If you are up for some DIY, at that price, you can have real wood flooring instead of laminate. You can find oak for around $2 a square foot, stain and finish it yourself for well under the $4 a square foot. And it will be wood that you can refinish down the line if it becomes worn or damaged. Laminate cannot be.

We just laid Mannington Revolutions Plank floor 2 weeks ago, and the revolutions line has microbeveled edges. We looked at local dealers, but ultimately bought from Flooring Market.com. I was very nervous to buy online, but more than satisfied with them! I talked to them via phone, they actually have a showroom in Chicago, but then also have this site online. We ordered 800 sq ft of it and had it delivered extremely reasonably priced!

I like the floor too :)

Reality check here. You are about to spend $8K in a big rush to get flooring by a deadline that appears to be self imposed. I would recommend you take your time and be certain of your decision and not try to rush this. We have been in various stages of renovation during family visits, including one guest bath with no floor tile just bare concrete, and everyone has been most understanding and complimentary of the updates.

We purchased engineered oak wood flooring online for just over $2 a foot so you should be able to get real wood for your budget.

Have to agree with GreenDesigns and Steff _1. I have had both, but much prefer real wood to the fake picture of woodgrain of laminate. Wood also feels better underfoot, and dampens sound better. Put it this way, have you ever heard of someone ripping out hardwood to replace with laminate? Take your time, the guests will understand if it is not done.

Hmm, well it is self imposed because I really don't want my parents, who are in their late 70's living on old plywood EVERYWHERE, nor do I want my middle child's pregnant wife breathing dust from the plywood. It's hard to keep clean, and it's EVERYWHERE, and I mean, EVERYWHERE too! This house, we purchased only 7 weeks ago had carpeting even in the bathrooms AND the man who lived here smoked....all the time, so all carpets, especially the ones in the bathrooms HAD TO GO!!! So, I really would rather have new floors for them rather than worry more about getting it exactly perfect. DIY is not an option right now. My husband is already overloaded with other projects around here and I have my hands full choosing these floors as well as bathroom tile and shower tile as our shower has a leak...oh, not to mention the 30 year old appliances that need to be replaced. So, I can wait on the other things, just not the flooring.I totally agree on the "feel" as well. Can't fathom the thought of walking on those laminate floors, especially upstairs where I am SURE it will sounds like thumping when you are downstairs. Just wish I could find a more reasonable real wood or engineered floor! Will be out tomorrow on the hunt yet again!!! Thanks for all the advice! Helps keep me focused on getting the best product for the best price!

I would not want beveled, microbeveled or otherwise. Bevels collect debris, and I would want a smooth surface, without valleys. No debris in the cracks for me. Call 'em microbevels or bevels of any kind, no thanks.

No need to involve your husband with a project like this. I'm a 50 year old woman and I've laid and finished wood floors. It's not that hard with a bottle of Advil, a good chop saw, a harbor Freight nailer, and some patience. Your money will go more than twice as far! Labor to lay your floor will consume most of your budget, leaving you with cheap $1 flooring that isn't worth doing.

Slow down. Paint the plywood if you need to make it easier to keep clean and more decorative in the meantime. Put down some area rugs. A rushed project is usually a bad project. Deadlines also are really bad news for decision making. You're setting yourself up for disappointment and regret.

Lumber Liquidators. Go on line and they will tell you where the nearest store is or buy online. They will arrange installation as well.
Good product at reasonable prices.

Westsider40: Great info! Never thought of that. I am sort of a clean freak and that could pose quite a problem.

Thank you GreenDesigns. I am also in my fifties, (54) and am in great shape except for a bulging disk...which means, bending even slightly to pick up my grand daughter makes life miserable, so DIY~ing for me is out on this project. Chop saw: Harbor Freight nailer? Huh? Is that chop salad and Friday night eat out??? I think we are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. I think you are a camper and I am a Ritz-Carlton sort of gal. Sometimes wish I was a more do it yourself~er though! Thanks for the advice about the pressure to make a decision though! Hopefully I can make a good decision shortly or else I will be forced to wait!

I have to agree about slowing down to make a better decision. You've got a lot going on right now. Rushing the floors just to get *something* down can lead to major regret and huge money wasting.

How about painting the plywood in a decorative pattern? Tape off some large squares or diamonds and get a couple of different paint colors. Buy a couple of cheap, large area rugs at Target or the like. Or maybe check with some local carpeting stores to see if they have any large carpet remnants they'd sell for cheap.

Maybe your floors are different than mine, but when the plywood floors were open for months during my whole house reno (replacing all the flooring) the only dust was from construction. If you've just purchased your house only weeks ago, I'm sure your relatives don't expect a completely re-done, perfect house.