What should I be looking for when I choose laminate flooring? I am building a smallish house, I plan to put in laminate flooring in it. But I heard some horror stories about how some laminate flooring started peeling after a couple of months use.
I am looking for something durable for it's a rental property and the people living in it might not look after it, and hopefully moisture resistant because I definitely do not want peeling floors.
So what should I be looking for in choosing laminate flooring or if there are some kind of tests I should be using to test the quality of the floors panels?
Best Answer
My workplace installed a vinyl click-down laminate last year in the entry way and a large meeting space. This is a mixed engineering and manufacturing company in the Pacific Northwest, so the flooring has taken a severe beating from boots and heavy equipment being dragged across it, as well as getting soaked from rain being tracked inside. It's held up very well.
In non-wet areas, especially those you may want to look more upscale, you should consider engineered hardwoods. They cost the same amount as good laminate, and you get a real surface rather than printed paper. I recently installed bamboo engineered flooring in my home office for $2.39/sq ft, and I can't recommend it highly enough.
Personally I'd recommend a bamboo appearance if you are worried about scratching. Bamboo's appearance hides scratches very well.
In terms of comparing products, go to a store (either home improvement or dedicated flooring) and try and get a hand on whatever flooring you are looking at. Good quality engineered hardwoods should have a plywood-type bottom layer, and if they include a particleboard midlayer, make sure it's a tempered/high-density variety (dark grey-brown). Good laminates should be relatively heavy, and if you want it to stand up to water, should have a vinyl backing rather than fiberboard.