Anyone have a laminate kitchen floor?

[Dirk]

We were going to go with ceramic tiles in the kitchen but I don't care for the negatives of ceramic. We're now looking at laminate/Pergo. We like the way it looks but I am concerned about water damage. If you have a water leak and the water stays on the floor long enough, the water will get into the edges and the floor could buckle. Then, you would need a whole new floor.

We currently have vinyl and it's very hard to keep clean.

Has anyone had good or bad luck with laminate in the kitchen?

 

[bubbatd]

My daughter had it in her old house ...... dented and scratched easily .

 

[ToscasMom]

Pergo is a very good floor. The problem is, people buy floors that "look" like pergo but are really not as strong or long lasting. I know several people who have pergo in their kitchens and they have no problems with it. The one thing you have to remember is you don't drag sharp things or tables across it. In this way, it is similar to hardwood. As for stains and clean up, a GOOD quality laminate floor will endure much.

 

[MafiaPrincess]

Pergo was a good floor. It's not rated as the best anymore though. Consumer reports came this week, it's all on kitchens and one of their ratings is laminate..

I just bought our new kitchen floor yesterday actually.. Laminate. We went with Shaw (Canadian) as they've shown water tests leaving pools of water on their floor for 4 hours before wiping up and it's okay. Many of the products on the market the butt joints don't fit together as well, and that's your possible moisture zone.

Armstrong is an american one that got rated like number 1 though.

 

[ToscasMom]

Shaw has ALWAYS been a good floor maker. My family construction company installed plenty of them. The key though is not to be attracted to the lowest level of their wares. With laminate you DO get what you pay for.

 

[MafiaPrincess]

True enough. Armstrong is really pricey. It should have gone down with the more stable dollar, but it hasn't changed. They are using february's prices..

Watching people pick out 2 dollar a square foot random manufacturer's laminate makes you wonder..
We went with a more expensive Shaw it wasn't what we started looking at though. I kept asking about moisture, wear, etc..

Water and kitchen floor sketches me out some..

 

[blue]

I have Shaw lminate in my kitchen and bathroom, its held up reasonably well. IMO Mannington has a better locking joint.

 

[Dirk]

Thanks, everyone.

I wonder if there is a high quality vinyl flooring out there that has a smooth surface and a durable sealant so that it's easy to keep clean for years.