Laminite Floor recommendations

[JeffKeryk]

My niece just got a condo that needs paint and flooring. I used the best Pergo many years ago.
What is good today? There will be 3 bedrooms, stairway and maybe more.

Costco has deals with Shaws Flooring; that might be the way to go?
Thanks in advance.

 

[spasm3]

I have put down 3 floors with aquagard. Look for an AC5 commercial wear rating.

I used this in 2 bedrooms. Very pleased. You do need an underlayment under it.

Atlas Oak Water Resistant Laminate | Floor and Decor

Exclusive to Floor & Decor, 12mm AquaGuard Atlas Oak Water Resistant Laminate looks and feels like authentic hardwood. AquaGuard is water-resistant and provides

www.flooranddecor.com

 

[AZjeff]

We love glue-down vinyl plank. First had it in my photo minilab ages ago. Put it in our last house and it's the only thing down in this new house. It's softer, warmer, quiet, and doesn't have that plastic hollow feel & sound. We had floating laminate and glue-down in the last house and would have replaced the laminate had we stayed there. If you want to know more PM me.

https://hallmarkfloors.com/luxury-vinyl-species/

 

[RhondaHonda]

I have put down 3 floors with aquagard. Look for an AC5 commercial wear rating.

I used this in 2 bedrooms. Very pleased. You do need an underlayment under it.

Atlas Oak Water Resistant Laminate | Floor and Decor

Exclusive to Floor & Decor, 12mm AquaGuard Atlas Oak Water Resistant Laminate looks and feels like authentic hardwood. AquaGuard is water-resistant and provides

www.flooranddecor.com

View attachment 79983View attachment 79984

Looks good. Did you put quarter round at the baseboard since it looks like you installed the flooring with the baseboard already in place?

 

[spasm3]

Looks good. Did you put quarter round at the baseboard since it looks like you installed the flooring with the baseboard already in place?

Yes I did. I stained it to match.

 

[ecotourist]

When we were looking at houses, if there was any laminate we passed. I just hate the walking on hard plastic sound.

 

[billt460]

When we were looking at houses, if there was any laminate we passed. I just hate the walking on hard plastic sound.

I said the same exact thing about carpeting. You're either constantly cleaning it, or else replacing it.

 

[skyactiv]

Shaw is down the list on Consumers Reports. Lumber Liquidators AquaSeal 24 is the best rated. Lumber Liquidators has stores in your area?

Pergo Portfolio+ Wet Protect is a good line

 

[dlundblad]

I have put down 3 floors with aquagard. Look for an AC5 commercial wear rating.

I used this in 2 bedrooms. Very pleased. You do need an underlayment under it.

Atlas Oak Water Resistant Laminate | Floor and Decor

Exclusive to Floor & Decor, 12mm AquaGuard Atlas Oak Water Resistant Laminate looks and feels like authentic hardwood. AquaGuard is water-resistant and provides

www.flooranddecor.com

View attachment 79983View attachment 79984

Something like this was going to be my suggestion as well. Our entire upstairs needs carpet and this is what I was thinking.

 

[Pablo]

I used to be some kind of purist. Good carpet, hardwood, tile.

Then I studied in depth just how absolutely NASTY and DISGUSTING carpet is. Done with it. And I was against LVP. But stack the cost, maintenance and durability against hardwood, and LVP is right there. Now that it looks really nice? No brainer. We did my office and all upstairs aside from tile bathrooms in nice LVP. It's not noisy or cold or cheapy. The only problem we had: We needed 3/8" underlayment. Seemingly endless stacks of plywood! I cannot remember how many sheets, but that added a chunk of $ to the project. I laughed at the time and told the wife it made the house stronger and more stable!

Honestly I think there are some really good choices in styles, just hit the warehouse type sellers in your area, I know if there are THREE in the Bellingham WA area, I know in CA there will be many. Pick out a look, a price, a type. For a condo I would think one would really need to be in the trashy grades to get bad stuff, because even some of the no-name (or really names that are not common on the street) will be perfect. No brainer for a condo IMHO.

 

[wpod]

Waterproof vinyl looks good, lasts and doesn't have the problems of the older Pergo type of flooring that swells when wet. I have done my 2 four plexes and it looks really nice and the renters seem to be impressed.

 

[Rand]

IF its anywhere with water I'd go with vinyl. had to rip up around half of the finished basement up because of a tiny water leak that swelled it.
Fortunately that is only 1/8 of the basement. (1/4 finished)

I didnt choose the product the defective linoleum they put in there when I bought the house was peeling up and a safety hazard so they sent out mr fixit to tear it out and put in laminate.

 

[AZjeff]

When we were looking at houses, if there was any laminate we passed. I just hate the walking on hard plastic sound.

Got dogs? Clickety clickety click! And when they play it's like they're on ice.

 

[390pcode]

LVT/LVP, without question.
I have it in all my rentals as well as at home.
Holds up well to 3 labradors at home...

 

[doitmyself]

The problem I see with spasm3's AquaGuard is this: "AquaGuard is water-resistant and provides lifetime protection against household spills, splashes and pet accidents for up to 30 hours."

Our very small farm house is lived in and accidents happen weekly. I prefer water proof vs. water resistant.

There are 2 basic types of waterproof luxury vinyl plank, WPC and SPC. The WPC is slightly warmer/quieter and the SPC is more rugged/dent resistant. Always have tradeoffs! https://www.flooringinc.com/buyers-guide/vinyl-plank-flooring.html

I did exhaustive research before buying our flooring this past fall. As above, go with the 20 mil wear layer (some of the big box stuff is 6 mil). It's tough to find U.S. made product. Even the premier brands such as CoreTec have imported product.

 

[HemiBenny]

When I had an addition built onto the back of my house we had Smartcore from Lowes installed. The addition is a living area for my In-laws, my father-in-law is in bad health, so we have them with us to care for them into their "golden" years. He spills a lot of stuff, has a walker, and is notoriously rough on everything, he can literally destroy a steel ball with a feather.
We have given them the Master bedroom, master bath, walk in master closet, and the new addition. The addition is connected to these rooms via what used to be the door from the master bedroom to the patio and all of the flooring in those rooms was replaced with the Smartcore vinyl planks.
It has held up great and has not shown any wear or damage from his walker, the countless spills, and whatever else he can manage to do to it.
I can't recall the price exactly, but it was very reasonable and We're happy with the performance, look, and feel of it. Like any flooring, you'll find mixed reviews on it.

 

[Job]

Costco is hard to beat. The best Pergo is hard to beat. Home Depot has a wide selection of flooring including real wood variants. I was never able to wear out the Costco laminate put in years ago. Take a steel drywall or deck screw and try to scratch the samples. HD has all the small samples. I tried that and quickly saw differences that eliminated choices. Nothing beats your own scratch testing versus reading opinions in the internet.