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Any disadvantages to laminate?

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  • 30-07-2009 10:43am
    #1
    40701085
    Registered Users Posts: 219 ✭✭


    Hi all,

    Are there any downsides to laminate flooring besides the 2 I can think of, 1) it's just not real wood and you can tell 2) it sounds light & hollow to walk on.

    I see a nice laminate in a local store at the moment but its €26/m which I thought was a bit steep for laminate? It's Doc Loc heavy domestic/light commercial - which suits cos I need it for open plan kitchen/dining/living.

    What do you think - should I go for it?:rolleyes:

    Thanks for your thoughts


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    #2
    Joey the lips
    Registered Users Posts: 10,262 ✭✭✭✭Joey the lips


    Personally

    Laminate Upstairs/ Semi solid downstairs

    Especially with kids. I wince when i hear toys bouncing off my wooden floors

    Laminate chips easy, even the good stuff. However TBH if i was buying laminate i would buy the cheapest upstairs and if i really insisted on it Pronto flooring in deskellys lasted my sister a long time downstairs. Its a little dearer than the normal laminates.


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    #3
    Kashkai
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,399 ✭✭✭Kashkai


    We had semi solid in our last house and it was scratched all over the place within a week, and that was before we had 4 kids!!!!!

    I put down 1,500 sq feet of laminate in our current house and it fools most people who think its real wood flooring. It is Balterio oak plank and it has 4 sided grooves that make it look like real planks. It cost us €20 sq yard in a place in Newbridge, Co. Kildare. It also was very easy to lay unlike the stuff my father got in Des Kellys which was a b1tch to put together as the grooves that hold the planks were uneven and wouldn't lock in place.


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    #4
    bazwaldo
    Registered Users Posts: 1,763 ✭✭✭bazwaldo


    I put down Quickstep Walnut laminate, which also has the 4 grooves and it looks great. Many think its real walnut :). The kids do there best to scratch it and if you look closely enough they have. If it was semi-solid or solid it would be completely ruined.

    So it depends on the abuse your floor will get. If there are kids about, go with laminate. Adults only with no stillettos, then go for whatever.

    The laminate is dead easy to install too if you get a type that clicks together.


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    #5
    40701085
    Registered Users Posts: 219 ✭✭40701085


    Sound job, thanks for the 1st hand experience folks.


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    #6
    Joey the lips
    Registered Users Posts: 10,262 ✭✭✭✭Joey the lips


    bazwaldo wrote: »
    I put down Quickstep Walnut laminate, which also has the 4 grooves and it looks great. Many think its real walnut :). The kids do there best to scratch it and if you look closely enough they have. If it was semi-solid or solid it would be completely ruined.

    So it depends on the abuse your floor will get. If there are kids about, go with laminate. Adults only with no stillettos, then go for whatever.

    The laminate is dead easy to install too if you get a type that clicks together.

    +11111111 Jesus crist(Where) No stillettos, my floor is like a moon creator in a certain eyecatching area. I told my brother to stop wearing those stillettos!

    PS: My experience on laminate is not as good as the lads above sorry for the bum steer but the plus to my semi is that when my brats get a little older I can sand it back up so it is a hard one

    Just make a rule No stillettos! Seriously!


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    #7
    ART6
    Registered Users Posts: 2,632 ✭✭✭ART6


    40701085 wrote: »
    Hi all,

    Are there any downsides to laminate flooring besides the 2 I can think of, 1) it's just not real wood and you can tell 2) it sounds light & hollow to walk on.

    I see a nice laminate in a local store at the moment but its €26/m which I thought was a bit steep for laminate? It's Doc Loc heavy domestic/light commercial - which suits cos I need it for open plan kitchen/dining/living.

    What do you think - should I go for it?:rolleyes:

    Thanks for your thoughts

    My experience with a flooring that TOH loves but I hate (I'm a carpet man!):

    Real wood floors are bad news if you have dogs or kids -- they get marked to hell and gone and need endless maintenance.

    Laminates are OK but always look artificial to me. Don't look like real wood at all. They are slippery and a spill of water on them turns them into a skating rink. Dogs don't mark them but they slide all over the place on them (entertaining for all but the dogs). They are difficult to keep clean since you can't mop them -- if you do the water gets between the joints and causes the laminates to swell and the surface to break up.

    Selling a house later? -- Not everyone is impressed with laminates. I think they devalue the property, but then I am a dinosaur in such matters:D


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    #8
    Anounce
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1 ✭Anounce


    Laminate flooring come in virtually any type of designs and finishes and represent a quality, highly versatile and cheap alternative to real hardwood and tile floors. They offer increased moisture resistance, an easy setup, low cleaning and maintenance requirements, therefore are a great choice for homes with children and even pets. I got a great deal on laminate flooring at this store: http://www.kaboodle.com/store/flooring2floors.co.uk maybe you want to check it out


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