Laminate flooring: yes or no?

I need 140sqm of flooring. I started off thinking I'd like solid floors and then after some research moved on to semi-solid pretty quickly. Lately, however, most people are saying to get a good quality laminate floor and there won't be anything like the maintenance or wear and tear that there would be on the solid and semi-solid (I have young children).

So, here's my thinking so far. Downstairs outside the kitchen and utility room, I'm looking at this laminate: 12MM MAMMUT 4V AC5. I like the look of it, and AC5 is apparently the hardest wearing quality and 12mm is a decent thickness apparently. However, does anybody have experience of the Kronotex Mammut range of laminate floors? Would you recommend another one instead?

In terms of quality, durability and low maintenance, I'm actually finding it difficult to find any serious downside to the laminate compared to solid and semi-solid floors. Why would you avoid laminate flooring?

wexfordman2

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I need 140sqm of flooring. I started off thinking I'd like solid floors and then after some research moved on to semi-solid pretty quickly. Lately, however, most people are saying to get a good quality laminate floor and there won't be anything like the maintenance or wear and tear that there would be on the solid and semi-solid (I have young children).

So, here's my thinking so far. Downstairs outside the kitchen and utility room, I'm looking at this laminate: 12MM MAMMUT 4V AC5. I like the look of it, and AC5 is apparently the hardest wearing quality and 12mm is a decent thickness apparently. However, does anybody have experience of the Kronotex Mammut range of laminate floors? Would you recommend another one instead?

In terms of quality, durability and low maintenance, I'm actually finding it difficult to find any serious downside to the laminate compared to solid and semi-solid floors. Why would you avoid laminate flooring?

If your looking at a timber look, have a look at some of the new ceramic wood effect tiles... stunning

wexfordman2

wexfordman2 wrote: »

If your looking at a timber look, have a look at some of the new ceramic wood effect tiles... stunning

Never heard of them. Will start checking them out now. I was in a showroom today and the man was pushing vinyl tiles for the kitchen and utility room very strongly. They were €35 per sqm, but they want to install them too, bringing the cost to €86 per sqm. It seems ridiculously steep (there's about 20sqm), and I had never heard of vinyl tiles but perhaps they could be worth investigating more.

looksee

Carpet

A friend has the ceramic wood effect tiles in a bathroom and they look very well. I would not put them in other rooms though. I have good quality laminate in the sitting room and dining room, and also in the bedroom and I am very happy with it. I prefer the one in the sitting room as it is more natural than the upstairs one, but both look good. I have engineered timber in the hall and it is a liability, I would not use it again.

The flooring place that I use has all the stuff you can order, but it is very expensive. They also buy full containers of a limited range and it is half the price - same quality but less choice as they bought in bulk. I think I paid around €35 psm fitted, and I am very happy with it.

CelticRambler

I wouldn't use vinyl with children in the house! I've had four of them, and know that they can destroy even the hardest wearing vinyl, regards of what the salesman tell you.

The same goes for any other "hardwearing" material, including laminates. I fitted AC6 laminate (a grade harder than the one you linked to above) in a bathroom last year, and even that had scratches within a few weeks! :pac:

Apart from using my own children to test brochure claims (and the sturdiness of any building work I do) I've found that the "best" flooring is the one that doesn't show the damage too badly. Anything with a bit of a pattern/grain in it will always be more forgiving. In my experience, vinyl is the worst for showing up scatches and scrapes and plain carpets are terrible if you get anything sticky on them.

Incidentally, I looked at the wood-effect ceramic tiles for the bathroom project above and the all-in cost (no fitting, would have been doing it myself) was nearly three times that of the laminate.

mick121

I have laminate upstairs, each bedroom and landing. Fwiw I have the bottom of my house tiled,hall,kitchen,dining and sitting room.its fantastic I would do it again if I ever moved. I would never put laminate near a outside door,especially if you've kids.water damage from rain,coats hanging and dripping etc.

wexfordman2

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Never heard of them. Will start checking them out now. I was in a showroom today and the man was pushing vinyl tiles for the kitchen and utility room very strongly. They were €35 per sqm, but they want to install them too, bringing the cost to €86 per sqm. It seems ridiculously steep (there's about 20sqm), and I had never heard of vinyl tiles but perhaps they could be worth investigating more.

We recently retiled our kitchen, we went with porcelain tile, but not the wood effect ones as well needed white or bright tiles, bit if we could have gotten away with a darker tile we would have gone for them. Take a look at a few tile places for them. Yes, more expensive than laminate to buy, and to put down, but the hardest wearing floor you will ever get.

Sleepy

Carpet

We went for tiles in the kitchen and hall for exactly the reason mick121 gives: muddy boots / wet umbrellas etc. would ruin laminate. I put down Balterio laminate in the sitting room and it's shown no aging in the 6 months it's been down. Would encourage you to do the fitting yourself, there's really very little to it once the floor is level.

Irish_rat

Carpet

Tiles in the hall and kitchen would be nearly a must as you'll always have someone walking on it with wet dirty shoes. Actually I love tiles too very easy to clean and maintain

Laminate in every other room except the bathrooms.

lostcat

Deleted User wrote: »

In terms of quality, durability and low maintenance, I'm actually finding it difficult to find any serious downside to the laminate compared to solid and semi-solid floors. Why would you avoid laminate flooring?

the only thing with laminate is...it will never look like a solid or engineered timber floor which has a decent thickness of real timber on it.

if you want a floor which will look 'perfect' for 10 years, laminate is the way to go, however it won't look like a perfect timber floor...which is fine and preferable for the majority to the 'used' look which a natural floor will aquire over time. in my opinion a floor looking 'slightly abused' is natural, its the most used surface in a house.....

dodzy

Carpet

Good quality laminate. All day long.

