Durham, NC on Sep 20, 2011

We currently have carpet throughout our living room, family room, bedrooms and hallway...one neutral color.....it's

been down for over 8 years now and starting to look scruffy plus we have a cat who has had clawed a small section of the carpet near our bedrooom door. I am thinking replacing all rooms with laminate (we have a very good quality vinyl in kitchen that looks like hardwood floor). Any thoughts?

21 Comments

KMS Woodworks Nederland, CO

Laminates are a very economical way to go...but the old saying "you get what you pay for" holds true. laminates lack the durability of a real hardwood floor and people often complain about the hollow clackitty clack sound when you walk on them. When looking at lifetime costs a real hardwood will always come out ahead...Hardwoods can last 80-100 years or more...laminates are more like carpet and will look bad in 5-8 years...I have even replaced some that looked really bad after only a ...»
couple of years.
For resale go with solid wood...prefinished hardwoods eliminate the sanding mess and can be used right after install.

on Sep 20, 2011 · Like 2
Lori W Durham, NC

We may be relocating in a few months. and are looking for an economical solution - would laminate be a hindrance to sale of property? Or would we do better with replacing carpet with carpet?

on Sep 20, 2011 · Like 0
Kimberly Lacy Snellville, GA

Hi Lori! You definitely get what you pay for. While laminate is more cost effective up front hardwoods are more cost effective in terms of a good investment. THere are definite differences between the two. If you go the laminate route get the best you can afford with your money. I suggest you shop around at local hardwood dealers and try to get a great price on hardwoods. Treat the negotiating/buying process as you would a car, price compare and haggle your butt off. Every one wants to sell there products and in turn "Lori gets a good deal!".

on Sep 20, 2011 · Like 0
Enchanting Interior Archi... Atlanta, GA

Lori, it might be best to replace the carpet in the bedrooms & family room with carpet. Carpet helps to reduce the noise in these rooms and helps with privacy. If you cut the cost of the amount of hardwood that you would need, then you can use hardwoods in the living room and hallway. It's also a great selling point to use if you are trying to sell your home in the near future.

on Sep 20, 2011 · Like 2
Hewitt Remodeling Service... Virginia Beach, VA

Lori,
What do you mean "may" be relocating? Relocating as in selling and moving....or moving and becoming landlords? It all makes a difference in the game and I wouldn't do a thing until you knew what you were doing.
Do you have a realtor? We are advising you in the blind without the benefit of knowing your ...»
neighborhood and other comparables so you know what your competition is and what buyers in your neighborhood are expecting. I can't speak for my fellow hometalkers, but answers to these questions would dictate the advice I would give.
At this point you are replacing flooring to sell so you can start to do your homework. Get a price on carpet throughout and a price on laminate throughout.... and maybe a mix like Enchanting is suggesting.Unless real hardwood is a requirement to sell a property in your neighborhood, you will not get your money out of it if you are relocating soon. Tim

on Sep 20, 2011 · Like 0
Lori W Durham, NC

My husband has been offered a job 2 hours southeast of our present location. Will be making a decision soon, but if he accepts, we will be putting home up for sale as soon as possible. We live in a very nice rural neighborhood, but don't believe hardwood floors is a prerequisite from buyers in this area.....I keep a close watch on homes going up for sale around us for price comparison and amenities.....

on Sep 20, 2011 · Like 0
Shane Tallant Nashville, TN

I would choose your product wisely.
Anything other than carpet will help you in re-sale as well as lessen the odor of your cat. Carpet is a breeding ground for dirt, hair and smell, so you will be better off going with a hard surface.
My friends over at Mowhawk have great products and are priced right. Here's a link to their ...»
website. http://www.mohawkflooring.com/laminate-floo...
Good luck!
Shane

on Sep 20, 2011 · Like 0
Bernice H Yakima, WA

Shane ..I just went to the link..why would I need email address and password just to look at their product? Or did I go somewhere I wasnt supposed to? I just want to see what they have and get info because I have the same problem.

on Sep 20, 2011 · Like 0
Bernice H Yakima, WA

Ok, I did something I wasnt supposed to, this time I got to see some samples.

