One - which is better, wood or laminate flooring. Two - how much for 2 rooms 18.5 x 11 ft each? Thanks.?
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wood will look better and cost more but laminated is the way to go for a do it yourself job.i am a flooring installer so i know what im talking about.laminate is better value for the price and comes with up to 30 yr warenty. the losest price you will find it is about 1.20 a sq foot with pad and around 1.00 sq foot for professional instalation.it is very easy for you to lay yourself just follow instructions and be sure to leave quarter inch gap arounnd all walls or it will buckleyou have about 407 square feet if you do it thats gonna run about 500.with lowest price board.figure another 450 to get it installed
you can compare laminate flooring to carpet. if theres ever a problem patch repairs dont happen as easily or as inexpensively as they would with hardwood. labor and materials shouldnt cost more than 3 dollars per square foot which ever you use
This depends on what your needs entail. Hardwood is a natural flooring product made up mainly of a "Real" wood specie, such as Oak or Maple (in actuality the wide range of specie, colors and pattern offer endless possibility). They have a "real" wood surface, and depending on the type, may comprise of a single specie from top to bottom more commonly known as a Solid hardwood or an Engineered Hardwood which has multiple layers created so for dimensional stability for installation over concrete or other existing subfloor, since normally an engineered hardwood maybe installed using the "float method" either by gluing along the tongue and groove or by locking the tongue and groove which is similar to how laminate floors are laid down.
Keep in mind that a real hardwood floor is a natural product, they will get scratched and dented down the road, any natural wood floor will, eventually. The finish that is applied to the floors however determines the overall wear. It is important to use a branded version, Treffic aluminum oxide from Germany is a very good example.
One main advantage of a Real Hardwood floor is that it increases the value of your home. They provide a high-end appearance which simply translates even the smallest area into a well crafted, authentic look and can easily tie the look of a room together. Not only that, most just simply prefer it the old fashioned way :)
Laminate, on the other hand are extremely impact and scratch resistant, but are NOT real wood. However, don't go into thinking that all laminates are typical and cheap looking, various collections and brand cater to low and high end look, and there are now new and innovative ways which results in a "Real" wood looking laminate floors. Thanks to technology, the so called Handscraped laminate is now available which gives you that authentic Vintage look complete with a Beveled edge which are only normally found in Hardwood floors. Now, although laminate floors are extremely tough, they can still be scratched by big dogs or dragging heavy objects across the floor and if you plan on changing your flooring, sanding is a no-no, so you will have to replace the entire flooring. Laminates are extremely affordable but price range varies depending on its special design and qualities.
We have a laminate which starts at $0.84/sf, say you need to cover approx. 224sf (10% overage included), thats about $ 201.70. You may still need to consider the cost of the underlay and trims as well as the shipping cost. Installation will depend on the flooring you decide to go with. The cheapest will be for a floating installation which normally starts at $1.99/sf but may vary per installer. Nail/staple down follows while a glue down method is the most expensive.
Anyhow, I answer the livechat on www.simplefloors.com about all kinds of flooring related topics so if you have any other questions on this you can always get a hold of me there. No strings attached :)
Goodluck on your project!
Cheers :)
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