I chose laminate because I like the look of wood, but laminate is much less expensive than real hardwood. It's much easier to put down, and if you're handy it can be a DIY project. It's somewhat flexible, so easy on the feet and back as compared to tile.

The biggest downside, IMO, is that it's not water/moisture resistant. Any spills need to be wiped up right away. (I used vinyl in bathrooms and kitchen for that reason).

Well, you know what they say about laminate flooring, a picture of wood on plastic. And I guess technically it is true. I have laminate throughout my entire home, except bathrooms, and I can honestly say I don't like it. Better than carpeting as far as cleanliness, but that's about it.

I do wonder if I would feel the same about any hard surface flooring. It can be noisy, shows water spots super well, especially in the kitchen, and I feel as if every square inch needs to be vacuumed or swiffered. I have also heard of off-gases it produces as well.

Do your research and leave no stone unturned.

Yes, it does show dust and pet fur easily. But just think, that same dust and pet fur would be in the carpet even if you don't see it. Ew.

Hmmmm.... Good point. I am a little concerned about the noise of "clicking" on the flooring, but then will usually be wearing soft shoes. Contractor says the thicker laminates, i.e., 10mm and more, are quieter. Any comments??

I think the "clicking" some people talk about is the floor itself clicking where the pieces are joined together. I've personally never had that problem. This is my 2nd home with laminate flooring, with a medium quality vapor barrier/padding underneath. Both of mine were professionally installed, don't know if that makes any difference.

Do you have any special considerations to take into account? Dogs with claws that might damage the floor, or anything like that?

I forgot to mention originally that the reason for getting laminate in the last house was to accommodate a wheelchair - it's hard to push/roll on carpet! And tile with wide grout lines is "bumpy". Laminate is nice and smooth.

What I've discovered about "clicking" or bouncing flooring is the quality of underlay/under pad used has a direct impact on the "feel" of the floor. The thicker 10mm laminate is less likely to "bounce" simply because it is less flexible. But a bad under pad is going to cause any floor to click/bounce.

Even with a cork floating floor (11mm thick; 5 lbs per plank = very sound construction) the under pad will give the impression of "bad" flooring - even though the cork is well constructed. A solid (non-compressible) underlay that does NOT squish under pressure will offer you the best "feeling" under foot.

Cork underlay, together with a simple vapour barrier such as 6mil poly sheeting (for a basement install) will offer a "solid" feeling to the floor. Cork also eats sound so it is one of the best thermal/acoustic insulators on the market. A $0.20/sf foam underlay will cause your floor to bounce, click and SOUND horrible.

In a nut shell: your floor is only as good as the material it is sitting on.

My dad has his own business in installing floor so I hope you consider my comment.
Upsides: looks like wood but is less expensive, easier to install so less expensive to have someone install it, isn't as cold to the foot as tile.
Downsides: although cheaper, it still needs to be wiped up immediately after a spill and you can see dirt much more than carpet(I have laminate FYI)
If you have any other questions go to www.michael'sflooringandcarpentry.com or call 970-237-1437

Here is another option: Vinyl flooring that looks like wood but performs like vinyl! Great look and incredibly durable...................total DIY as it floats and has zero connections - made by Elevations

We have the vinyl flooring that looks like wood in our den where the grandkids have taken over and we like it very much! Our contractor said he recommends it to his clients quite a bit, especially if they have kids and animals. :)

Regarding "clicking" of laminates. That is a very real issue (hollow sounding and clicking). If you want to use laminate (durable except for water, inexpensive) the best bet is to 1. make sure your subfloor is extremely level (not more than 1/16" difference in 8' span), 2. choose a thicker laminate (I would choose a 12mm) and 3. select a floating floor underlayment with high sound ratings - minimum 50 STC AND IIC but preferably 60-74 STC and IIC. This will help the floor sound and feel like a real wood floor.

