laminate flooring opinions

tired_dad

Was visting a shop and really liked their grey coloured wood flooring.

So much so I wanted the same thing in my house.

Chatted up the shop owner who talked about it being recently installed and he had some spare packs round the back.

I went round the back and inspected the packs to get the details.

Was surprised to see it was a laminate floor.

NOW my Q is would you install this downstairs in a lounge/diner (no kitchen).

I ask because a get a general sense that it is frowned upon.

chrisw

tired_dad wrote: »

I ask because a get a general sense that it is frowned upon.

Frowned upon by whom? It's your house - do want you want.

It doesn't matter whether it's real wood or laminate as long as you're happy with how it looks. I prefer carpet as it's soft and warm, but if I had dogs or young children I might prefer laminate/wood. Each to their own.

Owain_Moneysaver

If it's commercial quality laminate flooring then it will be a lot more robust than the rubbish sold for domestic use.

TheCyclingProgrammer

Nothing wrong with DECENT quality laminate (we have QuickStep in our lounge/dining room and hallway). No, it doesn't have the appeal or look as good as engineered or proper solid wood flooring but it can look good and is low maintenance and hard wearing. Great if you have children or pets.

There is a lot of a cheap rubbish out there though.

tired_dad

Thanks. The statement that it does not have the look or appeal of engineered wood is what worries me.

The pics I've seen suggest it looks near enough identical.

The shop in question; I honestly thought it was real wood till I spoke with the owner

HappyMJ

tired_dad wrote: »

Thanks. The statement that it does not have the look or appeal of engineered wood is what worries me.

The pics I've seen suggest it looks near enough identical.

The shop in question; I honestly thought it was real wood till I spoke with the owner

There's cheap laminate flooring and there's good quality laminate flooring. They are vastly different. Good quality laminate can almost pass for real wood flooring at less than half the cost. It won't have the lifespan of real wood but it is significantly cheaper.

The cheap laminate that many on here comment about is very poor. After only a few years and you will see wear marks on it and it will need replacing. I've seen wear marks in less than 6 months on a property before. That stuff is very very cheap though.

RichardD1970

I've always found Ikea laminate to be very good, we have it in our bedrooms. For the lounge, hall, stair and landing we have engineered bamboo.

I recently did my daughters bedroom with this, not cheap and don't know about longevity yet but was an absolute dream to lay, no sawing and mess, just a Stanley knife and straight edge.

tired_dad

so where does quick step fall into? in terms of laminate quality

vansboy

I bought from https://www.discountflooringdepot.co.uk/laminate-c1/8mm-t24

After pricing up for Quick step, was half the price. Previously I used B&Q Aqualoc, but they dont sell colours I wanted.

More than happy with quality, as well as their prices. I still get countless e mails from them with different offers, so it may be worth asking for some samples.

Use THIS
As it is better than fibre boards, no dust and just as cheap if you go to Screwfix

VB

TheCyclingProgrammer

tired_dad wrote: »

Thanks. The statement that it does not have the look or appeal of engineered wood is what worries me.

The pics I've seen suggest it looks near enough identical.

The shop in question; I honestly thought it was real wood till I spoke with the owner

I should have added "...to some people". Some people can be very snobbish about laminate. There's nothing wrong with good quality laminate and whilst I think real wood is nicer and has a warmth that laminate can't replicate I'm very happy with our laminate flooring.

Here's a photo of ours which is QuickStep Impressive in Soft Oak Natural. IMO its very realistic and the main giveaway when you look for it is the pattern repeat.

TheCyclingProgrammer

tired_dad wrote: »

so where does quick step fall into? in terms of laminate quality

Depends which range you get but it ranges from mid range to top of the range. The Impressive range which we went for is near the top.

Our floor was laid by a QuickStep master installer and he says to avoid the cheap stuff that B&Q sell as QuickStep as its inferior.

He supplied ours but flooring-supplies.co.uk is worth a look.

Balterio is meant to be good stuff too.