Laminate vs cork vs bamboo -- and the weight of a grand piano

[dan ny escarpment]

After 2 solid days of superstorm Sandy wind driven rain flooded part of the always otherwise dry basement, (through the chimney of all places) we went with tile so we don't have to deal with future damage.

 

[s219]

I put cork in our last house and we loved it. Very comfortable and looked like a million bucks. But it is soft, and heavy objects will make a permanent depression, so I wouldn't use it under a piano. You'd need a pretty big pad under each foot to spread the load and avoid damaging the floor. Of course, if you never plan to move the piano, who cares.

When I put the cork in our kitchen, I had read up on issues with appliances making depressions in the floor, and being difficult to roll around. So I cut strips of brown masonite board to go under the fridge wheels and stove feet when they were parked in place, and kept another sheet of masonite to put down in case we had to move either one. When we sold the house, I left the sheet for the new folks with a note. I'd hate for someone to roll the fridge out and ruin the floor.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm not a fan of laminate flooring. I've found that it's just a matter of time until the edges start to rise on them. As a contractor, it's one of those things that I notice in homes that some of my clients hate, and others don't see it. Just the moisture in the air is enough to cause minor swelling at the edges. Eventually, the surface chips off and it starts to fall apart. The more you pay, the better it is, but it's all just compressed paper fiber that cannot handle moisture.

Cork and bamboo are both soft. Both will leave trails if you have a high volume path. Worse I ever saw it was in a bedroom where the home owners and guests walked from the door to the bathroom. I'm guessing it was ten years of use, but it reminded me of a horse trail through a pasture when I saw it.

I'm really impressed with the new generation of vinyl. Allure is probably the most common and well known. It's sold at Home Depot and prices vary from just over a buck a foot, to almost $4 a foot. It's an easy do it yourself intall. The only tools needed are a big set of sheet metal scissors to cut it.

My flooring supplier has several brands similar to the Allure and then some that are thicker. It's a very dense, solid rubber type material that is impervious to moisture. Some of the finishes are just outstanding, and there are dozens to choose from. Cost is in the $3 to $5 range for materials, but labor is quick and simple.

Lowes just started selling two name brand vinyl snap together flooring that has really impressed me. I'm working on a second kitchen off the side of my garage, and we're looking at all the different samples, but liking what they have at Lowes the best right now.

I'm not a fan of glue down vinyl, just the floating floor style flooring.

 

[Pixguy]

I'm not a fan of laminate flooring. I've found that it's just a matter of time until the edges start to rise on them. As a contractor, it's one of those things that I notice in homes that some of my clients hate, and others don't see it. Just the moisture in the air is enough to cause minor swelling at the edges. Eventually, the surface chips off and it starts to fall apart. The more you pay, the better it is, but it's all just compressed paper fiber that cannot handle moisture. Cork and bamboo are both soft. Both will leave trails if you have a high volume path. Worse I ever saw it was in a bedroom where the home owners and guests walked from the door to the bathroom. I'm guessing it was ten years of use, but it reminded me of a horse trail through a pasture when I saw it. I'm really impressed with the new generation of vinyl. Allure is probably the most common and well known. It's sold at Home Depot and prices vary from just over a buck a foot, to almost $4 a foot. It's an easy do it yourself intall. The only tools needed are a big set of sheet metal scissors to cut it. My flooring supplier has several brands similar to the Allure and then some that are thicker. It's a very dense, solid rubber type material that is impervious to moisture. Some of the finishes are just outstanding, and there are dozens to choose from. Cost is in the $3 to $5 range for materials, but labor is quick and simple. Lowes just started selling two name brand vinyl snap together flooring that has really impressed me. I'm working on a second kitchen off the side of my garage, and we're looking at all the different samples, but liking what they have at Lowes the best right now. I'm not a fan of glue down vinyl, just the floating floor style flooring.

One, have you seen the new Pergo Outlast at HD? Looks impressive.

Two, in vinyl, do you like self adhesive or click lock? Both floating.

 

[EddieWalker]

One, have you seen the new Pergo Outlast at HD? Looks impressive.

Two, in vinyl, do you like self adhesive or click lock? Both floating.

I haven't looked at anything Pergo makes in years. They where the pioneers in laminate flooring, but like all the other laminates, they have edge issues that show up over time. Is the Outlast something good? I'm at Home depot or Lowes a couple times a week, so I'll take a look this week.

I think you get a better finish with the click together vinyl flooring. The glue together is cheaper and easier to install, but sometimes you do end up with small gaps between each peace. I've also had a few callbacks on corners lifting because the glue didn't hold.

For the money, it's very hard to beat the glue together Allure vinyl flooring.