We're getting rid of the horrible carpet in my living room and going with either hardwood or laminate flooring.

I saw an episode of weekend DIY home repairs on HGTV where a couple did their own installation and it didn't *seem* too difficult.

Anyone had experience with this that can offer any insight? (or if you'd like, share your frustrations with the whole experience and recommend a professional?)

My parent's have a company that did their renovations but they are incredibly pricey and I'm trying to pay for it myself so I'd like to be as cost concious as possible.

8/3/2006 1:35:33 PM

I think the laminate is really easy to put down as it snaps together and does not require glue. If you get hardwood you have to glue it to the slab so dont mess up.

8/3/2006 1:38:20 PM

as long as you've seen at least one episode of HGTV, you are more than qualified to do this.

8/3/2006 1:41:50 PM

yeah, go with the pergo floors...snap snap snap! tada! floor!

8/3/2006 1:43:02 PM

my girlfriend just installed laminate flooring in her house and it was really easy to do.

8/3/2006 1:43:48 PM

If you can use a tape measure and aren't a complete idiot, you'll do fine. Just make sure you have and idea of how to approach every step of what yo want to do. Good luck!

8/3/2006 1:49:13 PM

so here is the next question.

where can you get rock bottom dirt cheap pergo?

8/3/2006 1:57:33 PM

^i always get good deals and quality products between lowes and lumber liquidators

8/3/2006 2:00:02 PM

my neighbors like 7 years ago did their floor...they got some kinda laminate that looked like wood, it was not hard, i think they did it in a day

if you take up the carpet i'll take a few scraps of it if you dont mind, can make some cheap ass rugs and keep the carpet we have looking nicer

good luck

8/3/2006 2:00:29 PM

thanks for all the great info everyone!! A family friend who is a contractor down at the beach installed pergo in his house b/c he has 3 little kids, 2 dogs, a cat, and the sand they all drag in and said that it holds up to EVERYTHING.

Does lumber liquidators carry this stuff?

Also, Dan, you can have all the carpet you want but I gotta tell you... only the edges/corners where there was no traffic is worth a damn.

8/3/2006 2:05:39 PM

Sams sells a laminate flooring product that is pretty cheap, but if you can find the deals at home depot and lowes for a $1/sq ft then that is probably cheaper. My dad always goes to those huge dicsount flooring stores and swears they are the cheapest.

As for installation, make sure you have the tools to cut some pieces down (like a miter saw) if you're going to do this. You don't necessarily need a miter saw, but it makes the job easier.

8/3/2006 2:06:14 PM

^ My dad is the equivalent of Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor (minus the accidents) when it comes to tools... so we've got everything for it I believe.

NEXT Question: Who wants to work for beer & lunch one Saturday/Sunday at my house????

8/3/2006 2:08:16 PM

Who wants to work come over for beer & lunch one Saturday/Sunday at my house????

8/3/2006 2:12:29 PM

^ hahaha, yeah that's probably more like it.

8/3/2006 2:15:35 PM

I got my "pergo" flooring from Lumberliquidators. There is a warehouse off Capital.. Check their website for directions. I forget the name brand but its basically the same stuff as pergo. Also when you put it down. PLAN PLAN PLAN... I had 4 vents and 3 doorways plus a fireplace to deal with and it was a pain in the ass to plan around all that. But the actual laying of the floor was easy. Once you get started you'll knock it out in no time.

8/3/2006 2:27:16 PM

^ GRACIAS

8/3/2006 2:29:29 PM

8/3/2006 2:32:05 PM

Quote :

"as long as you've seen at least one episode of HGTV, you are more than qualified to do this."

8/3/2006 2:32:20 PM

Quote :

"^ GRACIAS"

Actually, gracias is probably what you'll be saying to whomever you actually end up getting to do this for you.

8/3/2006 2:33:39 PM

pretty much so

but seriously, i have a bunch of handy friends that would help without thinking twice...

8/3/2006 2:35:21 PM

We have pergo in our kitchen, and it looks good, but is kind of a pain in the ass to clean up. You can't use regular stuff to clean it, you have to use the special pergo brand floor cleaner or else it screws up the laminate. It's also kind of hard to cut it around corners, vents and other stuff. I think you might need glue for the trim that goes around the baseboads of your walls, which can also be a little hard to cut.

8/3/2006 2:44:31 PM

the lumber liquidators is off of raleigh blvd. just inside the beltline...not on capital

here is a picture of the latest floor i completed



only took me 2.5 hours to install in 120 sq ft room

[Edited on August 3, 2006 at 2:53 PM. Reason : added picture]

8/3/2006 2:51:56 PM

^^ I'm OCD when it comes to cleaning.. so I think it'll be ok, but thanks for the heads up on the cutting... I'll leave that to my dad

^ I found their website... think I might check there first.

