Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Wood vs. Laminate

I'm a new home buyer who is currently considering flooring options. The laminate offered by the builder's design center is called "Formica", which is a brand I have never heard of. I have heard conflicting reports on both hard wood and laminate. Our biggest concern is ease of maintainence. Thanks for the help.

The laminate flooring will be 200 times easier to maintain. Good Luck

Formica has been around since the arc. They were originally known as counter top people, but have branched out into other areas. They are a quality company that make very good products.

Laminate flooring is much easier to install than hardwood and with a 20 year warranty, will keep it's original good looks longer.

As long as you use the correct type and amount of adhesive, this will give you a great floor for many years to come.

I recently laid this type of floor with a friend of mine. The only thing we would have done differently had we knows in advance would have been to install the floor at a 45 degree angle to the patio door. When the light comes in through the door, you can see all the seams. At a 45 deg. angle, these would have been less noticable.

Really easy to maintain, sweep and pick up spills with a damp cloth.

Ted

I don't want to throw things out of kilter here, but I'm beginning to hear complaints from people who have had their foor for about 6 or 7 years say the laminate is pulling loose from the base. The boards stick to the floor, it's the laminate itself that pulls loose. So make sure you get a floor with the 20 year warrenty and READ it very carefully. A lot of these warrenties do not cover replacement if you've used water.

Mary Moppins www.GoClean.com (http://www.GoClean.com)