I have solid hardwood Bruce flooring in my dinning room/kitchen. It
was laid about 4 years ago. It is called "Gunstock".

The carpet in my adjoining dinning room and adjacent hallway is
showing it's wear due to the kids spilling things and traffic in
general.

I have available to me some new "laminate: hardwood flooring also
called "gunstock" althought the color is not exactly the same as my
solid hardwood floor. This flooring is basically free and have debated
laying it myself. (I have never laid laminante or solid hardwood for
that matter.)

What is your opinion as to if this will look aceptable? I can still go
back with carpet, but it will cost more. I can also go back with solid
wood flooring, but it will cost alot more. I plan on leaving the
carpet in the bedrooms as it is in good shape.

Here is a link to a video of my current flooring and a few pieces of
the laminate butted up against it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3YePipT7zo

stryped fired this volley in news:98f37a9c-fbfb-
:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3YePipT7zo

Bad link, Stryper.

Anyway... I've re-done my entire house with a melamine laminate, and
we're quite happy with it (they're pretty much all melamine over a
fiberboard backing).

Laying it is something of a chore, but certainly NOT difficult. Just
remember to stagger your joints, and clean up any damages to the
tongues/grooves before attempting to mate two pieces. They virtually
"snap" together (with a little encouragment) to a nearly-invisible joint.

I laid 540 sq' of it two weekends ago in a little over 8 hours. Of
course, I'm not an expert at it, but it went quickly from my
perspectives.

LLoyd

We have laminate "Gunstock" flooring in the kitchen with carpet elsewhere, except bathrooms. I am
quite happy with Gunstock's durability in the face of my, errrr, shoddy maintenance; which is always
with Bruce laminate cleaner. I can't speak to the differences one might expect from brand to brand,
sample to sample. You could ask for a comprison piece of laminate Gunstock to determine
compatibility. I would not expect a great deal of vaiance, however.

Bob Swinney
"stryped" wrote in message
...
I have solid hardwood Bruce flooring in my dinning room/kitchen. It
was laid about 4 years ago. It is called "Gunstock".

The carpet in my adjoining dinning room and adjacent hallway is
showing it's wear due to the kids spilling things and traffic in
general.

I have available to me some new "laminate: hardwood flooring also
called "gunstock" althought the color is not exactly the same as my
solid hardwood floor. This flooring is basically free and have debated
laying it myself. (I have never laid laminante or solid hardwood for
that matter.)

What is your opinion as to if this will look aceptable? I can still go
back with carpet, but it will cost more. I can also go back with solid
wood flooring, but it will cost alot more. I plan on leaving the
carpet in the bedrooms as it is in good shape.

Here is a link to a video of my current flooring and a few pieces of
the laminate butted up against it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3YePipT7zo

stryped wrote:

I have solid hardwood Bruce flooring in my dinning room/kitchen. It
was laid about 4 years ago. It is called "Gunstock".

The carpet in my adjoining dinning room and adjacent hallway is
showing it's wear due to the kids spilling things and traffic in
general.

I have available to me some new "laminate: hardwood flooring also
called "gunstock" althought the color is not exactly the same as my
solid hardwood floor. This flooring is basically free and have debated
laying it myself. (I have never laid laminante or solid hardwood for
that matter.)

What is your opinion as to if this will look aceptable? I can still go
back with carpet, but it will cost more. I can also go back with solid
wood flooring, but it will cost alot more. I plan on leaving the
carpet in the bedrooms as it is in good shape.

Here is a link to a video of my current flooring and a few pieces of
the laminate butted up against it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3YePipT7zo


Harbor Freight sells a package of the spacers you'll need. Item #
69447 $7.99.


--
Lead free solder is Belgium's version of 'Hold my beer and watch this!'

On Mar 21, 8:31*pm, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:
stryped fired this volley in news:98f37a9c-fbfb-
:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3YePipT7zo

Bad link, Stryper.

Anyway... I've re-done my entire house with a melamine laminate, and
we're quite happy with it (they're pretty much all melamine over a
fiberboard backing).

Laying it is something of a chore, but certainly NOT difficult. *Just
remember to stagger your joints, and clean up any damages to the
tongues/grooves before attempting to mate two pieces. *They virtually
"snap" together (with a little encouragment) to a nearly-invisible joint.

I laid 540 sq' of it two weekends ago in a little over 8 hours. *Of
course, I'm not an expert at it, but it went quickly from my
perspectives.

LLoyd

That link should be correct now. Should the laminate be layed in the
living room "parallel" to the wood in the dinning room that is already
there or perpendicular?

stryped fired this volley in news:90dc26d5-9fd0-
:

Should the laminate be layed in the
living room "parallel" to the wood in the dinning room that is already
there or perpendicular?

'seems like that's up to you. My house demanded that at some point I
"take a turn" with the flooring orientation (It's an "ell" shaped ranch).
I did the best I could to find a natural break, ending up changing
orientation at a pocket door between the formal dining room and the
breakfast room. It's almost unnoticable.

One thing... it might help disguise the color difference between your
solid and laminate flooring if you changed orientation at the line
between them. I wouldn't if it didn't look "right", though.

Most laminates call for having the flooring lie perpendicular to the line
of incoming light, in order to best hide the end-butts.

LLoyd

In article ,
stryped wrote:

I have solid hardwood Bruce flooring in my dinning room/kitchen. It
was laid about 4 years ago. It is called "Gunstock".

The carpet in my adjoining dinning room and adjacent hallway is
showing it's wear due to the kids spilling things and traffic in
general.

I have available to me some new "laminate: hardwood flooring also
called "gunstock" althought the color is not exactly the same as my
solid hardwood floor. This flooring is basically free and have debated
laying it myself. (I have never laid laminante or solid hardwood for
that matter.)

What is your opinion as to if this will look aceptable? I can still go
back with carpet, but it will cost more. I can also go back with solid
wood flooring, but it will cost alot more. I plan on leaving the
carpet in the bedrooms as it is in good shape.

I would look at and walk on some of the proposed flooring in the flooring store,
and/or in a store that has that kind of floor (in my case a local liquor store).
Many kinds of melamine-topped laminate flooring are very noisy - footsteps make
loud "clack" sounds. And the laminate wears out faster than you would think.
The liquor store expects to refloor every few years, but that would be a problem
in most houses.

I went with solid wood floors.

Joe Gwinn