Floored (Laminate Flooring)

Member Name: dibuzz

Product:	Laminate Flooring
Date:	04/10/01 (2672 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to wipe clean, better for asthmatic children, hygienic

Disadvantages: shows dirt quicker than a carpet, can be noisier

My friend has recently installed a new laminate floor.

He did all the work himself, it only took him two days and was a third of the cost of a carpet.

I thought of many reasons for him not to do it:-
1. The room would seem colder
2. It would scratch easily as they have 3 kids and a dog
3. It would start to lift if anything was spilled
4. It would not be comfortable to sit on.
5. It would be noisy
6. It would be harder to keep looking clean
7. There would be a lot of work involved

Four weeks later I take it all back. The room doesn't feel colder at all, in fact the rich colour of the wood makes it look warmer.

One of his sons is always rolling around on the floor with cars but they don't scratch the surface and neither does the dog. The surface is tougher than I expected.

Any spills are easily wiped up but I still wonder what would happen if there was a slow leak or a spill wasn't noticed.

It is no colder than a carpet to sit on but I couldn't be comfortable for long unless I sat on a cushion.

It is slightly noisier, for instance if something is dropped but not considerably so.

Although it needs to be wiped over at least daily (especially as they have a dog) this doesn't take as long as hoovering and is easier. Until the novely wears off he will continue to spray soapy wood cleaner on the floor and let the kids skate round in old socks (how lazy can you get?)

The work involved was not as much as I expected. The underfloor doesn't have to be perfect as there is a foam layer between it and the laminate. It is easy to cut but you need to take your time and double check the measurements.

There needs to be a slight gap all the way round to allow for expansion so you either need to put a trim on the existing skirting boards or replace them over the floor.

The only problem they found was when the dog came running in - he coul
dn't stop and ended up with his nose against the wall looking very bewildered.

Despite my original misgivings I have already asked him to do mine as it looks wonderful and as my children suffer from asthma it will be better for them (less dust).

Summary: