Laminate versus hardwood floors

BlueFlareside · #1 04-16-2003, 01:29 PM

We are looking at putting down about 700 SF of "wood" flooring and we are looking at the Pergo Signature glue-free laminate and Bruce veneer hardwood.

They are about the same price but one is a laminate (picture of wood) and the other is an actual veneer of real wood on top of engineered wood.

Pros and cons so far:

Pros;
Pergo: dog will not scratch, easier to install, 25 year warranty
Bruce: actual wood

Cons;
Pergo: not real wood
Bruce: dog can scratch, 15 year warranty, must glue down to slab

Both types have glue-less seams between the boards.

I have a few questions for anyone who know about flooring:
1. Will a dog (7 yr. old, 70 lb. lab) scratch the real hardwood floors?
2. I have existing base boards. Should I pull all of them off and install the flooring then re-install them or should I just use quarter-round and leave the base boards where they are?

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom.

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jaymz · #2 04-16-2003, 01:37 PM

I installed Pergo in my kitchen and dining room three yrs ago and you can't tell it from new. I have three collie dogs (one weighs 100 lbs) and if they can't scratch it, no one can. The big guy is pretty wary of moving too fast on it, however, as he slips like he's on ice).

I used the glue type; glueless would seem to be better from what I have seen of the new Pergo.

Just have a good power miter saw; stuff is hard and will wreck a blade, for sure (use a good carbide blade).

As far as your baseboards, it's up to you. Spacing away from wall is supposed to be 1/4", I believe, so you could cover up the space with 1/4 round, like you say. Lots less work that way.

Good Luck.

BlueFlareside · #3 04-16-2003, 02:12 PM

jaymz,

Everyone seems to tell me the same thing about dogs and Pergo. It seems like the best choice so far. I am still checking other laminates.

About the baseboards, we want to put new flooring down in our family room, hallway, master bedroom and attached office. Total length of baseboards to remove and then replace would be over 200 LF of baseboards plus that much in quarter-round. I think I will see what it looks like with the quarter round just filling the 1/4" gap between the floor and the baseboards.

billycouldride · #4 04-16-2003, 02:55 PM

this will sound silly, but here it goes.

most of our home is hardwood flooring. we also have a dog (85 pounds).

we purchased, online, nail covers for the dog.

they last between the times we take him to get groomed.
they are like little rubber 'nail tips' that actually get glued onto each nail.

he doesnt care about them, they are black (matches the dog) and we have no scratches on the floors since having them re-finished (over 1 year ago).

he is a house dog, and doesnt see a whole ton of pavement to walk on, which may be why these tips last so long, but they have been working like a charm so far.

they go on pretty quick, and the glue dries almost instantly.

captainoblivious · #5 04-16-2003, 03:11 PM

I prefer hardwood. But can't you put like a urathane coat or something on top of the hardwood to prevent the dog from scratching it? I think thats what my girlfriends family did with theirs.

Fast Gator · #6 04-16-2003, 04:54 PM

If I can stop spending money on my truck, I'll be putting down some flooring as well. Everything that I have read and seen, Iam leaning towards Bruce.........hehe

lrutt · #7 04-17-2003, 01:29 PM

Go with wood. It looks real cause it is. And glue it down, don't float it. When you walk on a wood floor, it should sound like a wood floor. Floating floors feel to soft and mushy and sound like crap. Just not right. Also, pull the base boards. Yes it's more work but it's the right way to do it. Quarter round looks like a short cut IMO. Chances are your base boards are a little beat and could use a coat of paint or varnish anyhow. I just pulled mine, washed and scuffed them a little and hit them with a coat of urethane since they are varnished wood.

serotta · #8 04-17-2003, 02:37 PM

Two neighbors on the street put red oak hardwood floors in when their houses were built three years ago. Both were sanded and finished on site. Both have large dogs in the house all the time. One was finished with gloss, the other satin. The satin finish is holding up much better than the gloss. You can see the dog paths in the gloss finished floors, not in the satin.

No experience with Pergo, but heard it's great for animal traffic.

trapper · #9 04-17-2003, 04:49 PM

I've done carpentry work since I was 12. Here a few answers
for your questions:

1. Yes, larger dogs WILL scratch hardwood floors. A satin
finish does help though. Smaller dogs would be ok on
a satin finish floor.
2. Either Pergo or hardwood is a good choice. In my house,
(which is over 100 years old) I decided to refinish the
existing hardwood floors. In a more modern home, I
would most likely go with Pergo. It just looks better in
newer homes in my opinion.
3. Concerning the trim strip (quarter round), I just pulled the old
quarter round up, finished the floor, and then put new
quarter round down. HOWEVER, I usually don't do that.
In my current house the floors have a short "riser" around the
walls that prevented anything other than quarter round from
being used. These floors were original to the house.

TN_Triton · #10 04-17-2003, 05:08 PM

I installed Armstrong locking Laminate floor on my entire downstairs. We love it. I wanted wood, but was afraid the kids and the cat would destroy it.

The laminate has been down about 6 mths and the kids can't hurt it at all!!

I pulled up the existing quarter round and put down new when I got the job finished.

whitefode · #11 04-17-2003, 06:32 PM

Go with the real thing, looks the best. And fifty years from now you can turn it back to almost new.

Pull the trim dont shortcut it.

ib fast · #12 04-17-2003, 08:25 PM

I have a 40# and 55# indoor dogs in my 6 year old house and i just refinished my 700+ sq ft of real 3/4 natural oak flooring in my house as it had a few gouges dents ect in it, but no major problems from the dogs,more like kids.

It cost around 2.2 k to buy the 3/4 hardwood and another 250.00 to rent the flooring nailer and drum and edge sanders.

Quotes for installing,sanding and finishing this floor wer in the 8 to 10k range including the oak.

So the way i look at it i saved 5-7k by doing it myself.

I originally used minwax satin polyurethane and only put two coats on with no sealer as we were in a hurry to move in.

I just re-sanded and refinished the floors with 1 coat of poly sealer and two more coats of minwax at a cost of around 300.00 including rentals.

I work on new homes and finish woodwork and i can tell a laminite floor from quite aways away[looks very fake] and would always choose real wood, but not the veneered kind....real 3/4 oak will last your lifetime and can be re-finished every 6-7 years if your ruff on it like us,or every 15-20 years.

If something heavy gets dropped on it and dents it...no biggie because it can be sanded out.

Always use polyurethane based finish and not the waterbased crap.
For those that like the look, Maple floors are even harder than oak.