Made a big mistake today, we have been looking at laminated flooring on the internet so wandered down to Wickes to have a feel of the products and...

laminated with the fingernail test is as tough as old boots, could not mark it but it feels plastic to the touch but around £20sqm for the tougher stuff.

Then had a a look at the engineered wood, twice the price and feels lovely but it fails the fingernail test - just about able to dig in following the grain.

Both types are labled for kitchens and heavy use so should be okay, which to choose then so has anyone fitted engineered wood flooring? I,m not so worried about the cost as averaged over 10 years it will make very little difference.

No kids, a couple of medium sized dogs but I am pretty good at tramping mud around the house.

Laminate laminate laminate!!

Dogs or kids will trash engineered wood. (Eventually)

We went through the same decision a few years back. We budgeted for engineered wood but after going to the shop went for laminate.

For us it was a case of garenteed good wear compared to risks associated when using any real wood product. Also for the money you can get a to end 10mm thick laminate with texture.

On a similar note, I went to a friends house last week who has just kitted out their kitchen diner with bamboo cain flooring. It is lush but costs a lot.

They have some real wood as well...

My heart wants real wood, my head says laminate after sanding down pine flooring and oiling it every couple of years.

Agreed, Bambo did look lush , my dogs go swimming a lot so lay around on the parquet flooring that's in today... It looks horrible now, well really horrible I guess in the 70's it was nice but then so we're bright yellow walls, red coving and manky ceilings.

The thing that actually stood out for me, and something that I would consider, was that they had a split level kitchen diner.

The steps had no finish to their edges, the bamboo tiles just overhung but about 20mm. This really showed off the material, flashed that it was not some snide laminate and helped to improve the general finish of the room.

Wet dogs would be a big problem, I would rule out engineered wood for certain.

Just another quick thing while I think of it. I fitted my floor, it was quite easy. Lots of youtube clips can teach you anything!

The only issue I had was thinning down in width to go through a doorway before increasing width for the next room. Interlocking the thick boards was hard work and I actually chipped the corner of one very slightly. The problem with any laminate is as soon as its damaged it will blow, its chip MDF underneath.

Just a thought

We have engineered oak throughout down stairs with the exception of the kitchen, we also have a large dog. It's been down for nearly three years and has endured kids,dogs and my wife mopping it on occasion. Provided its fitted correctly and sealed with a quality product its fine. Any minor scratches can be delt with by careful sanding and re-sealing.

Ours is bonded to the screed to improve thermal transfer from the underfloor heating due to this it does not bounce unlike most laminate floors, worth asking for samples.

We have used wood and beyond for the last 3 floors : Link

[Edited on 29/5/2016 by rgrs]

www.pergo.co.uk

tough as boots, loads of different finishes.

Having installed several of both types I lean towards the laminate except for 2 things.

1) If you want it to last you'll throw away every piece of laminate that you knick the laminate on. Sealing the chips with finger nail polish or the stuff they sell you won't stop the water from getting under the laminate and you getting a swell in that spot. This usually happens at the ends. Also DON'T put it in the kitchen or other wet areas because sooner or later you'll get a big spill and that whole area will swell. While it's not easy to remove and replace a section (like they say it is), once it gets wet and swells it's even harder.

I had my dishwasher overflow the 2nd week after I'd put my first one down and it became a real mess. This means you can never wet mop, only lightly damp mop. Those seams look tight, but water finds a way in.

3) THE SOUND!! Dog's nails will drive you crazy. It used to come without the attached underlayment and you got to choose between a sound deadening laydown or one that "made it sound like real wood". Real thin wood maybe over an open spaced pier & beam foundation. If you can find the quietening under matt and a laminate that isn't supposed to "sound like real wood" you'll be much happier.

It's quite comical to see the dogs racing around chasing each other across the laminate floors since they can't get any grip.

Old dogs, I cannot have them sliding around.

So real wood maybe, anyone used that? It's around 18mm thick looks like engineered wood is tongue and groove just solid all through.

It's going over a screened floor so will have a breathable underlay.

[Edited on 29/5/16 by mark chandler]

We have real wood in our hall. Been down for five years with two small kids, scooters etc, no marks, done nothing to it so far.

I Fitted solid oak in the previous house, again bonded to the screed. When we moved out 3 years later i did notice that the planks had cupped, you didn't really notice it to walk on but you could see it against straight edges of furniture.

Real wood probably has a little bit more traction than laminate, but even so my viszla still ends up looking like a cartoon dog running on the spot !

One thing i wont ever buy again is the pre-finished planks coated with a tough varnish, yes it's tough but it can get damaged and then you can't match the finish.

Google hard wax oil for suitable finishes.


roger

I did read up on one wholesaler, 25 year guarantee but they said you can sand up to 7 times so started to look like every three years having to go to town on it.

The parquet flooring is laid in some kind of bitumen resin, still mostly flat after 35 years but if it gets wet then swells and starts to pop up.

I have literally just finished, with the exception of our WC, installing laminate flooring in our lounge, dining room, hall and WC. Total area is 40 sqm. I created a thread on the forum here just a week or two ago to ask the same questions, especially about dogs and wear and tear etc.

Like you, I really wanted to get engineered wood flooring but I'm really happy with the laminate we chose although I must admit I'm fed up looking at it as it has been a lot of work.

The laminate we went for was this stuff ( https://www.directflooring.co.uk/item/Kronotex_KronotexEverestOakBronze_209_139_499_1.html ) from a German company called Kronotex and it really is excellent. It is rated AC5 which is 'light commercial' grade with AC3 and AC4 being the more typical domestic ratings. This should therefore wear really well in a domestic setting even with two lively dogs! It's not cheap at £17.99 a square metre but it looks good and is textured so not too shiny and not too slippy. The click system is well engineered and there is a much more positive engagement than you get with most laminates.

Good luck!

I fitted engineered wood throughout downstairs. It is much nicer for looks, feel and sound than laminate. It is hard wearing, unless you walk around on your fingernails or stilettos, and as long as there is a thick enough top layer can be sanded down a few times like solid wood.

Be careful of what some of the wickes products say on the outside. We used some laminate in the bathroom, which said it was suitable, only to find in the instructions inside the pack that it needed to be sealed in all the joints to make it water repellant. Get them to open a pack and read all of the hidden bits.

I did notice that some of the wickes floors had rubber 'O' rings in machined groves, my floors definitely get wet as we have a good mop up a few times a week, area is 32sqm as I have knocked the wall down between kitchen and dining room.