Q: We are planning to put a wood-look laminate floor in our kitchen and
foyer. This is a high traffic area. We were told it has a 25- year guarantee. At $9.60 per square foot (including installation) we want to be sure we are getting good value for quite a bit of money. Any suggestions you can give will be appreciated. Also, what would be the advantage, if any, to putting in porcelain tile? We already have ceramic tile with cracks, chips and crumbling grout.
Thank you.
Ann
A: I can’t think of very many floors which would cost this much, even installed, which would run in the upper $9 range. One thing to keep in mind is that not all laminate is created equal and warranties often matter very little. What is important is to determine who makes the floor and what collection it is, then determine the laminate’s AC rating as this will give you a better idea of how it compares to other floors.
As a couple comparisons. If you were to install Westhollow’s South Pacific, which is their premiere line, plus 6mm cork underlayment and the gold package installation you would be spending just under $7/sf and the South Pacific has a 50 year warranty. Another quick comparison QuickStep Perspective, another premiere line, with 6mm cork underlayment and gold installation would be right around $8/sf on a product which features a lifetime residential warranty. Now keep in mind, there is some small variance here as labor costs differ from place to place, but generally speaking this is fairly accurate for some of the best laminate floors on the market with AC ratings in a commercial level.
If we take the comparisons here, the important part is the abrasion ratings. A warranty will generally tell you how much a company believes in that product, but beyond that, the important ratings are how they perform in lab tests such as taber testing. Generally AC ratings will tell you how well a floor will weather traffic – so compare these before comparing warranties as the damage caused to your average floor is never covered by a warranty.
In the end here, the floor you are looking at seems a bit spendy for laminate and I would make sure you get a bit more background on it – who makes it, what collection is it, where is it manufactured and what’s its AC ratings or how did it perform in taber testing when compared to floors like Pergo Select, QuickStep Perspective and similar top tier laminate floors.
