wood vs. laminate floors- pros and cons? any alternatives?

amother

Mon, Oct 24 2011, 12:24 pm

We're looking to replace the wood floors in our dining and living rooms. we're not sure if we should get hard wood or laminate. From the samples I got, it seems like hard wood shows scratches, but the fake wood does not. and the fake wood looks like it's flimsy and laminate edges are "chipped off" -easily, and is more sensitive to washing.
If you have either one- can you comment on what you like, dislike, and any pros and cons,
how much it cost you? where you bought it, and who installed it?
Are there any alternatives to these besides carpet?
what do you have in your dining/ living room?

amother

Mon, Oct 24 2011, 12:30 pm

I would only put real wood in the l/r & d/r that is what I have - and area rugs. If you put on the chair legs the special pads you wont get scratched floor from them.

Rubber Ducky

Mon, Oct 24 2011, 1:02 pm

I have -- and would use again -- real wood in my living and dining room. Our wood floors came with the house; there was moldering wall-to-wall carpet above it. Wood is warm, it's a relatively soft surface, and it looks good for many years with minimal care.

I assume you know that real wood can be sanded and refinished.

An alternative would be carpet in the living room and tile or slate in the dining room.

amother

Mon, Oct 24 2011, 11:33 pm

My mother and my sisters have laminate in their dining/living rooms, they love it! Nowadays you can get such beautiful ones that look very close to wood! It cleans beautifully, doesn't scratch, there's no upkeep (like parquet), always looks fresh!
They actually also have it in their kitchens, ones that look like marble tiles!
My brother put it in for my mother, himself! And she bought it at costco's so it came out cheaper for her!

amother

Tue, Oct 25 2011, 12:17 am

We put in hardwood in our DR & LR when we moved in a few years ago, and I regret it. It wasn't cheap, and got scratched up right away, and always looks dirty. I know quite a few pple who have laminate and their floors always look clean and nice. It's a much easier upkeep and cheaper. If I could do it again I would go for the laminate.

amother

Tue, Oct 25 2011, 11:05 pm

Why did they stop making parquet? We have that now, but when we replace it won't be.
and I just got several quotes for redoing the floor in real wood and it's really expensive- like $7000 -was teh estimate. Is that normal?
Do most people gut out their floor and replace it. or do you just lay over it?

groisamomma

Tue, Oct 25 2011, 11:15 pm

I made the mistake of washing my laminate floors with Mr. Clean and water, and now, after only six years, all the edges are lifting up, so my floor looks separated all over. If you do go with laminate, use only minimal water to wash.

nicole81

Tue, Oct 25 2011, 11:18 pm

we put our laminate right over the parquet.

I have a love hate relationship with our laminate. I love that it's really easy to clean, and looks pretty nice. I've gotten a fair amount of compliments on how nice my living room and dining room look with it.

however when I go to people's homes who have real wood, I marvel at how beautiful it is and realize exactly how much my laminate lacks in aesthetics.

laminate was extremely cheap, which is why we chose to go with it. we purchased our floors at lumber liquidators, and it cost approximately $750, which included a few extra boxes. I can't tell you the square footage, but it covers most of my first floor in a standard 3 bedroom frame house. we installed it ourselves and just bought some sort of saw from home depot to cut the end boards. I guess the total was less than $900.

nicole81

Tue, Oct 25 2011, 11:19 pm

groisamomma wrote:

I wash with a spray mop filled with vinegar and water. it's the BEST. keeps the floors beautiful and shiny. but still not as nice as real wood Very Happy

amother

Thu, Oct 27 2011, 2:40 pm

What color wood or laminate did you put in?-light , medium or dark?
Are there any pros and cons to getting one color over another? Does a darker shade show more scratches, or lighter shade show more dirt, or not really?

amother

Thu, Oct 27 2011, 3:16 pm

We are in the process of putting wood floors in now. We are going with Laminate just because it is a little cheaper than hardwood and we don't see ourselves living in our house for more than the next 5-10 years. My friend just installed a dark laminate and hates it cause it shows a lot of dust. I choose a color on the darker side but not too dark to show so much dust. I also plan on getting a rug under the dining room table and one by the couches. We are doing a lot of construction work right now so my contractor is just putting it in. Pricing wise the floor I choose if $2.98 a square foot.

amother

Thu, Oct 27 2011, 8:59 pm

amother wrote:

does that price include installation? It sounds like a good price. Who's doing it for you?

amother

Thu, Oct 27 2011, 11:27 pm

amother wrote:

does that price include installation? It sounds like a good price. Who's doing it for you?

It does not include installation....since we are already doing work on our home our contractor is just doing it. The floor I choose is from Home Depot - they were a little cheaper then some of the flooring stores but my contractor said that it's the same quality. There is a 55 year warranty on the flooring if anything was to go wrong.

nicole81

Thu, Oct 27 2011, 11:34 pm

amother wrote:

That sounds like a great deal Nicole. We just wouldn't be able to do it ourselves. Any recommendations for Brooklyn?

sorry, I can't recommend anyone since we didn't use anyone! but I wish you luck with your endeavor!

amother

Fri, Oct 28 2011, 5:13 pm

Also, does changing the floors solve all the squeaky problems of walking on wood--how long does that last? Is there anything to reduce it from happening again when we change the floors?
How often do you change your wooden floors?
and how often are you supposed to?

mykidsmother

Sun, Oct 30 2011, 12:30 am

I have hardwood in my dining room bc thats what was in my house when I moved in. I put laminate in 2 bedrooms more to the lighter side and I love the floor. it is almost 5 years old and it looks brand new. I understood the laminate wood iss real wood just has a laminating coat to keap it from getting damaged. I would definately recomend the laminate floor because it keeps nicer it is much cheaper in the begin with and also the upkeap is cheaper.