Looking for the next best thing in laminate flooring

[Bob10]

So after multiple problems making the news with Lumber Liquidators I am looking at this product https://www.flooranddecor.com/aquaguard-laminate anyone have any experience with it? Looks to be an easy install just hoping to find out anything that might bite me before going forward with it

[KC]

Installs like regular old laminate or click lock engineered. From the video, I'll say it doesn't look much like wood.

[R Clark]

For me, if I need water resistance, then I choose resilient vinyl.

We've put in laminate, engineered hardwood, traditional hardwood, resilient vinyl plank and vinyl tile. We installed some of it ourselves, and some of it was professionally installed.

I love the look of traditional hardwood, but not the cost of the material and then the installation. However, I did have a gorgeous scraped hickory floor put into the house last year, and we love it.

Engineered hardwood didn't hold up. Looks good initially, but I find the top layer gets beat up very quickly, particularly when something unexpected happens. We put in an engineered hardwood floor in a family room on slab. One night, a leak developed in a patio door during a heavy rain. The floor near the door was wet for a max of 6 hours, and the finish started coming up.

With the vinyl products available these days, I'll never select laminate again.

[Robert Adams]

The issues that lumber liquidators had was a small portion of its product a couple years ago now and they were the only one to get the bad press. Everyone was selling flooring with those chemicals in it and didn't know it. It's a non issue for me. However there are other suppliers with better selection and prices.


The flooring linked looks like the stuff that one of the borgs was selling as it was also a water resistant laminate. They pushed it for a bit I store but I haven't seen it in a while.

My assumption would be they are using a mdf substrate like medex which is nearly waterproof mdf.

[Woodenfish]

That product looks pretty good as an affordable flooring alternative.

[Cooler]

WxMan said:

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For me, if I need water resistance, then I choose resilient vinyl.

We've put in laminate, engineered hardwood, traditional hardwood, resilient vinyl plank and vinyl tile. We installed some of it ourselves, and some of it was professionally installed.

I love the look of traditional hardwood, but not the cost of the material and then the installation. However, I did have a gorgeous scraped hickory floor put into the house last year, and we love it.

Engineered hardwood didn't hold up. Looks good initially, but I find the top layer gets beat up very quickly, particularly when something unexpected happens. We put in an engineered hardwood floor in a family room on slab. One night, a leak developed in a patio door during a heavy rain. The floor near the door was wet for a max of 6 hours, and the finish started coming up.

With the vinyl products available these days, I'll never select laminate again.

---

Consumer's Reports agrees. Vinyl outscores all the other flooring options except on appearance. If you are happy with the appearance then you will like the vinyl. They now offer vinyl in plank format. The one I am familiar with uses self-stick adhesive to join the planks together. The floor floats. Looks pretty good to me.

[Robert Adams]

The vinyl is a little more forgiving on uneven floors as well. Which all floors are uneven... I can get loml to go with laminate as some of it looks really good now but I can't get her to go with vinyl.

The Allen Roth chestnut stuff at lowes is what she likes and for an affordable flooring it looks very good and actually better than some of the more expensive stuff.

[Bob10]

I did laminate in 2 houses and used vinyl plank in one kitchen and like the looks of each but in one house I took out a portion of laminate by a door as it couldn't take the wet shoes coming in and replaced it with some tile. So this time around I am tiling the laundry, entrance, and baths. I was going to carpet the living and dining room along with bedrooms. I gave it some more thought and decided to keep the carpet in the bedrooms and something more durable in common areas. I may go with straight laminate but I leaning to trying something new. It's going in a rental and durability is a large factor

[Robert Adams]

Ugh for a rental I'd suggest bare concrete floors possibly painted... Well at least that's what I'd do for a rental here... Most that I know will do sheet vinyl flooring and carpet. Use cheap for both and when they move out you replace it. Or if you want the upmost in durability you can go with the green and black asbestos tile that base housing had while we were in Hawaii. Super durable stuff just don't cut it...

But for nicer I'd go with carpet in the bedrooms and vinyl plank everywhere else. Not sure what kind of clientele you have so hard to tell what to do.
Nothing wrong with tile although tile gets quite expensive these days when you add in all the numbers often more than solid hardwood.

[Bob10]

Yeah the tile is more than hardwood but durable as hell and works well in my market. I get more than average rents for my places as I do them up in granite counters, stainless appliances and higher end finishes. I find that most often I attract a better clientele not to say I haven't had it backfire on me but in the scheme of things it has been a winning business plan. I currently have 2 places empty for upgrading. I have a tenant that pays rent ahead of time calls when things need repair and keeps the place immaculate while managing 4 small children and waiting for me to finish a larger place so they can get the space they need and keep me as landlord. Yesterday I had a neighbor who keeps his place perfect stop by looking for a place for family members. I guess I don't squeeze every last penny out of tenants and houses then again I don't rent out places I wouldn't live in