open cell vinyl of some kind. I
don't recall the name on it but I still have part of a roll of it
around if you really want to know; just ask and I'll check it.
It's also enclosed in a tough plastic layer on each side with
a protective backed adhesive along one edge so that when you put
two rows of it side by side, you pull off the backing and lap the
free plastic onto the adhesive. It's a danged good adhesive,
whatever it is they use; you cannot pull it apart without
damageing the plastic if it's set there for more than a minute or
so.
:
:
: have realtives with this floor, it looked good the last time I
saw it,
: and they have a big dog, still I dont trust the material. it
will
: likely be similiar to vinyl floor replaced every X number of
years.
:
No idea, really. I suspect it's like anything else; lots of
varieties of products out there with just as many possibilities
for longevity - or lack thereof.

One thing I do like about it is that it almost cannot be
scratched; it'll dent, but the surface doesn't crack or come
loose. Yet at least g. I can say with a fair confidence that
it takes more punishment than varnish or poly would take. Plus
there is no stain to speak of: the color permeates the whole top
layer of material which is pretty easily visible when you but it.

The only worries I have at the moment are that the seams might
open up and become visible - I cannot believe that perfect fit is
going to last over the years. Guess only time will tell.

Oh, I used some of the leftover scraps to make table-saw sleds;
two of them; one ofr miters and the other for crosscuts.
Outstanding material for that, albeit a little expensive, but
since it was scrap, well, I'm cheap g.

Pop

"Pop" wrote in message

:
:
You're playing a symantics game: I have one of the package
images glued to my garage wll with the project date, etc.: It
very clearly and speficically calls it a "laminate floor"
mateiral in several places. Laminated wood = laminated wood.
Laminated flooring can be made from wood. You'll find plenty of
varying definitions around the various manufacturers.


Not hair splitting at all. Look how these guys define laminate and
engineered wood.
http://www.mannington.com/residential/home.asp

Wow, these guys same the same thing
http://www.mairmg.com/wilsonart/homeowner/start.cfm

Hey, that Pergo stuff is called laminate too. Who'd have thunk it?
http://www.pergo.com/

These guys differentiate laminate from engineered wood also.
http://www.floorfacts.com/

These guys have both, but on the engineered wood page, they don't say it is
laminated, but the laminate page talks about the plastic made stuff.
http://www.builddirect.com/Hardwood-...ngineered.aspx

So far, it seems as though you are the only person that calls engineered
wood laminated flooring in real life use terms. Plywood is a series of
laminated layers, but it is not called "laminate" in the trades from what I
can see.