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I
have done my fair share of laminate floor installations. (
4 rooms total) Let me share with you some of my experiences
along with some advice.
About
4 years ago my wife and I decided to get rid of our old, dog
abused carpeting, and replace it with laminate flooring. Laminate
floors were cheaper than real hardwoods and seemed more resistant
to dog traffic.
We
went to a a few local shops and finally decided on some Pergo.
We had it installed professionally and they did a "OK"
job but we had a disagreement about baseboards and few minor
issues. I think they did not apply enough glue in many places
and the seal between some of the joints was not as tight as
they should have been. My first bit of advice, do not buy
the Pergo you find in your local home improvement shops. The
only Pergo I recommend is the Pergo Select, very strong and
much thicker than most laminates.
A
year later we had a condenser break on our AC unit and had
a water leak in one of our bedrooms. Again we decided to go
with laminate flooring but this time do it ourselves or should
I say, "do it myself." I went to Lowes and bought
some Armstrong. And luckily our homeowners insurance covered
most of the materials. I went ahead and installed the flooring
in 2 rooms, using the underlayment, glue and spent a lot of
time on getting up close and personal with my floor. Try and
get some help with the glue model floors. It will make the
job go faster.
We
were happy with the Armstrong floors and thought the job I
had done was better than the so called professional installer
we used the first time around. Well we sold that house and
headed back to Upstate NY. For Part 2 of my laminate flooring
experience.
Part
2 Glueless Laminates Floors - Gotta Love'em
After
settling into a new house and finding that the previous owner
had a dog that left a pleasant odor in one of the bedrooms.
We decided once again to put in some laminate floors.
This
time I did some research online. I found some great sites
and forums. I also visited almost every flooring retailer
in Central New York. I was able to see many of the products
up close at the local retailers but their prices were high
compared to those I was seeing online. I finally decided I
wanted to buy a glueless laminate that was getting good reviews
online. The flooring is made by a company called Witex. The
exact product we went with is called Loctec Silent comfort.
The underlayment is built onto the back of the floor. This
was great because it saved another step. We did not have to
roll out any underlayment. Plus the silent comfort is suppose
to deaden sound up to 15 decibels.
Well
I went to some of my favorite local shops and none of them
could come close to the prices being offered online. $3.99-$4.99
a square foot were the prices they quoted, not to mention
paying sales tax. I found the Witex flooring at Fastfloors.com
for $2.99 a square foot plus only $99 for shipping and no
sales tax. I saved almost $500 dollars and had a good experience.
They shipped the boxes to my house via a Roadway. That was
a bit of a pain because you have to unload the truck yourself.
If you have any damaged boxes be sure to call the freight
company right away.
Installation
was quite literally a snap. I completed the entire job myself.
The glueless laminates are awesome. You cannot see any seams
and this Witex brand is resistant to water. When I do the
rest of the house I plan to order online. The shipping deals
are even better and so are the products. And remember no sales
tax if the company is located in a different state than you
reside in. Chaching!
Update!
5/8/2003
I
did another room in my home, about 500 square feet. I shopped
online and found another great deal at Fastfloors.com,
$2.39 a sq. foot for Quick Step by Uniclic. I almost purchased
Witex again but after speaking with a sales guy at Fastfloors,
he recommended Quick Step over Witex. It was also cheaper,
$avings! The Witex did have an underlayment attached which
made instsallation just a bit easier but the Quick Step product
is nice. So far so good, my 2 dogs and 3 year old have yet
to damage the floors, knock on wood or should I say laminate?
hehehehe!
I
recommend giving Fastfloors.com
a try. So far 2 separate orders without too many hassles (the
first shipping company was OK but the driver was a bit of
a jerk). The second delivery was great, the driver was courteous
and even assisted in unloading, do not expect that kind of
service, they do not get paid to unload the truck. Have a
friend or neighbor assist you in unloading the truck.
I
would estimate I saved over $1000 ordering the floors online,
shipping only $99 and $69 and no tax. I went to most all the
local floor shops and no one could match the price, plus I
found many salesman just try to push the most expensive floors.
They also tend to speak to you like they are the all knowing
about floors. I would ask one question about the laminate
floor, then browse around at other flooring, ask a question
about a engineered hardwood and get a response "that
is not a laminate." "Really you mean the sign that
says engineered hardwood means its not a laminate? Wow thanks
for clearing that up!"
Well
that the latest. I hope you found my experience a bit helpful.
I
plan to list some helpful sites in the near future. So please
check back for updates.
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