[Aurora_Bell]

I am going to be tearing up my carpet and I would like some advice on what type of laminate flooring to choose. I have very light cupboards, and a darker kitchen tile. My walls are like a kaki green in kitchen and a yellow in my living room. I don't want to go as light as my cupboards (see pic attached) and I don't want to go too dark. I was thinking of an Ash. I also would like some suggestions on name brands. I have dogs and a kid. I was thinking the scratch resistant flooring. Anyone used this flooring or have any tips? The pic I attached is the best one I have that shows my kitchen floors, cupboards and walls. And my beautiful dog :D

[RickJ]

You asked about "hard wood" floors, but the body of your question is about laminate.

Do you have a preference between the two?

Frankly, I think you'll be happier with laminate instead of hard-wood.

Local suppliers should be able to show you the difference in price and appearance options so that you can choose from there.

[joypulv]

AWW, lookit that face so eager to please the camera. Or get you out from behind it and provide a treat, who knows what our dear turncoat pets have in mind?

It looks like you have a light natural cabinet, maple? I would go with a somewhat darker wood. I would get some free samples from HD, who has various brands and as you may have seen, they are not all the same thickness or the same substrate. I like Bellawood 'engineered' (and not under 1/2 thick), which is real wood on top of wood composites. 'Laminate' wood flooring these days refers to totally fake wood grain look alikes, and although cheap (often on sale under $1) and maybe good for a kitchen, I like real wood. 'Hardwood,' although the 'engineered' are mostly hardwoods, refers to one solid wood through and through.

[Synnen]

REAL hardwood floors will be expensive. If you're going with the laminate look-alikes (which are just fine, especially in a home with kids and dogs), I recommend going out to a local store and seeing what they have.

Pine and maple are the most common hardwood floors out there--they were very cheap for about 50 years, so they show up in pretty much every house with hardwood floors built between 1900 and 1950--at least in the midwest.

I have not heard of a great disparity between brands as far as wear-and-tear, but there is a pretty big gap between the cheapest and the most expensive.

I can never remember if you're in the midwest. If you ARE, I HIGHLY recommend going to Menard's for your flooring. They have GREAT teams of guys that know how to walk you through EXACTLY what you should get based on your skill level (for installation) and your budget.

[Aurora_Bell]

Rick—I am thinking laminate, for the wear and tear purposes Synnen mentioned. I guess my only preference is in money. I don’t want to leave myself completely broke or paying for a long time like I would with actual hardwood. I have been to 3 different outlets and they all promote a different brand. And they all say the same about their chosen brand as the nex6t retailer with their chosen brand.

Joy—Thanks! Bellawood, I have heard of this, but would have to go to the city to have a look, I am taking as trip there this week end so I will get some samples. Yes Lady will do just about anything for a treat! This sounds horrible, but I can’t remember the wood used in my cupboards. I know I paid a lot of money for them and they were the highest upgrade I could get at that time (my home is a pre-fab home).Here is a better pic of them from a few months ago before the paint job.

Synnen—I am in the East coast of Canada, I haven’t heard of Menards, but I may not have been looking hard enough. I have seen the quality difference between the cheap of the cheap and the most expensive, I’d like to fall somewhere in the middle, better quality with a reasonable price is my end goal.

To tell you all the truth, I have not a single clue about click flooring or hardwood; I know it sure looks a heck of a lot nicer compared to the stains in my carpet! I have been warned to stay away from the real hardwood until I no longer have pets and kids, probably not going to happen anytime soon, at least as far as the pets are concerned.

[Synnen]

Meh, I have true hardwood floors, and they're 100 years old. If you put a good seal on them, they're pretty hard to mess up too badly.

They ARE expensive, though, to put in new.

Menard's is a midwest store only--they're based out of Eau Claire, WI, and I love love love them. You won't have them, though--I don't think they're more than one state out of WI in any direction. Lacking that, I would NOT go with a store brand of laminate flooring. Unfortunately, I don't know what to recommend to you because I just re-did my floors and didn't have to actually give more than a quick glance at my options when I was trying to determine if it was going to be worth re-doing my floor.

Do you have a small local hardware store you can go to for more information?

Another option--if you actually WANT the hardwood--is to check with your local restoration recycling place. A lot of times they will have the wood floor disassembled and available by the plank or square foot (meter) in those places. AGain, it's more expensive, but it's a matter of where your taste runs.

[Aurora_Bell]

Ok I'll check out a few different places this weekend. Do you guys think this is a safe colour to go with?

[joypulv]

That's not too light. It looks like 5" click engineered?
Kep in mind that the click flooring REALLY has to have a totally flat and level subfloor, or you will be there for weeks trying to keep it in place. Usually you have to tape several rows down while you are adding rows anyway.
A good reason to buy 5", and better quality.
Again, look for Bellawood.
Surely you have Home Depot and Lowe's?
I'd say your cabinets are maple.

[Synnen]

I would go with pine, personally---something a little richer. But that's just me :) What you posted is awfully close to the color of your cabinets. Plus, something a little darker isn't going to draw your eyes away from everythign else, and will not show dirt as quickly.

[RickJ]

Keep in mind that they make laminates in every conceivable pattern, including stuff that looks like marble or stone. I personally like the "other than wood look" patterns best.

Here is a link to Shaw, the type of laminate that I have in my entry, dining room and kitchen. You can browse colors and styles: Shaw Laminate Flooring Offers the Highest Durability In Many Styles -ShawFloors.com

[Aurora_Bell]

Thanks Rick, very helpful site. I'll have to see what and if they offer in Canada. I want to fall somewhere between the cupboards and the tile in the kitchen.

Synn I was looking at some beautiful pine hard wood floors, my heart melted. Way out of my price range. Maybe I can find something comparable in the click.

Joy, thank for that tip. I remember having an apartment a few years back where the click flooring kept moving away from its self. Very annoying.

What do I need to use for the underlay?

[Aurora_Bell]

What are the differences between the 3" and the 5" both are the same price? Is it just the width of the boards?

I think I may have found my shade!

ShawFloors.com - Laminates - Medium

[RickJ]

Yes, you are right. The only difference is in the size of the pieces. Bigger is better, in my opinion, because it means a quicker install time for the design that you like.

[Aurora_Bell]

What about for smaller spaces? My living room is only 18x21.

[Synnen]

I like the look of the wider boards better as well. However, some people feel that the narrower the board the more elegant the floor. Not my opinion, but I have floors with both widths in my home as well--upstairs in the bedrooms I have the wider boards, and downstairs in the living area they are narrower. I like both, but do prefer the wider boards.

[RickJ]

You'll use a table saw or circular saw to cut pieces to fit - once you work into those smaller areas. Typically the directions that come with the flooring product are pretty good.

If you have and know how to use a table saw or circular saw safely (be sure to use a blade designed for laminates) then you'll be good to go.

Measure three times and cut once :)

[Aurora_Bell]

I don't think I'll be doing any of the cutting! Lol. But what I meant was, do the larger boards make a smaller room look smaller?

[RickJ]

Larger boards may or may not make the room look smaller. The key is in the design. Look at the sample pieces on the website (or at a local dealer) so that you can get an idea of the pattern sizes and how they will look in your room.

[Synnen]

The floor we just re-did was in an 8x8 room, and it's got the 5" boards.

What will matter more is color in a smaller room--you will want a lighter tone rather than a darker.