Where laminate still wins
Laminate has a harder wear layer than most vinyl, so it holds up well in a busy entry or a hallway that takes a beating. The printing on good laminate is sharper than it used to be, and the thicker boards feel more solid underfoot than thin vinyl. If nobody in the house is going to flood the kitchen, it is a strong pick and often a few dollars a foot cheaper than a comparable looking wood.
Where it does not
Water. Laminate has a wood based core, and standing water gets into the seams and swells the edges permanently. We do not recommend it for a full bathroom, a laundry room, or a basement that has ever taken on water. If any of those are in the plan, we will steer you to vinyl for those rooms and it is a conversation we would rather have before the install than after.
Install notes
Laminate floats, which means it is not glued or nailed down and it needs room to move at the walls. Skipping that expansion gap is the number one reason a laminate floor peaks up in the middle a year later. We leave the gap, hide it under the baseboard, and let the material sit in your house a day or two before we lay it so it is at your temperature and not the warehouse's.
Free quote on laminate
Tell us what you need. We answer fast, and the quote does not cost you anything.
Other floors we install
Doing more than one room, or more than one kind of floor? We can handle the whole house in one go.
Laminate installation near you
Same pricing across the valley.
Get a free quote on your floors
We beat other quotes over 95% of the time, and we can usually start in 7 to 10 days. Call or text (208) 860-6079, or send us the details and we will come back to you.