View Full Version : help needed
the original ducky
07-Mar-06, 22:14
hello i am wondering does anybdy have or had laminated flooring. i am thinking of getting it because i have a beautiful beige carpet in the living room and its getting to dirty to easily> its notthat old only 3 months and cost me a fortune so i am thinking of changing it to wooden! is it easier to keep clean? i have a dog will it get scrached easily? any ideas would be helpfull!!
We have laminate and it is easier to keep clean. It hasn't got scratched by the dog, but the poor wee thing is sliding about like Bambi on ice and I'm really scared in case she hurts herself. :confused
hello i am wondering does anybdy have or had laminated flooring. i am thinking of getting it because i have a beautiful beige carpet in the living room and its getting to dirty to easily> its notthat old only 3 months and cost me a fortune so i am thinking of changing it to wooden! is it easier to keep clean? i have a dog will it get scrached easily? any ideas would be helpfull!!
Wood floor is different from engineered floor which is different from laminate.
If you want a real wood surface go for wood or engineered flooring.
Engineered flooring and laminate are similar multi-layer construction except laminate floor has a photo finish (or something similar of wood) and engineered flooring has a wood top layer of from 1 – 6 mm thick.
Although wood or a wood top is always better (in my opinion) depending on the quality of what you buy they should all wear well. They should all clean well although scratching can be a problem
Although wood or a wood top is always better (in my opinion) depending on the quality of what you buy they should all wear well.
Unless you wear stilletos![smirk]
I have laminate in my kitchen and living room, and if i had yesterday back i would have put in a carpet instead.I find it cold and slidey.Bits of dust appear as soon as its hoovered,grrrrrrrrrrrrr!It will be carpeted before long.
i have laminate, and with a two year old running havock it is far easier to keep clean than carpet, you could buy a nice rug to stop the dog slipping or scratching the surface.....i also found that buying a decent underlay for the laminate much improved the sound and warmth too....
millavilla
07-Mar-06, 23:38
I have laminate flooring and a dog,there is nothing worse than when you sit down to watch a film and the dog doesnt settle all you can hear is their nails on the floor clippy clopin.
I'm with AR on this one - I'd have my carpet back in an instant. The laminate looks great, and I've never had an issue with scratches (dog or stilettos, and both are present in our shack!), but it needs constant hoovering, the minute the hoover's away I find another hairball!! And although spills etc are quick to clean up, every single mark shows up, that includes wet shoes, baby drool... :roll:
That said, everytime I moan about the cleaning involved, hubby reminds me that carpets would be worse, as they can really harbour any pet odours, know what I mean?
We have it in our lobby and it has its pros and cons I suppose - it surprises my how dirty it gets in a day with 2 dogs going in and out which makes me glad I don't have a carpet there but it is very noisy with the dogs running about on it!
My mum has it in her living room and dining room and swears by it and she has 3 dogs!
kx
We have laminate and it is easier to keep clean. It hasn't got scratched by the dog, but the poor wee thing is sliding about like Bambi on ice and I'm really scared in case she hurts herself. :confused
Oh yes, and the Bambi effect - for some reason, since going laminate/real wood throughout, our dog has developed an horrendous scuttle :grin: , he just HAS to scuttle through every doorway, past anyone/anything.... don't know why, but it frequently results in toes being trod on and toddlers being bowled over like a skittle!!
yeah, but once you have laminate, do you not think...urg...this is all sinking into my carpet??? yuk....i hoover, sweep, mop, everyday anyway.....
Whitewater
08-Mar-06, 00:29
Engineered wood, wood and laminate are all fine, quality depends on the price you are willing to pay. Not had a problem with dogs on it, they seem to like it OK. In fact one dog that comes to visit likes to sleep on it.
It does not really take any more cleaning than a carpet, difference being you notice the dust/dirt on the hard floors, the same dirt remains on a carpet but you don't see it, so you walk over it and put it in the air, in perfect position for breathing the finer particles into your lungs.
One of the reasons given for the great increase in Asthma over recent years has been the massive amounts of carpet covering all the floors in the house, in the old days they only had lino on all the rooms and very few cases of Athsma.
I like carpet as well, though not all over the place, but in the end I guess it comes down to personal choice.
