Laminate Or Tiles.

[starship]

Hi.

I plan to replace the floor in my condo. Currently the original basic 25cm tiles. I'm undecided on wether to choose large 50*50cm tiles or laminate flooring. I want to achieve a good look at a reasonable price. What are the pro's and con's of each. I'm doing this on a budget so solid wood is probably out of the question from the prices i've seen. I imagine tiles to be a lot more hard wearing than laminate and i also like the cool feel you get when walking on them. In reality what's the difference between the different thicknesses of laminate or real wood top boards? Does the top surface of laminate boards wear out quickly leaving you with an ugly floor? Plan to do this once so need to choose the right material but as i've said don't want to spend a fortune. Condo is about 60sqm. What type of cost including fitting do you think i would be looking at ( from low to high ) for different qualities?

like to hear your thoughts/experiences.

Thanks.

[petercr]

I had a condo on the 15th floor and carried out a full renovation, including replacement floor covering. The original floor material was a hard wood timber which had been destroyed by termites.

Would have preferred to replace with timber but practicality dictated use of tiles

Laminate is not an option I would recommend..........Durability being my main concern

Cost will depend upon the quality/type of flooring you use, but remember that if you have someone in to lay the floor it will more expensive than laying the same floor in a house due to the restrictions on working hours usually applied by the condio management

[Darrel]

Tiles (if properly laid and of good quality) will last for decades with no maintenance. Laminate may only last a couple of years, depending on usage and quality. Even the best laminate may not last long.

Add to that the obvious problems with humidity, warping, movement due to the climate and air-conditioning etc and I know that I would never choose laminate under any circumstances.

Solid wood is great, if you can afford it, but make sure it is well-dried and thick. And be prepared to take care of it.

Many new condo buildings have laminate floors and I think that there will be many owners replacing those floors with tiles in a few years time.

[cmsally]

I have laminate in my condo bedroom only. The other sitting/dining/kitchen room is larger and gets more wear. Has those huge marble looking tiles.

The laminate seems to last OK if you look after it properly BUT if you spill a considerable amount of water or water isn't wiped up straight away it will blister and puff out of shape. Once that happens it has to be replaced.

[LennyW]

Top quality laminate is ok and will last a long time, 12mm thick, treated with anti-termite solution already, scratch-resistant and flameproof, but expect to pay around 1200/Bt/Sqm fitted for top quality, well worth it in my opinion as it looks far better than tiles, but each to their own.

There are some nice tiles around but just because they are tiles do not automatically think they are harder wearing than laminate, i had nice tiles in my office which got ruined with scratches with the wheels of my chair going back and forth!!

[Darrel]

Hmm. I think that all laminate looks cheap and nasty; even the expensive sort. On the other hand even cheap tiles can look nice. Not that I would recommend buying cheap tiles of course. Good tiles are virtually indestructible in normal domestic use.

[juehoe]

IMHO: no laminates, because:

• No sustainable (made from crude oil)
• Not healthy, because of the glues used (VOC). Especially in Thailand you can suffer from the «sick-building syndrome»

There are no tiles with a wooden appearance on the market. We use them on one of our terraces. It looks quite natural but it is not so easy to clean.

[stgrhe]

Tiles sized 50 x 50 can, if properly laid, be rather nice looking if you chose to lay them in a diamond pattern. When laid traditionally in square rows they tend to get a "boxy" look.

[beano2274]

Have 2 condos both around 33sqm, with shitty wooden floors, termites in there and really scratches easily. Am looking to change it too, had a look at good laminate around 850baht/Sqm, but am still not sure, as tiles last longer. Have a look around your local Homepro see what they have.

[Wonderboy]

That is a touch question. Modern laminate is very, very durable and often comes with 10 years warranty and it looks good as well. It is often more expensive than tiles, but it is much easier to lay so you will often get the floor laid out in one day, often for free. Laying tiles is a true mess. It is expensive, time consuming and will make your place dirty beyond believe, so expect a major clean up operation after. Another problem is that more often than not, the tilers do a shitty job with uneven tiles. Cheap tiles are uneven in itself, so impossible to make perfect, but a good tiler can compensate for that.

