Laminate Flooring Advice...

tuffy · May 13, 2013

I am considering putting in wood laminate floor in my new house but before I do I would like to hear from the forum members on their opinions or experience using it.

Especially the price per sq meter and brand names for the style that you used with pictures if possible.

Hopefully I won't have to worry about termites as we installed a termite system in the foundation of the house, hopefully that will take care of that issue.

I have been reading and alot of people are saying that it only lasts for a few years but one house i rented in the past looked as good when I left as it did when I moved in.

Also is the foam underlay nessasary?

Any suggestions would be appriciated.

twinpin · May 13, 2013

I put laminate flooring in my kitchen/dinner in my UK house 8 years ago still looks like new,

Do you need underlay Yes if it is onto concrete then the thicker the better, I don't know what is available in Thailand but in the UK you can get 9mm fibre sheets about 1 Mt square

If it is going onto a smooth wood floor then the thiner stuff should be Ok. You must leave a expansion gap all round the edge. I covered that gap by replacing the skirting boards.

Remember laminate flooring is MDF the surface is printed onto it It is NOT waterproof even if the sales person says it is A damp wipe is all that is required and wipe spills up ASAP

Happy Flooring.Twinpin

tuffy · May 13, 2013

Thanks Twinpin, I hope I can get the same quality in Thailand!

Crossy · May 13, 2013

Cheap MDF based laminate just won't last in this climate so you'll be looking at the more expensive solutions with a thick real wood top layer which can be sanded to re-finish in future.

Before deciding on an engineered wood solution (posh laminate) do investigate the cost of solid wood, it's not nearly as expensive as one may think, indeed it could be cheaper than decent laminate.

Wifey would not accept laminate in our place, we have solid mai daeng parquet.

Are you sure that your rental had laminate floors and not solid wood?

tuffy · May 13, 2013

Cheap MDF based laminate just won't last in this climate so you'll be looking at the more expensive solutions with a thick real wood top layer which can be sanded to re-finish in future.

Before deciding on an engineered wood solution (posh laminate) do investigate the cost of solid wood, it's not nearly as expensive as one may think, indeed it could be cheaper than decent laminate.

Wifey would not accept laminate in our place, we have solid mai daeng parquet.

Are you sure that your rental had laminate floors and not solid wood?

Crossy, you know I am not sure if it was real or not, i just assumed it was laminate, but it did have a gloss or lacquer coat on the top which may have helped.

What was the rough cost of your floor installed? Did you buy it locally? I need to decide on a flooring choice soon and was hoping not to have to go tile.... The real wood I have seen so far is ridiculously expensive though.

Edited May 13, 2013 by tuffy

Crossy · May 13, 2013

Sadly I don't have a cost breakdown of the flooring as it was included in the total cost of the build.

We had a local flooring specialist in to do ours so ask around your area and get a few quotes, get quotes for laminate too of course.

The floor came as raw wood planks and was sanded in place, so big machinery is required meaning it's not a DIY job (which laminate can be).

Sorry I'm not being more help here

meatboy · May 13, 2013

we had laminate flooring in the uk,lounge.one of the bedrooms,would i recommend it definately no,we bought an exspensive one,it is very dangerous,so slippery,marks easy,any spilt drinks you have to wipe dry straight away and you must use a special cleaner on it,if i had a choice it would be wood flooring,dont think termite treatment under the house would stop them it wont,neighbour by me has it done every 2yrs.it didnt stop them eating half her kitchen cupboards.then there is trying to find an exsperianced layer with the proper tools.

rgs2001uk · May 14, 2013

Cheap MDF based laminate just won't last in this climate so you'll be looking at the more expensive solutions with a thick real wood top layer which can be sanded to re-finish in future.

Before deciding on an engineered wood solution (posh laminate) do investigate the cost of solid wood, it's not nearly as expensive as one may think, indeed it could be cheaper than decent laminate.

Wifey would not accept laminate in our place, we have solid mai daeng parquet.

Are you sure that your rental had laminate floors and not solid wood?

Crossy, you know I am not sure if it was real or not, i just assumed it was laminate, but it did have a gloss or lacquer coat on the top which may have helped.

What was the rough cost of your floor installed? Did you buy it locally? I need to decide on a flooring choice soon and was hoping not to have to go tile.... The real wood I have seen so far is ridiculously expensive though.

The real wood I have seen so far is ridiculously expensive though.

Depends on where you are and where you are shopping.

I have seen laminate more expensive than real wood.

Mai daeng is about 2,000 baht per s/m.

In this heat and humidity I wouldnt even consider laminate, give it a few years and its shagged.

neighbour by me has it done every 2yrs.

Sorry, quoting from another post, in Bkk its usually done at least every 6 months, some people get the house sprayed 3 times per year.

wpcoe · May 14, 2013

I had a laminated floor in a room about 15 years ago and hated it. Maybe things have changed since then, but the floor "floated" on the pad -- it was only anchored around the walls -- and sounded hollow like a portable dance floor. The appearance and durability was great, but that *sound*....

