Thread: Well I'm back

was a wise a choice steering clear of that tongue n groove laminate crap, (sorry ace) we had it installed at our place 2.5yrs ago, within 2 months we noticed sections where gaps had formed; contacted person who laid it;(person recommended by boral) only to be told "yeah that happens" and as we'd paid cash to the person we had no warranty on installation? we couldn't do anything about it(all this to save a few hundred $) i've since noticed at my sisters house the same problem & at friends house's the same problem, it's only occuring where the widths join & the really noticable sections we've had to cover with a rug while the house is on the market; would never get it again or recommend it to anyone; i actually laughed at the wife when she suggested lino but have seen some pretty impressive lino's that look like wood & feel the same as walking on the crap we have.... oh well maybe at the new house.

I am going for the fake wood lino myself. Part of the house has it already and it is only an ex housing commission house in Alice Springs. I don't want to spend too much money on it.

Originally Posted by billnjim

was a wise a choice steering clear of that tongue n groove laminate crap, (sorry ace) we had it installed at our place 2.5yrs ago, within 2 months we noticed sections where gaps had formed; contacted person who laid it;(person recommended by boral) only to be told "yeah that happens" and as we'd paid cash to the person we had no warranty on installation? we couldn't do anything about it(all this to save a few hundred $) i've since noticed at my sisters house the same problem & at friends house's the same problem, it's only occuring where the widths join & the really noticable sections we've had to cover with a rug while the house is on the market; would never get it again or recommend it to anyone; i actually laughed at the wife when she suggested lino but have seen some pretty impressive lino's that look like wood & feel the same as walking on the crap we have.... oh well maybe at the new house.

Your friends have been unlucky with that tongue n groove stuff eh.

I can’t help thinking thought, (and I’m not insinuating this is the case here)
I would imagine the quality of the tongue n groove fitting would be a major factor in it’s lifespan.
The other things that contribute are people buying too light duty for their needs or mopping and spilling liquids on “none water” laminate.
I suppose the only way to do it properly is the get a good fitting job to begin with and use good quality waterproof laminate.

I laid about 80m2 of 14mm (4mm jarrrah/10mm ply) floating timber about 3 years ago.

Great to walk on, but can't tolerate any water. Also, whatever they seal it with is cr*p and I will go over it soon.

As for gaps, I've not had any come up, but then I laid all of mine myself.

But for my new areas I've gone for solid timber (Note: All timber floors are 'tongue and groove' irrespective of whether they are laminate or solid). I've now discovered that I don't need the grooves in the underside (see my earlier post) and will start laying blackbutt this week .

Originally Posted by BigJon

I am going for the fake wood lino myself. Part of the house has it already and it is only an ex housing commission house in Alice Springs. I don't want to spend too much money on it.

Hi
I hate to say it but I have that fake lino wood type stuff in the house.
We have the square panel/plank stuff, not the stuff on the roll, they stick it down and piece it together similar to the way they do with wood.

It was already in the house when we bought it and I HATED it.

The Bad :
It's not as cheap to buy and get fitted as you might think, the good stuff is not a kick in the Ar$e off the cost of ceramic flooring.

Not so warm in winter.

You know it's lino !


The Good:
When I first walked into the house I had to kneel down and scratch the flooring with my fingernails to tell it wasn't real wood, then I still had to ask the Estate Agent, yes it does look that real.

It does not stain at all, we have spilled everything from black currant to oil and paint.

If a panel/plank, (whatever they are called) gets damaged you can replace one panel, (try that with laminate).

Cool in summer.

Hard wearing, the house is, (I think) 3 or 4 years old and there isn't a mark on it.

No maintenance what so ever, unlike wood.

Will not crack or get dirty grout, like ceramics.

It’s as waterproof as a flooring gets.

Easy to keep clean.



Even though the good far outweighs the bad I would still prefer real wood but I could not justify ripping up a good quality floor covering that still looks new and is hardwearing to spend $10,000+fitting on wood.
I have started to change my mind about this flooring just because it’s so damn practical.

The good points are what wins it for me. Cold in winter isn't a big concern here, winter isn't that long. I just want to match what I have and hide the original lino flooring.

Originally Posted by BigJon

The good points are what wins it for me. Cold in winter isn't a big concern here, winter isn't that long. I just want to match what I have and hide the original lino flooring.

A mate of mine lays that type of flooring and he has about half a dozen colour books, there are LOADS of styles and colours, I'm sure you'll get one to match.

Pity he is in Perth, not here .