What's good hardwood laminate cost?

[woodywoodford]

My brother and I can install it, but just wondering what I should budget if I want to install a high quality hardwood laminate in a 650 sq ft apartment? I've heard everything from $0.50/sqft to $15/sqft. Trying to decide how much budget I need for reno before I counter this sellers offer...

[CapnCrunch]

Well first you need to decide if you want hardwood or laminate.

[G-ZUS]

Originally posted by CapnCrunch
Well first you need to decide if you want hardwood or laminate.

:werd:

[msommers]

11mm laminate is the better of the laminates. The other is 8mm, just less durable and some guys say it is a little harder to install (though some argue there is no difference and that the installer is just an idiot). Cost should be no more than $2/sq.ft but average is $1-1.5. Sometimes you find sales, like mine was ~0.75sq/ft because it was old stock. Be sure to buy extra boxes because apparantly laminate changes style more frequently and you'll never find a match again.

Hardwood, laminate and engineered flooring are all different. If it's a condo, be cognizant of the sub floor and because A) sometimes you can't put down hardwood because of nails and B) you might have to put down an underlay meeting sound transmission requirements stated by the board (though 70...I forget the units) is common.

[blitz]

Laminate is partial board with a picture of wood grain on it, and a clear layer above it.
Engineered Hardwood is a thin layer of real hardwood on a "dimensionally stable" substrate
Hardwood is solid wood.

A excellent quality laminate will be about $3/sqft. I think there is a quality difference between the cheaper stuff and the more expensive stuff, along with features like pre-glued seams to prevent moisture damage. That being said, I bought $1 per sqft stuff for my basement.

[woodywoodford]

Well, laminate that looks like hardwood. Don't know much about engineered flooring, but I've been on non-real hardwood floors and they've felt super smooth (like finished HW) and looked damn close (with the little gaps and all that). That's ultimately what I'm looking for...


Originally posted by msommers
Hardwood, laminate and engineered flooring are all different. If it's a condo, be cognizant of the sub floor and because A) sometimes you can't put down hardwood because of nails and B) you might have to put down an underlay meeting sound transmission requirements stated by the board (though 70...I forget the units) is common.

I'm looking at a condo, but it's currently got pretty worn out parquet. But I'm guessing by that and the reno's in other units in the building there should be no issues installing it.

[bulaian]

Check with the condo board/management company to see if there are rules for what type of flooring can be installed and the type of underlay required

[AndyL]

It's getting murky in the laminate world...

I was playing with some true laminate recently - that I would have thought was engineered - because it had texture (but if you found the right pieces - side by side - you could find there was a pattern - it was printed/engraved to match)

That 8mm cork at timbertown is pretty sweet if you ask me - and budget friendly.

but the .79$/sqft stuff looks and assembled like cheap chinese made sh*t. No matter what the big box store tells you :)

[Env-Consultant]

Go with the thicker stuff - don't go 8 mm - feels cheap, IMO.

I wanted something different/unique so I bought mine at Windsor Plywood - got a worn beach type - looked incredible.

Have you guys installed laminate before? If not, read and re-read until you know what you're doing. I've seen complete DIY messes from people who were too proud and/or lazy to do a bit of reading/YouTube watching.

Tips

- Stagger properly,

- Spacers (your floor will expand at some point - use spacers unless you want plate tectonics playing out in your living room),

- Let your laminate acclimate for 2-3 days in your house, and

-Get beer - lots of beer. Kneepads are nice too.

[blitz]

Originally posted by Env-Consultant
-Get beer - lots of beer. Kneepads are nice too.

:rofl:

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by Env-Consultant


- Let your laminate acclimate for 2-3 days in your house,

Engineered hardwood and laminate don't need acclimization. Only solid hardwood.

[Env-Consultant]

Originally posted by C_Dave45


Engineered hardwood and laminate don't need acclimization. Only solid hardwood.

A lot of people like to think that - read the thread below. If you have a couple days to spare, I think it would be ridiculous to forego it.

http://www.contractortalk.com/f10/acclimation-laminate-70811/

[ExtraSlow]

I wasn't around for the install of the engineered hardwood in my house, but it has a few gaps that are pretty noticable. I've always wondered if the wood shrank a bit after install. If not, that was an awful installation job.

[blitz]

Originally posted by Env-Consultant


A lot of people like to think that - read the thread below. If you have a couple days to spare, I think it would be ridiculous to forego it.

http://www.contractortalk.com/f10/acclimation-laminate-70811/

That's just people discussing it, but not one of them mentioned a problem not acclimating their laminate floors. I personally don't think it matters, as it's floating and the expansion should be so minimal as not to matter. I do agree with leaving a space between the floor edge and the drywall.

[C_Dave45]

The best is to go the manufacturers site to see what they say. There are many contractor sites and forums with all kinds of advice. Like the tile forum that advised Zero he could use Ditra to build up glass mosaics on a wall.
Armstrong is a huge and reputable engineered hardwood company. What do they say?

http://www.armstrong.com/flooring/top-10-hardwood.html




7. What does it mean to “acclimate” a hardwood floor?
To acclimate hardwood flooring, move the packaged boards into the room where they will be installed and let them sit for several days, with the cartons open and raised off the ground. This allows the moisture content of the wood to adjust to the conditions in the room. Armstrong recommends acclimation for all their solid hardwood flooring products. It is not necessary to acclimate engineered wood flooring.

As for laminate flooring...well that's not even wood, so there's no need whatsoever to acclimate.

[flipstah]

What did you decide on, OP?

Mine is ~ same sqft.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by AndyL
It's getting murky in the laminate world...

I was playing with some true laminate recently - that I would have thought was engineered - because it had texture (but if you found the right pieces - side by side - you could find there was a pattern - it was printed/engraved to match)

That 8mm cork at timbertown is pretty sweet if you ask me - and budget friendly.

but the .79$/sqft stuff looks and assembled like cheap chinese made sh*t. No matter what the big box store tells you :)

Cork has interesting designs as well:

http://www.wicanders.com/en/collections/corkcomfort/the-collection/Reed-Barley/783/