New flooring for our house - Laminate vs Other

gazfocus

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

Please don't tell me the OP is considering replacing real wood simply because it runs diagonally!

as pheobe said, it's not real wood floor - the real wood floor is what we're thinking of putting in.

The karndean that's down is a) badly scratched as it's been down approx 10 years, b) it's a much lighter colour than we like and c) yes, it runs diagnolly with a border which isn't our taste.

The main reason though it the karndean has obviously been laid after the existing kitchen was fitted and as such, the border goes round the existing cupboards. We want a different layout in the kitchen and have knocked a built in cupboard out so the flooring is no longer suitable.

gazfocus

phoebe1989seb wrote: »

We also have Karndean in two of our bathrooms here and having had it previously in bathrooms in our old houses we have been very happy with it. That said, I'm really not a fan of any diagonally laid flooring so understand your wish to replace it

We're laying engineered oak in our three reception areas - around 65 sq m - and were advised against solid wood because ours is an old stone house - 200+ years - and as such prone to damp issues which would not be compatible with solid timber.

Ours cost £59.99 per sq m, but over a period of two years (:eek:) I obtained about thirty samples ranging in price from £25 to £90 per sq m and tbh some of the less expensive stuff seemed fairly good quality, just that for us colour and aged appearance were important and the one we've gone with happened to meet our criteria.....some of the engineered boards we considered were more expensive than solid oak......in fact the oak board I would have picked for colour etc was half the price of the engineered one we ended up going with!

Thanks pheobe, I think we will be going for engineered wood rather than real wood. Will have to get ordering some samples

Hintza

gazfocus wrote: »

Thanks pheobe, I think we will be going for engineered wood rather than real wood. Will have to get ordering some samples

I would go and visit places you want to see a selection of boards en masse not just off cuts, it will give you a better idea how the floor will look.

phoebe1989seb

Hintza wrote: »

I would go and visit places you want to see a selection of boards en masse not just off cuts, it will give you a better idea how the floor will look.

This. As stated I got a whole shed load of samples and in the end couldn't see the wood for the trees......patchwork floor anyone? lol!

Out of the four we finally narrowed it down to, only one was an online supplier and we actually got offered better discounts from the local *bricks and mortar* showrooms than in phone/internet discussions.....plus as Hintza says, we could see larger samples/areas of flooring laid which was most helpful in the decision-making process!

andrewf75

phoebe1989seb wrote: »

This. As stated I got a whole shed load of samples

You've just given me an idea of how to get a free floor!

adeelmpk

I'm also looking to buy engineered oak flooring and looking for some recommendations for brands and/or resellers please. Been to Wickes and B&Q but I think they're charging premium prices for usual quality.

Hintza

You will know the right board when you see it, just take your time.

I was chased from the biggest retailer in Glasgow being told that they couldn't get what I wanted at the price I was willing to pay. Having said that they had a couple of boards down that were not in stock or unavailable.

The company I dealt with were lovely but have since gone out of business which is a shame, As I said I just kept going in over quite an extended time until he found what I was looking for.

I was very clear in what I wanted:- As rustic looking as it would come, good carcass (11 layers of ply), decent thickness of oak, bevelled edges all round. We ended up getting a 130mm board which was wider than I wanted at the time but I think suits the house.

Some will not like rustic boards and will want the tight uniform Siberian Oak but I would advise you asking yourself if your lifestyle will allow you keeping it looking immaculate (ours certainly wouldn't).

Just to add we put in a GSHP and UFH so at 22mm thick our floor is a shade thicker than ideal for the job.

One other thing we put in was 2m x 2m coir matting in a fitted well (no floor) at the front door which catches a huge amount of muck from getting in the house and I think looks not too bad either.

Rottensocks

Personally, if you have 4 dogs, I would choose a good quality laminate over real wood or engineered.

Its all about the surface - on wood, one scratch will mean you have to sand back the whole floor if it is laquered, and oiled wood will be a beast to maintain with 4 dogs.

Order samples of the wood floor you like, then set about ordering samples of laminates that are similar to it. There are loads available. The V groove edging makes them look more realistic, and also the textured surface is more realistic too.

rob7475

We've just had the same dilemma.

We were adament that we wanted real wood and not 'awful' laminate.

After getting loads of samples of engineered oak and solid wood and finding that they all scratched quite easily, we got some samples of quickstep perspective laminite. It was much more scratch resistant than the wood and looked great. The planks are wide and have a groove at the edges and the surface has a texture that makes it look more like real wood. We've had it down for nearly a year now with not a single scratch. Quickstep also do a repair kit with filler mathced to the colour should it ever scratch.

The perspective stuff is quite dear but well worth it in my opinion.

Rottensocks

Just done very similar process to you Rob 7475. I hated laminate too, but like it or loathe it, it is still the most practical surface I think.

Once you have a load of samples of wood and laminate, OP, try tapping at them with a screwdriver/hammer - anything that replicates dogs claws bounding all over it..... You'll find a good laminate tougher I think, and the wax/resin hot melt repair kits for laminate work great.