The Bishop Basher

Carpet

Built our house 8/9 years ago when solid timber floors were all the rage..

We opted for good quality laminate instead as we wanted something functional and hard wearing.

2 dogs and 2 teenage kids later, we still have the original laminate down while i'll bet many of those solid and semi solid floors have been replaced..

I could never understand people getting floors that you couldn't walk on with damaging in certain shoes.. Why put that stress and expense in your life..

Laminate all the way..

Cyrus

Swanner wrote: »

Built our house 8/9 years ago when solid timber floors were all the rage..

We opted for good quality laminate instead as we wanted something functional and hard wearing.

2 dogs and 2 teenage kids later, we still have the original laminate down while i'll bet many of those solid and semi solid floors have been replaced..

I could never understand people getting floors that you couldn't walk on with damaging in certain shoes.. Why put that stress and expense in your life..

Laminate all the way..

Because nothing looks like the real thing !

The Bishop Basher

Carpet

Cyrus wrote: »

Because nothing looks like the real thing !

Agreed it looks great when new..

That's the thing though..

Once you throw in a couple of kids, a dog or 2, some muddy boots and a pair of stilettos it can end up looking awful..

Whereas a quick hoover and mop will have laminate looking brand new again..

Like leather seats in the car, it's a no brainer with kids..

Cyrus

Swanner wrote: »

Agreed it looks great when new..

That's the thing though..

Once you throw in a couple of kids, a dog or 2, some muddy boots and a pair of stilettos it can end up looking awful..

Whereas a quick hoover and mop will have laminate looking brand new again..

Like leather seats in the car, it's a no brainer with kids..

I don't buy that how many church's and stately homes have wooden floors 100s of years old and they still look good , but whatever you prefer and what works best for you

Graham

Cyrus wrote: »

I don't buy that how many church's and stately homes have wooden floors 100s of years old and they still look good , but whatever you prefer and what works best for you

For most people it's not entirely a case of preference, there's a not insignificant up-front cost to consider.

lostcat

upfront cost, unsuitable for use with underfloor heating, don't like water, budget for a sand and varnish in 10 years, no question solid / semi solid floors have compromises which laminate doesn't...

Personally I can live with all that for the finish, however I can perfectly understand the alternative argument.

Cyrus

Graham wrote: »

For most people it's not entirely a case of preference, there's a not insignificant up-front cost to consider.

Sure but price wasn't mentioned above I don't think

Staplor

I like natural wood floors, but they will dent, that's part of it. if you like the dents then go timber, if you can't stand them go with a laminate. I've never understood the draw of engineered floors, they seem to have drawbacks of both.

Esel

Cyrus wrote: »

I don't buy that how many church's and stately homes have wooden floors 100s of years old and they still look good , but whatever you prefer and what works best for you

So you think wooden church floors get more traffic over the entire surface than the wooden or laminate floors in an average home?

When the vast majority of churches were being built, laminate was not available.

Wooden-surface floors need a lot of maintenance over the years - planing/sanding etc.

Cyrus

Esel wrote: »

So you think wooden church floors get more traffic over the entire surface than the wooden or laminate floors in an average home?

When the vast majority of churches were being built, laminate was not available.

Wooden-surface floors need a lot of maintenance over the years - planing/sanding etc.

yes i do actually given that most churches are over 100 years old

if you like laminate go for it, but id never use it personally, just doesnt look the same.

we had about 150 sq/m of flooring that we wanted parquet on a lot of it with underfloor heating and i still went with solid oak as nothing else compared and engineered seems like big compromise for no cost saving.

bmwguy

I have kronotex in most of the house for last 7 years. Still looks perfect

bmwguy

bmwguy wrote: »

I have kronotex in most of the house for last 7 years. Still looks perfect

Interesting; Kronotex is what I want to put down also. Was it a difficult product to install? Was it a "click-in" floor? (i.e. would I need to pay somebody to come in and do it)

bmwguy

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Interesting; Kronotex is what I want to put down also. Was it a difficult product to install? Was it a "click-in" floor? (i.e. would I need to pay somebody to come in and do it)

I know you mentioned Kronotex in your opening post! It's just I still have a box of it I recognises the name.

Yes it's click together flooring very easy to click it together. But there is the removal of skirting boards, cutting around door frames etc that you need to have the equipment and know what you are doing. Just the edges and finishing need expertise. And measuring and planning.

Depends on how handy you are doing things like that I suppose. I did it all myself anyway I had the father's chopsaw for the day. If you are clueless on this stuff get someone in.

Sleepy

Carpet

Ah, it's not rocket science. I figured it out as I went and had the sitting room done in a day.

A decent jigsaw, a spirit level and some basic hand tools to remove and replace the skirtings and you're off. Biggest thing to watch out for is to make sure the floor is dead level before fitting.

_Brian

Like many threads on boards posters have an opinion and seriously seem to think anyone with the other opinion is completly wrong.
Wooden floors are good, as are laminate, I've seen good examples of both and terrible examples of both.

Relax and have whatever suits your situation and your happy with.