WOW. Great comments and suggestions! We have been considering the vinyl flooring, as well, but hubby thinks the out-gasses would be a hinderance. ??? I know that carpet does the same thing (we plan to have an area of carpeted floor), and maybe the laminate does too. ??? We really don't want to use tile because of the cold-ness and the hardness, would love good-looking wood effect, but open to suggestions. I am appreciative of the comments....

We have wood floors throughout our house. I love the look and the feel of real wood on your bare feet is soft, if that makes sense, and feels good, it doesn't get cold either. BUT I miss being able to steam clean our floors like you can with laminate. They are definitely more high maintenance!

We had the vinyl flooring that looks like wood, and weren't very happy with it as it wouldn't hold a shine due to our labs getting water all over when they drink. It didn't matter that I was right there wiping the water up--we still had a part of the floor without any shine. To rewax it was tough as the wax had to be applied in a very specific way or it would smudge.

@lynseytippitt, I'd read that steam cleaning wasn't appropriate for laminate floors, but was fine for hardwood. Have you had any issues using steam on laminate?

Cankork Floor is 100% on target re: "steam cleaning"... regardless of WHAT the TV ads suggest.
As far as the pros & cons of laminates...
One of the major "cons" is that it's always going to be a "picture of wood on plastic" and as long as you can live with the "pattern repeats", I guess they have a place (especially when the budget is tight).
The big PLUS is that they come out as easily as they go in. (snark alert... that's going to get me in trouble).

@orangecamera
Funny I read the opposite! I've just never used my steam cleaner on them in fear it would hurt them. We only use bona products now.

@Cancork, thank you for clearing that up once and for all!

@Select Hardwood, you're absolutely right about the repeat, repeat, repeat on laminate. In a perfect world, I'd have put down real hardwood floors instead. WHEN I win the lottery, I'll be glad my laminate will be easy to remove :)

@Orangecamera...
Best of luck in hitting that lottery! ; )
When you do, please try to remember those of us in low places!
Merry Christmas.

Don't have laminates or thin wood flooring upstairs, the transmitted noise can be horrendous. Banned in apartment building.

We considered laminate flooring but issues with water spills stopped us. We went with bamboo flooring which was less $$ than wood. Good luck!

@Mike
It is amazing how many people do not realize that many laminates and vinyl planked floors cause MORE noise in a space. The test used is "cement slab - bare" vs. "cement slab + floor". Pergo ran the numbers on one of their floors and it turned out the Pergo ADDED 6 dB to the noise in the room. How can that be possible? Here is an example.

Tapping machine recorded at 65 dB over bare cement slab
Tapping machine recorded at 71 dB over same slab + floor covering

That is 6 dB louder than bare cement! Oops.

When working with laminates you will always want to get THE BEST underlay possible. This will counter act the "loudness" factor in the laminate.

Oh, and DON'T believe the acoustic number. Only DELTA IIC numbers are to be trusted - and they are VERY RARE! Why are they rare? Because they PROVE that the floor/underlay is HORRIBLE. That means the manufacturers are NOT going to get the test done when they KNOW it will look REALLY BAD! That means the Delta IIC numbers are rare and they will stay that way!

Ok. Another rant out of the way! Please continue with your discussion.

Had lamintate for 20 years. It was great with two dogs, a cat and two sons - did not scratch. Was installed properly over a great cushion so no clicking occurred.

I have learned a lot, I think I know what to do and what not to do..... We have some laminate flooring in the galley and the dining areas in our boat ~ a trawler, and our home. It has been just fine, no problems with water, either...and we ARE on a boat.... Have had this down for almost 10 years. No dogs, no teens, so that might help!! From all of the comments, so far, I know to look for only the best underlay material, get thicker laminate, be careful about spills, and get the most out of the boxes of "planks" re: the repeat issue. All of this has been helpful. ALL of it.

Select Hardwood Floor Co, thanks for clarifying that steam can't be used on wood floors or laminate. I can't tell you how many times I've seen the Shark steam cleaner advertised on TV, and am thinking of getting one for my porcelain tile floor.