I had several floors tiled, and the quality has ranged from very bad to barely acceptable. The worst is the grouting. If tiling, I recommend you do it yourself by following instructions found on Internet. Thai laborers mix the grout with far to much water to make it easy to get into the gaps. This makes for a soft grout that will only last for a couple of years before it looks ugly as hell (cracks, discoloration and parts falling out).

If you get tired of your tiles, removing them is extremely hard work, so you are almost stuck with the choice you make. With laminate, it is just a matter of minutes to remove the old floor.

So what do I recommend? Impossible to say. Some rooms look good with tiles, some with laminate. I have both. If you are unsure, go for laminate. Much easier if you want to change later. Nothing wrong with tiles in some rooms and laminate in others. Anyway, if you are a perfectionist, also go for laminate. Uneven tiles are really annoying, and cracking grout even more so. Laminate can be laid out perfectly by anyone...

WB

[JeffreyMcCollum]

Simply no to the laminate flooring. If it is damaged all has to be replaced. It states on it not to use in wet area, that includes laundry or kitchen.

The humidity also makes it expand and causes problems. I know, I was a dealer and had hundreds of unhappy customers !

[toenail]

In the States I remodeled my kitchen with Prego (good brand) laminated flooring. I liked the look of it but after a couple years I noticed it would show scratches..not far away, but when looking close at the surface. It was easy to maintain but after living in Thailand with the wide smooth off-white tile I prefer that. It is more durable and water proof. I can't believe that some of the hotels are putting in laminated flooring...it is not meant for heavy use or careless people. (dropping heavy items on it; cigarette butts; heavy water from over flowing bathrooms...)

[Crossy]

Have you considered an engineered-wood floor as opposed to 'ordinary' laminate.

http://www.hoskinghardwood.com/Department/Hardwood-Floors/All-About-Engineered-Wood-Floors.aspx?dId=7&pageId=7

Looks and feels like real wood (it is), can be re-finished like solid wood, but more stable and cheaper.

[trogers]

Polished tiles in living area including pantry. Laminate in bedrooms. Check and ensure no rain water is seeping through bedroom windows before placing laminate.

[starship]

Thanks for all your replies. I'm leaning towards the large tiles beause i think they would be durable, easy to clean and look good. However, some laminate looks smart and perhaps has a bit more of the character of real wood compared to some tiles which can be a bit bland. ( i like the marble type ones ). I'm a bit wary of some thai tradesmen though as i know they tend to bodge work compared to a decent western tradesman, although i have seen some good work too to be fair. I remember seeing a shop floor in the u.k which was laminate and a whole section had worn away. When i do it that's why i think i might opt for the tiles, because just like a new car you don't want it lookig crap after a short time.

Thanks.

[meatboy]

we had laminate flooring in the uk,marks easy,not water freindly,and warps so definately not in los.

[wpcoe]

In the States I remodeled my kitchen with Prego (good brand) laminated flooring.

I had Pergo flooring in a house in the USA, as well. I did not like the hollow sound/feel. Per Pergo instructions, the flooring is only anchored (glued?) at the perimeter, so it "floats" and sounds like a hollow dance floor.

I later asked at the store why they didn't glue the floor other than at the edges, and they said they were under contract by Pergo as official installers to follow the official instructions. As well as I can recall their explanation: Pergo hails from a northern European country (Sweden?) where it is traditional to rent a home/apartment with no flooring -- the renter provides their own floor covering. To accommodate this tradition, Pergo was made as portable as possible, fastening it only at the edges became the norm, so it could easily be pulled up when the tenant moved out.

My Pergo floor *looked* quite nice, but sounded cheap and tinny when walked on, especially with shoes.

[Darrel]

I later asked at the store why they didn't glue the floor other than at the edges, and they said they were under contract by Pergo as official installers to follow the official instructions. As well as I can recall their explanation: Pergo hails from a northern European country (Sweden?) where it is traditional to rent a home/apartment with no flooring -- the renter provides their own floor covering. To accommodate this tradition, Pergo was made as portable as possible, fastening it only at the edges became the norm, so it could easily be pulled up when the tenant moved out.

As far as I know laminate is supposed to "float". If you glue it all over it will buckle as it tries to move with humidity and temperature changes.

The idea of lifting it when moving house doesnt sound very likely to me.