[Edited on August 3, 2006 at 2:53 PM. Reason : ^]

8/3/2006 2:52:50 PM

my dad put down hardwood floors in our house several years ago. he did it himself but it did take a lot of work. putting the floor down was just a lot of work because you have to keep leaning over and nailing the wood in. we had this nailer tool that made it easier.. then you have to sand it all and then paint the finish on.. it takes a while but it can look really good when you are done.

8/3/2006 4:05:39 PM

if you're doing the snap together stuff & have any mechanical apptitude whatsoever it won't be too bad.

8/3/2006 4:26:50 PM

http://www.ifloor.com/articles/lam/lamwars2.html

8/3/2006 10:06:35 PM

I went to floors today on capital and they were trying to sell some pad shit to go under it.

Is that necessary/worth while?

8/3/2006 10:46:46 PM

Most hardwoods go together with tongue and groove. They require nailing with a floor nailer and it is a lot more work to get the tongue and grooves tight.

Laminates and engineered floors won't add value to the home the way that real hardwoods will though. Plus, I have yet to see laminates that didn't look like laminates.

Engineered floors look good, but you can't refinish them over and over again like real hardwoods.

Walk into a 75 year old house and there is a good chance it will have the original hardwoods even if they are covered up with carpet. That's a testament to their longevity.

There are plenty of hardwood floor installation guides on the internet if you google it.

[Edited on August 3, 2006 at 10:56 PM. Reason : l]

8/3/2006 10:55:21 PM

^ Cover just about anything in carpet and it will still be there in 75 years.

8/4/2006 12:06:21 AM

Quote :

"I went to floors today on capital and they were trying to sell some pad shit to go under it. Is that necessary/worth while?"

no squeaks

[Edited on August 4, 2006 at 12:19 AM. Reason : .]

8/4/2006 12:18:28 AM

Quote :

"Cover just about anything in carpet and it will still be there in 75 years."

I didn't mean that the carpet would somehow damage the floors. I was referring to all the older homes I've been in that had hardwoods under carpet. The easiest way to spot them is to pull up a floor vent and look under the carpet there.

8/4/2006 1:42:15 AM

^ I was think just the opposite as you. If you toss down pergo or whatever and then carpet it... the carpet would protect the flooring underneath.

The big thing is you can repair the hardwoods because I have seen some nasty ones that were older. But how much does that cost to sand down and resurface? I have no idea.

8/4/2006 5:24:04 AM

^It is really cheap if you DYI. My wife just ripped up the hideous carpet we have in our hallway (some old shag type carpet) and we had beautiful hardwood floors under it. She pull the staples from around the wall, sanded the floors a little, and then stained and sealed it. We may have spent like 30 bucks on the supplies, thats it, and our hallway looks great. The next thing we are doing is turning our formal living room into a dining room. We have already repainted the walls, and now we have to pull up that same hideous carpet and sand and stain the hardwood under it. Its a cheap thing to do if you can just get it done by yourself.

8/4/2006 6:54:59 AM

Quote :

"My wife just ripped up the hideous carpet we have in our hallway (some old shag type carpet) and we had beautiful hardwood floors under it. She pull the staples from around the wall, sanded the floors a little, and then stained and sealed it."

Damn, your wife got a sister by any chance? I need one of those workin types.

And yeah, definitely lay down the padding if squeeking annoys the hell out of you.

8/4/2006 9:52:06 AM

Quote :

"Laminates and engineered floors won't add value to the home the way that real hardwoods will though. Plus, I have yet to see laminates that didn't look like laminates."

Not true...I does increase the value and the money you put in it is much less. Also you should read some of the consumer reports on flooring...the most recent reported that Hardwoods are less durable than Laminate and Pre Engineered...with Laminate being the most durible. The only real advantages to Hardwoods are the ability to refinish them (which is more $$$) and the feel/look is marginaly better.

I just got done putting Laminates in my townhouse in Va Beach and with a 1 year old Golden Retriever running around on them they will still look perfect when I sell in a year or two. Hardwoods would have dog claw marks all over them. My parents also have a golden and have had to refinish their floors once already and they are only about 5 years old (and they are the good stuff too.)

8/4/2006 10:01:44 AM

1. I'd go with engineered stuff over laminate, but what's MOST important is quality. Get something that is at least 1/4" or you WILL regret it.

2. Warranty - the better the warranty, usually the better the product - I wouldn't touch anything with under 25 years - but make sure you adhere to exactly what the warranty says, and if possible get one that is transferrable to new owners.

3. Pergo is a brand name - the stuff is manufactuered by DuPont. It's not "the" top of the line, but it's good stuff. Personally I'd prefer engineered bamboo over Pergo (it's laminate), they're comparable in price, and bamboo is renewable.

