need some advice on brand of flooring

Dupont, the expensive stuff with the blue stiff padding already on the back. Been in the bathroom for nearly two years and looks brand new.

Pergo from Home Depot. It was easy to lay, I used plastic over a cement pad then foam padding. Looks good but hard to get smuges or streaks out. I tried their recommended solution but no better than a lite spray and mop. Beware of spills or standing water. My grandaughters spilled water on their bedroom floor without telling anyone. The wet foor delaminated, separated and was a mess. Course it was toward the middle which made in hard to fix. Also wacth out for little stones on your shoes which can scratch. I would have prefered vinyl but was out voted.

Proclein ceramic tile.

It lasts forever and is ultra easy to clean up.

It loves high traffic.

If you drop something on laminate, it will probably leave a mark. I dopped a set of keys on ours and it left a mark. I don't have the janitor key chain either, about 6 keys on the ring. I will also agree with the streaks. I feel it is hard to keep clean and looking clean, especially with kids.

There are products out there that can be locked together without glue. If you can I would install hardwood flooring and have it sanded and 3 coats of oil based polly. All wood will scratch and dent. But with hardwood flooring it can be sanded and recoated several times. Laminate flooring can't be sanded. In the short term Laminate is cheaper but 3-4 years later it will need to be replaced. Hardwood is for ever.

Jags,

The bathroom floor does not get any real abuse, but its certainly exposed to some water, even though we have throw rugs. The trick is to seal the perimeter, like the corners of the tub if someone is not good at pulling the shower curtain over. I put the maple in there and it looks fabulous.

The house I live in has Pergo in the dining room, and has been there for 8 years, and seen PLENTY of abuse. Hell, the girls even WET mop it. Still is holding up fine, and its in the center of the house, so its on the main traffic thoroughfare

The key to ANY flooring is to keep it clean. Sand and grit will ruin ANY flooring over time, especially glazed ceramic tile.

Hardwood in the kitchen is fine, and nearly all of the spec homes I built had oak strip flooring. Big selling point. Hardwood will last forever, but it will need to be refinished eventually, and that depends on what I mentioned above about grit. Keep in mind that these floors will still dent, like if you have a rock stuck in your shoe and start walking around. Dogs nails can really tear it up.

The BIG caveat however is, if you had a plumbing leak (icemaker supply line or kitchen sink line broke) and the floor gets flooded for any length of time, its game over. It will buckle and never go back down. Tearing out this floor is hard work, but not as bad as tile.

My favorite floor of all time was 5" pine I put in my Chalet home in WV and finished with Danish oil. Every year, we would wipe it down with Mineral Spirits and give it a fresh coat of Watco. Not good if you have kids or pets with nails.

I'm going through the same thought process now for a major kitchen project - we want wood or wood appearence so tile is out. Had tile in last kitchen and did not like it. It was very durable and wear resistant, but not comfortable to stand on for long periods of time, had to worry about sealing grout, etc. We have considered hardwood, bamboo, laminate, and engineered. Engineered was knocked out early - for the money you can get the real deal (hardwood) and have the refinishing option. Manufacturers claim that the engineered can be refinished, but for wood layers of 1/8" or less, you'd better be really good with the sanding equipment. Bamboo was also knocked off the list early. It can look very nice, but I think it's too new of a product. I would like to see data and experiences for a product 10 years after installation. Plus, the vast majority comes from China. Who knows what processing steps it is subjected to and what chemicals are used in the bonding. The other thing I found with the bamboo, at least in the samples we got which had the fibers running parallel to the floor surface, it would scratch very easily along the direction of the fiber and was more scratch resistant in the direction perpindicular to the fiber. I would prefer a more isotropic material. So, we were then down to hardwood and laminate. Hardwood can look very nice, but it seems that a middle of the road laminate with a good wear rating is the way to go. More stable with temperature fluctuations, more stain resistant, definetly more scratch and wear resistant. True, it cannot be refinished, but I priced out refinishing costs and for the cost of refinishing could put in a whole new laminate floor.

OK, so for laminate floor I would suggest you look at the wear rating - go for at least AC4. Most of the stuff sold at big box stores is AC3 and the employees don't know squat about the rating system - they just know the warranty in terms of years. (AC1 is worst, AC5 is best). Also look for the core density of the fiberboard used, whether or not there is a melamine backing (helps with stability and water resistance), and check out the locking mechanisms. Some seemed to damage themselves when locking together.

We are about to pull the trigger buying from http://www.internetfloors.com

We got samples of the flooring we like from a local store (which wants to charge almost 2x of the on line pricing) just to check out quality and appearance - things look so different in a picture online vs. reality ...

You know, I never answered the question about brand. I think we are going with Quick-lock brand. Samples look good, has good warranty and wear rating, and the price is right.

Hey Tim, we came to the same conclusion.

I hated laminate flooring, but now I view it as a great choice.

I have not laid the brand you mention, but the Dupont I laid was top shelf.

I used pergo signature. I tried to scratch all the display samples at Home depo with a key and the the pergo signature was the toughest for the price. It comes with the pad on the back. It is 3 years old and still looks good. I have three kids and we dont always take our shoes off.

Sandor - good to know that someone else came to the same conclusion! Makes me feel more confident in the decision. Now, must decide on color ...

Hey sleepie! I got my kitchen flooring from this on-line store http://webtrafficdirectory.com/detail/126/wood-floor.html which features products from major UK manufacturers such as Parador, Quick Step, Crown, Baterio and others. I advise you to choose engineered floor coverings for the kitchen, as they are moisture and scratches resistant. I have mine for 2 years and the flooring looks like new. The prices are ok too.

Hi,

I would recommend laminate flooring too! Quick Step or Balterio are the best. You can try shopping on-line is cheaper and more conveniant. Take a look

http://www.dirfly.com/detail/link-207.html

i install alot of laminate flooring , and i glue every peace . keeps water out , water can get anywhere when it sets long enough . h