Depending on your point of view, laminate flooring might by the best invention since sliced bread or might not.

There are several different manufacturers of laminate flooring. And yes it is a much better product than say (oh) ten years ago. If installed correctly it is very difficult to tell laminate flooring from the real thing. And can truly add value and appearance to any room or home. The photo finish surface on most laminate products is extremely difficult to damage (note here that it can be damaged and if damaged/chipped is virtually impossible to fix) and should never need waxing, etc.

Okay, so much for the really good things to say about laminate flooring. Now let’s get down to the real world of it shall we. Laminate flooring is not as easy to install as the folks selling you the stuff would like to make it out to be. I might suggest that you head on over to the DIY network (on line) and view a video on how to install the quick snap laminate flooring system. Hint, when buying this type of flooring, go ahead and out the additional money for the product that already has the padded backing on it. Trust me it will make your life much easier when doing the installation.

Snap together system(s) have a manner in which they can be more easily connected and a way that can drive you insane. I suggest taking out a few units and mastering the connection technique. Next installation hint you must keep in the mind that your flooring should have a 1/8 inch to ¼ inch space between it and any wall for humidity expansions and such or you can run into some serious trouble in the future.

Most folks are going to tell you that you can install laminate flooring directly to any sub-floor without any problems. Not true! If you truly want to avoid expansion problems with laminates install a floating sub-floor over the primary sub-floor (the sub-floor could be the concrete foundation or the ¾ inch sub-floor that is nailed to your pier and beam foundation). Normally, Hardy Board (or similar product) is best to lay down as the floating sub-floor (also known as under layment). Why is this considered better? It truly isolates the laminate flooring from the original sub-floor and allows less expansion movement and isolates any moisture that could sneak in from the original sub-floor and ruin your laminate investment.

Now for the real down side to laminate flooring. We all know that wood flooring needs treatment and sealers to keep it from being affected by water. At least wood floors can be treated for such. Laminate floors hate water and cannot be treated or sealed against such! A laminate floor in the utility room, bathroom, kitchen is just a future disaster waiting to occur! This means that mopping your laminate floor is not suggested as a means of cleaning it. (Most laminate packages have this little disclaimer someplace that is not easily seen when being purchased).

How on earth do you clean the stuff other than getting down on your hands and knees and mopping with a damp rag (as suggested for most laminate floor products)? I suggest the Hoover Floor Machine. It was made for wooden and tile floors. And used in the proper manner can easily mop a laminate floor without any risk of damage to the floor. The trick is only wetting (damping) the scrubbing brushes on the machine and allowing them to do all of the work rather than applying large amounts of water to the floor and allowing the brushes to scrub, etc. 16 ounces of water/cleaner can easily clean 900 square feet of laminate.

And while most laminate products are hardened against traffic you need to research and discover just how traffic hardened the laminate flooring you are considering buying actually is. Nothing like installing a wonderful, stylish floor in your home’s main entrance, only to notice visual wear in four or five years after installation.


So, before making the final decision to install laminate flooring or real wood flooring…take the time to discover all of the pros and cons of the each product line. Don’t just ask the store sales person. Discuss options with a qualified, flooring contractor.