4. I hear the Bruce hardwood they sell at HD is shit - the finish is too thin and gets worn too fast.

5. There's a warehouse place about 1/2 mile from my house .. Hess Flooring .. guy does installations, but he also sells just the materials. I took a look at his samples and he has some really nice stuff - haven't seen stuff that nice in any of the chain stores ... and he beats the prices in the flooring specialty places because he operates out of a warehouse here in the county not some fancy storefront with crazy ass rent in North Raleigh. He's new in that spot so if you want directions/phone PM me and I'll get back to you.



WHOA! I would NOT recommend Floors Today ... if you have defective boxes, they won't take them back. If you have more than two boxes leftover, they won't take them back. They discontinue shit all the fucking time, so when you need replacements, you can't get them. Trust me. We got some stuff there ... we figured out after we started the second room with a different batch of boxes that the first ones were defective, and of course it looks like shit, and they REFUSED to honor any kind of warranty. Because of this, we've lived with about the ugliest shit ever for close to a year, so that's $2000 down the fucking toilet because we have to redo it. Again.

Also, padding is necessary - plastic on one side as a moisture barrier, and padding on the other to minimize/eliminate squeaks. That said, Floors Today is overpriced on that, too.






To reply to \/ I totally agree --- I would put in real hardwoods with an extra layer of topcoat if I were planning to stay in the home 10 years or more. But if you're just trying to make it look fresh for a quick sale, or if you figure you'll move in the next 3-5 (7?) years, laminate's good enough.

[Edited on August 4, 2006 at 10:50 AM. Reason : \/]

8/4/2006 10:26:37 AM

Quote :

"I was think just the opposite as you. If you toss down pergo or whatever and then carpet it... the carpet would protect the flooring underneath."

Ok. You don't get it. I never meant to say that the carpet would damage the floors. I agree that it would protect the flooring underneath. I was just pointing out that there are a lot of homes out there that have beautiful 50+ year old hardwoods underneath some ratty looking carpet. I've seen a lot of them and it sounds like that is Nighthawk's case too.

Quote :

"Not true...I does increase the value and the money you put in it is much less."

I've read article after article and talked to realtors who all said the same thing...It has no noticeable effect on home value. Any effect is negated by the cost of putting it down.

Quote :

"Also you should read some of the consumer reports on flooring...the most recent reported that Hardwoods are less durable than Laminate and Pre Engineered...with Laminate being the most durible."

Yes, laminates hold up well. But, they can never be refinished. Real hardwoods will last the life of the house. You can sand and re-apply the top coat every decade or so with just a little work and they will look great forever. If you ever let them truly get worn you can sand it down to the wood, re-stain, re-apply the top coat, and you're good to go.

Install hardwoods; they will look better for the life of your house and you'll get the money back when you sell the home.

or

Install carpet or laminates, replace them over and over again, and get jack shit when you sell the home.

I can understand putting in laminates if you have special circumstances such as a big dog running around, the house is a rental, or lack of funds to do real hardwoods. I'd also choose laminates over carpet for anything other than a bedroom, but if I get to choose between laminates and hardwoods I'll pay the money for real hardwoods any day. I have yet to see laminates that look as good as people seem to think.

8/4/2006 10:41:23 AM

as a society we need to reassess whether we really want stuff to pretend to be other stuff

The laminates that most poeple buy are photographs of wood glued onto a piece of fiberboard. If I had to get laminate flooring I would try to find something that doesn't even pretend to be wood.

http://www.formica.co.uk/index.cfm?Fuseaction=collection.display&ContentID=166

8/4/2006 9:17:53 PM

I am not spending the money for hardwoods in this townhouse. The community is not really one where you can dump a bunch of money in to your townhouse and expect to recover it on re-sale. I am going to be using it as a rental anyway.

8/4/2006 9:29:28 PM

Home Depot in Fuquay was clearing out 3 or 4 different colors of Pergo and TrafficMaster wood-look laminate for $2-$2.50/sf ... yeah you can find cheaper, but trust me, you don't want it. This stuff was all 5/16".

8/5/2006 8:43:37 AM

^^ this is my situation. The 3-bedroom houses have one max value. The 2-bedroom houses (which I have) are about $10k less. Every now and then you see buyers snag some for INCREDIBLE deals... I got a decent deal on mine. But my point is you will not be selling $1 over the average top value and NONE of these properties have REAL hardwood. The foyer (sp?) in each house is made with what looks just like the HD "Bruce" type hardwood floor and some houses have it all over their bottom floor (minus the kitchen b/c most, including mine have upgraded stone tile). I am just looking to get rid of carpet in the living room and have the foyer (maybe stair landing, that's it) all look like hardwood for the visual appeal when I go to sell it and while I'm living here... because honestly, I hate carpet. If my house would return the value I'd get rid of the carpet upstairs as well, but it just won't be profitable to do that.

My next house will most likely be custom built and will most likely have carpet... no where.

[Edited on August 9, 2006 at 3:51 PM. Reason : .]

8/9/2006 3:49:35 PM