We have a laminate floor in our kitchen and I'm really pleased with it. It's sooo easy to keep clean - everyday muck is swept away easily, and ground-in dirt isn't too hard to mop up either. It seems to be pretty resilient too - it's survived skateboards and roller-blades without any noticeable scratches, so far at least.
I was a little worried that the floor would feel cold, but in fact the opposite is true - it always feels warm. Having said that, most of our kitchen is just three years old, it has underfloor insulation in addition to wall and ceiling insulation, new pvc windows and back-door, and new radiators.
I would recommend buying the best (and probably most expensive) flooring that you can sensibly afford. I've had cheap carpets, cushionfloor, linoleum tiles, etc. They don't last long and they're unpleasant in every way.
I'm not sure I'd want laminate in the living room though.
Bingobabe
08-Mar-06, 01:09
I have laminate all through my house and i have a dog its far easier to keep clean best investment i ever made buying carpets was costing me a small fortune.:o)
the advantage with real wood is you can sand it down and varnish it if it gets scrathed where as with laminate you have to change the whole board. easy if its the click together stuff, not if its glued
I have laminate in the living room (it was there when I moved in) and it is so much cleaner and fresher than a carpet and I have lifted all the carpets in the house and am now on the bare floorboards. Years ago, people would feel sorry for me!
Mind you, I have done nothing with the wooden boards yet; waiting for a new central heating system to be installed.
About dogs and laminate, I have a dog and I don't like the fact that he sometimes slides on the floor. Funny, but not very good for his young legs especially as he was born with a hip problem.
Ann
the advantage with real wood is you can sand it down and varnish it if it gets scrathed where as with laminate you have to change the whole board. easy if its the click together stuff, not if its gluedOur builder recommended not having a real wood floor in the kitchen. His argument was that the floor buckles if you have a serious leak and you have to replace the whole thing.
Niall Fernie
08-Mar-06, 11:25
Laminate flooring + yacht varnish (clear) solves the problem of both water and scratches
would like laminate flooring it looks so much cleaner than carpets.
the original ducky
08-Mar-06, 20:44
thanks everyone i am thinking that i will get it now just wondering what the baby will be like on it? i was thinking of going to caithness home is there anywere else up here thats anygood. will they fit it or will i neded to ay someone to do it? any ideas?
rockchick
08-Mar-06, 21:17
There's one other benefit to wood/laminate floors that hasn't been mentioned. They really help if you suffer from asthma. Carpets trap the dust which aggravates asthma - wood floors make this easier to remove and provide a cleaner, healthier environment.
As for kitchens, ceramic tiles win out for me. Much easier to keep clean than carpet, more hygenic, and no chance of buckling if they're installed correctly. Underfloor heating makes them lovely on the toes too!
I have a 15month old girl and she is fine on the lamiate, I am always a bit wary though in case she falls on it as it will give a harder bump than the carpet it is a bit softer! Just think when they are older and coming in with dirty shoes - will be easier to clean!!
Everyone to there own opinion though.
Kx
I had laminate in my last house (living room) it was very easy to mop up the spills etc from young child but I found the same problems with dust, you needed to hoover about 4 times a day to keep up with it and although it is warm I found it didn't feel as cosy. In our new house we put carpet in living room and laminate in kitchen and this has been perfect solution for us. My parents have laminate in their living room and I do feel that carpet is more comfortable and cosy. I would try the guy at Couper Square, I have found him to be very reasonable and he does fitting, Jims carpets are also very reasonable but I don't think they do fitting.
As for kitchens, ceramic tiles win out for me. Much easier to keep clean than carpet, more hygenic, and no chance of buckling if they're installed correctly. Underfloor heating makes them lovely on the toes too!Yup, ceramic tiles are great if you have underfloor heating, but they can be very cold underfoot if you don't. We have them in our utility room and downstairs loo, but the laminate floor in the kitchen is much warmer underfoot.
you can get a product that you put onto your laminate that makes it non - slip.
the original ducky
10-Mar-06, 13:17
hey thanks everyone for your great advice is realy helpfull. i am going to see what i find down the street on sat. not sure what kind or colour yet but i am sure that i should see somethng that i like! thanks again mind made up. xx
Where you going to get it from, are they going to do the fitting also, i fancy getting laminate in my bedroom only
the original ducky
10-Mar-06, 22:22
well i am planning to go 2 caithness home in thruso for it but they might not fit will have to see. was going to couper square but dont know if they fit either which ever is going to less costly!
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