It was Pergo, and when I complained at the store where I bought it, they explained that Pergo floors originated in Scandinavia (I forget which country) where rental apartments/houses often did not include flooring, so tenants would bring their own. To keep it portable so it could be taken with them when they moved, the only Pergo-sanctioned instructions required them to fasten only at the edges. Made sense, but didn't make me like it any more.

meatboy · May 14, 2013

we have inside and around the house done with termite treatment twice a yr, but underneath once or twice every 2yrs.those termites in bkk around soi cowboy and nana are big eaters

tuffy · May 14, 2013

we have inside and around the house done with termite treatment twice a yr, but underneath once or twice every 2yrs.those termites in bkk around soi cowboy and nana are big eaters

I am hoping that with the sytem installed under the foundation will prevent the temites from getting inside the house. I forget now but the company will come once or more a year and apply the chemical.

ignis · May 15, 2013

All my upstairs except the bathrooms is real wood, likewise I don't have a cost breakdown of the flooring, was included in the total cost of the build.

likewise it came as raw wood planks cut fitted and sanded stained and varnished in place, 10 years on and the master bedroom could do with re sanding and new varnish as scratched in places [dogs and moving things about] worst was did not notice until moving the bed to a different position the rubber on the middle legs had perished and the floor got badly scratched. also have the windows open 24/7. Master bedroom is 9m x 4m, has 8 windows and double doors on to a small balcony, the sun has discoloured the floor in places.. the other bedrooms and landing are fine, well maybe a couple of small scratches..

It is always a question as what flooring to use, all of my downstairs is tiles, a good number of these by the doors have a crackle finish now 10 years on, of course used a lot more then upstairs but have not lasted any longer, I bought the tiles myself for the house builder and were by no means cheap tiles.. if you want something to last maybe Marble ? built the kitchen myself and the counter tops used marble, still look like new. but very expensive back then.

laminated floor, I did myself in my house in the UK, was OK, would not even think about it here.. I did build a big conservatory in the UK, the laminated floor lasted less then 2 years, I replaced it myself with real wood. I sold the house to the next doors daughter, we keep in touch often, that floor is still perfect she say's, the laminated floor in the house has been replaced some years ago. [so lasted about 12 years]

So my own view would be real wood, then maybe every 8 - 10 years sand it down and re varnish to make it look new again, would then last many life times.

meatboy · May 16, 2013

we have inside and around the house done with termite treatment twice a yr, but underneath once or twice every 2yrs.those termites in bkk around soi cowboy and nana are big eaters

I am hoping that with the sytem installed under the foundation will prevent the temites from getting inside the house. I forget now but the company will come once or more a year and apply the chemical.

our neighbour came back from hollidays monday[away three weeks] termites had eaten almost all their skirting boards which were wooden so the pest control came his comment was you are lucky they were only inches from the stairs,so she had under the house done,i forgot to put the date down when we had ours done last time so we had ours done as well.so when i recommended wood forget it and have all tiles we saw some nice ones that looked like wood at home pro,check under the stairs if you have a little cupboard we found some there 3yrs ago and this is where the neighbour had them.ex-terminate.we do all inside the house ourselves,solo pressure sprayer and a long lasting 5ltr.can of zypertac 10 mc.the sprayer was 500bht.and the chemical was 1,500bht.enough to last 5yrs.

ignis · May 16, 2013

we have inside and around the house done with termite treatment twice a yr, but underneath once or twice every 2yrs.those termites in bkk around soi cowboy and nana are big eaters

I am hoping that with the sytem installed under the foundation will prevent the temites from getting inside the house. I forget now but the company will come once or more a year and apply the chemical.

our neighbour came back from hollidays monday[away three weeks] termites had eaten almost all their skirting boards which were wooden so the pest control came his comment was you are lucky they were only inches from the stairs,so she had under the house done,i forgot to put the date down when we had ours done last time so we had ours done as well.so when i recommended wood forget it and have all tiles we saw some nice ones that looked like wood at home pro,check under the stairs if you have a little cupboard we found some there 3yrs ago and this is where the neighbour had them.ex-terminate.we do all inside the house ourselves,solo pressure sprayer and a long lasting 5ltr.can of zypertac 10 mc.the sprayer was 500bht.and the chemical was 1,500bht.enough to last 5yrs.

'so when i recommended wood forget it'

This really is what type of wood and if it is treated 1st, I have picked up wood and looked at it with great care to find it has termites,,, Look for hard wood and check very carefully... skirting boards mostly are cheap soft wood and riddled with termites,

I find most odd, put a cardboard box down after 1 year move it to a diffident place in the same room within days it is being eaten and alive with termites, why ? where did they come from ? I have 2 x MDF shelves one under the other, about a month ago 1 x was being eaten, the other is perfect, they have been up 9 odd years. why, both are the same, both have about 20 x 1 lt tins of paint on them.

House across the road built about 1 year before mine, but has been empty for 6 years, the Patio doors hardwood and glass have been eaten and have fallen off, as has a door..

As for pest control Companies, are they any good ? what do they do ? yes I used to have them come, 1 st lot came every 3 months, still got termites, changed to a different company they came every month...... would find termites again within days......... past 5 years done myself, check everywhere often every week,........

Odd or why ? I bought a length of 3/4 square wood, cut in halve and lean them together against the house outside within no time at all 1 x length was full of termites and was totally gone within 10 days, the other part of the same length of wood is still there with NO termites 2 years on. ?

lopburi3 · May 16, 2013

Termites can fly so entry can be made during those times and if a source of water found in a drain or leak they can live without going back underground so no 100% solution for them.

Sanding/refinish can restore solid wood but can also be a disaster. Our home, built in 1974, was all wood floors and sanding of ground floor parquet was the end of them as workers could not handle sander and gouge marks everywhere. As rainy season flash flooding was also getting to be an issue have not had anything but tile floors on ground floor since (where recovery is just a wash away).