on Sep 20, 2011 · Like 0
Kristen B Burton, OH

Just my two cents - We just purchased our first house with older carpet in most rooms, two rooms with laminate. At first I loved the look of the two rooms with the laminate- we bought the house knowing the carpet would need to be addressed, but we never thought about the laminate. Now, after several months in, I do not like the laminate. (sounds, ability to keep clean and feel) We have priced both carpet and wood floors and found there is not that much difference in price vs. overall ...»
appeal and aethetics. My hubby is a realtor and wood floors often do sell a house. (Depends on the market)

on Sep 20, 2011 · Like 0
KMS Woodworks Nederland, CO

A couple of rooms of mid to low grade carpet will not set you back much...same thing with laminate. As Kristen said above the laminate had an appeal to them when they first moved in. Most new home buyers will be split on the laminate carpet debate...those that like laminate are usually those that have never owner laminate and may equate it with real hardwood which they often have more familiarity with. They make the assumption that they are equals...which is far from accurate. Carpet ...»
is much more common and people know what to expect. So given the option of laminate or carpet you will be catering to a mixed market.

on Sep 21, 2011 · Like 1
Bernice H Yakima, WA

I just finished reading this blog last night about wood versus laminate..and dark wood versus light..it is long , but boy do I know a lot about laminate i didnt know..not for me. I am going with the vinyl planking! If I had a house stick built I would go with real hardwood..not laminate, but an old Mhome, vinyl planking is more flexible. A poster here told me about it, checked it out, several companies have it. ...»

This is the link if you want to check out multiple opinions aboiut laminate and hardwood..fascinating!
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7781...

on Sep 21, 2011 · Like 0
Lin R Smyrna, TN

We put laminate in our living room and I do not recommend it. It is very noisy and has started chipping a some of the corners. I really wish we had gone with hardwoods.

on Sep 21, 2011 · Like 0
Dorothy K Valparaiso, IN

I have laminate in my kitchen and love it is not noisy at all. It's great with having 2 big dogs and we are putting it in rest of the house to replace old carpet.

on Sep 25, 2011 · Like 1
Lin R Smyrna, TN

That is great news Dorothy. We put ours in 4 or 5 years ago when it was first coming out. It may be that my husband did something wrong because he had to really work to get it to install and fit together and all the demos I had seen showed it snapping right together. So glad you love yours!

on Sep 25, 2011 · Like 0
Metro Flooring & Design Oklahoma City, OK

Hardwood will add value to your home, laminate and carpet will not. If you go with laminate spend a little extra and get a nicer quality with the acoustic underlayment. You will avoid many of the problems listed above. Go to www.shawfloors.com (no password needed) for a Shaw Flooring Network Dealer near you. Starting Oct 1 there is a $100 to $300 instant rebate that you can use on any Shaw Product.

on Sep 29, 2011 · Like 0
Melissa B Cary, NC

We just bought a home that has dark berber carpeting throughout and we are ripping it out. Thank goodness there are hardwoods underneath! The kitchen we are going to put bamboo or cork flooring in. Haven't decided.

on Dec 29, 2011 · Like 0
Lin R Smyrna, TN

Forgot to mention our house is not on a slab, so that may be another reason it is noisy. My friend has berber and hates it because it unravels.

on Dec 29, 2011 · Like 1
Melissa B Cary, NC

The berber is horrible. This was put down in the home in 2006 and it snags on everything. The previous owner didn't care for it.

on Dec 30, 2011 · Like 0
KMS Woodworks Nederland, CO

Melissa...I would re-think the Bamboo and Cork for a kitchen....Kitchens see the most wear and tear of any room in a home and have the potential for water damage. I have repaired many hardwood floors there due to water damage. Tile is king in a kitchen.
If you are considering Bamboo or cork for their "green" nature ...someone has be telling you lies.
Bamboo is one of the least green floors out there due to the outrageous, amounts of embodied ...»
energy..
http://www.oriental-bamboo.co.za/reference/e...
http://kmswoodworks.wordpress.com/2010/04/18...
http://www.hometalk.com/activity/100004
Do your self a favor and Install Tile in the kitchen...save the real hardwood for the living room and bedrooms...a domestic specie of hardwood is about the greenest route you can take...it will out live you if properly cared for....I have refinished many floors that were twice my age...and they still have a ton of life left in them.

on Jan 01, 2012 · Like 0
Melissa B Cary, NC

ugh bummer. We will research more Thanks for the heads up

on Jan 03, 2012 · Like 0