4 ms·

We may be an anomaly, but we have 13.5mm laminates[1] which I'd say were relatively high grade when we put them in. The product we used didn't come with stair

We may be an anomaly, but we have 13.5mm laminates[1] which I'd say were relatively high grade when we put them in. The product we used didn't come with stair kits so we had to do the staircase with oak stained to match. We have two full-size golden retrievers. Eight years later, the laminates look like the day we installed them -- literally. The oak is all scratched up and will take a lot of work to refinish. [2] I was apprehensive about the laminates, and I'm definitely no Captain Planet, but I'll never have anything else. *edited to add imgur link. 1. https://www.pacmatpure.com/product/calypso-collection/ https://www.pacmatpure.com/product/calypso-collection/ 2. https://imgur.com/a/9QI5bC2 https://imgur.com/a/9QI5bC2

LoganDark 3y ago
Does this page ever actually load?
- hcurtiss 3y ago
  LOL - it did for me. It's also here, though it looks like it's 14mm now. https://www.floorcity.com/collections/calypso-laminate-flooring https://www.floorcity.com/collections/calypso-laminate-floor...
  - LoganDark 3y ago
    That one works, thanks!
xyzzyz 3y ago
Laminates are closer to hardwood flooring than to vinyl. Put it in simplest terms, they are basically the same as hardwood flooring, but you can only sand and refinish them maybe once or twice. This limits their lifespan, from 100+ years of full hardwood flooring to “only” a 30-40 years for laminate. Vinyl, on the other hand, is completely different, and is unlikely to survive daily use in serviceable state for more than 20 years, typically even less than that.
- mschulkind 3y ago
  I think you're confusing terminology here. Laminate is generally the cheapest option with some sort of plastic over some sort of MDF type material. Definitely no option to refinish. You're describing engineered hardwood, which ironically often cost more than regular hardwood.
  - hcurtiss 3y ago
    I think you're right laminates probably cannot be refinished. But they are definitely much more expensive/premium than vinyl. I think we paid ~$3.50/square foot just in material cost. I think it's a kind of pressed fiberboard on top of a plastic core and a rubber'ish bottom.
    - salad-tycoon 3y ago
      There are expensive and cheap versions of both varieties. Vinyl luxury plank can be very nice, durable, flexible, thin but with backing to make it quiet and gives it a good feel to walk on, waterproof etc. I installed much myself and choose based on quality not price and went with VLP for our needs. I think it really just comes down to where you are installing and its characteristics and what materials you have around you. Also laminates can’t be refinished, nor vinyl. There are some interesting bamboo options out there but frankly VLP these days doesn’t gas off tons of toxic fumes for years, lasts long enough, and is cheap and easy to install and looks real enough these days you’d have to really study it to notice a pattern that unless you really need real it’s good nuff.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
AlanYx 3y ago
I'm curious -- are there laminates that wear naturally? Looking at the photos in your second link, I think the laminates would look more natural and less overtly plastic if they did show a little wear similar to the oak.
- hcurtiss 3y ago
  Living with the laminates, I wouldn't say they look overtly plastic. Hardwoods are definitely shiny too. You can see a very similar grain in the second photo with the oak. You're right that some wear might change the finish, but I would definitely not trade for the wear you see on the oak. My wife's parents have high-end oak hardwoods and full size dogs. Their flooring is a mess.
  - SoftTalker 3y ago
    The biggest problem with laminate flooring is not the wear, it's that if they get wet the compressed fiberboard absorbs the water and swells, and the surface warps, and the only repair is to replace. Some laminates are 100% waterproof for locations like bathrooms but many are not. Something like a spilled glass of water or puddle from wet shoes, if not noticed immediately and wiped up, can permanently ruin the floor.
    - hcurtiss 3y ago
      Yes, we were a little apprehensive about putting them in our three bathrooms. You pay more for better moisture resistance. Eight years later and ours still look like new, notwithstanding our kids getting out of showers multiple times a day. At least the flooring we got seem to handle water very well.

LoganDark 3y ago

Does this page ever actually load?

hcurtiss 3y ago
LOL - it did for me. It's also here, though it looks like it's 14mm now. https://www.floorcity.com/collections/calypso-laminate-flooring https://www.floorcity.com/collections/calypso-laminate-floor...
- LoganDark 3y ago
  That one works, thanks!

xyzzyz 3y ago

Laminates are closer to hardwood flooring than to vinyl. Put it in simplest terms, they are basically the same as hardwood flooring, but you can only sand and refinish them maybe once or twice. This limits their lifespan, from 100+ years of full hardwood flooring to “only” a 30-40 years for laminate. Vinyl, on the other hand, is completely different, and is unlikely to survive daily use in serviceable state for more than 20 years, typically even less than that.

mschulkind 3y ago
I think you're confusing terminology here. Laminate is generally the cheapest option with some sort of plastic over some sort of MDF type material. Definitely no option to refinish. You're describing engineered hardwood, which ironically often cost more than regular hardwood.
- hcurtiss 3y ago
  I think you're right laminates probably cannot be refinished. But they are definitely much more expensive/premium than vinyl. I think we paid ~$3.50/square foot just in material cost. I think it's a kind of pressed fiberboard on top of a plastic core and a rubber'ish bottom.
  - salad-tycoon 3y ago
    There are expensive and cheap versions of both varieties. Vinyl luxury plank can be very nice, durable, flexible, thin but with backing to make it quiet and gives it a good feel to walk on, waterproof etc. I installed much myself and choose based on quality not price and went with VLP for our needs. I think it really just comes down to where you are installing and its characteristics and what materials you have around you. Also laminates can’t be refinished, nor vinyl. There are some interesting bamboo options out there but frankly VLP these days doesn’t gas off tons of toxic fumes for years, lasts long enough, and is cheap and easy to install and looks real enough these days you’d have to really study it to notice a pattern that unless you really need real it’s good nuff.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

AlanYx 3y ago

I'm curious -- are there laminates that wear naturally? Looking at the photos in your second link, I think the laminates would look more natural and less overtly plastic if they did show a little wear similar to the oak.

hcurtiss 3y ago
Living with the laminates, I wouldn't say they look overtly plastic. Hardwoods are definitely shiny too. You can see a very similar grain in the second photo with the oak. You're right that some wear might change the finish, but I would definitely not trade for the wear you see on the oak. My wife's parents have high-end oak hardwoods and full size dogs. Their flooring is a mess.
- SoftTalker 3y ago
  The biggest problem with laminate flooring is not the wear, it's that if they get wet the compressed fiberboard absorbs the water and swells, and the surface warps, and the only repair is to replace. Some laminates are 100% waterproof for locations like bathrooms but many are not. Something like a spilled glass of water or puddle from wet shoes, if not noticed immediately and wiped up, can permanently ruin the floor.
  - hcurtiss 3y ago
    Yes, we were a little apprehensive about putting them in our three bathrooms. You pay more for better moisture resistance. Eight years later and ours still look like new, notwithstanding our kids getting out of showers multiple times a day. At least the flooring we got seem to handle water very well.