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Most everybody on this forum seems averse to Pergo. I’ve never installed it for a client, but my wife seems determined that I install it throughout our house (kitchen included). She has further stipulated that I must do this prior to our getting a new puppy, as we’ve both had our fill of cleaning pee out of carpets. (Emotional blackmail, I know, but she doesn’t do this often.)
The only info available on durability (water resistance, large dog toenails, etc.) comes from the manufacturer, and they seem happy to say anything you want in order to make a sale. So far, the only people I know who have had it installed know absolutely jack squat about building, so all they know is that it looks pretty.
So tell me now, please: 1) Should I go ahead with the job?; and 2) If I do, is it worth using Pergo’s “Whisperwalk” underlayment?
I have no idea whether I’ll be delighted by the decision or driven to insanity. Thanks a lot for weighing in on this critical domestic issue!
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Everyone here hates Pergo?
I thought everyone here only hated vinyl siding and each other.
Learn something new every day!
I saw a display case for Pergo set up in a store once. There was a ladies high-heel shoe as part of the display. The idea was that you could Whack that Pergo as hard as you wanted with the shoe and there'd be no scuff marks or dents or anything...
First of all, the little chain attaching the shoe to the case wasn't nearly long enough for me to really wind up and Whack that Pergo, but I whacked it pretty hard.
Results: No scuff marks. No dents.
Then I saw some being installed in a house that I was working on. "Now's my chance to really wind up and Whack that Pergo" I thought. Carefully I unholstered my 32oz framing hammer (with waffle head) and marched into the dining room.
Kidding. I got a piece of scrap from the trash pile and gave that Pergo a Whack!.
Results: Since I didn't hit the Pergo flat with my hammer, I left a dimple along with the scratches from my waffle head. I then Whacked that Pergo with a finish hammer hard and flat -- no dimples.
Summary:
If it takes a 32oz framing hammer with a waffle head to scratch this stuff, I'd bet you're safe using it in your own house. If you must Whack that Pergo after installation, use a finish hammer, hit it flat.
As for the underlayment, you should probably say use it. If it's part of their "system" and you don't use it, you may void a warranty. Also, it'll make your back, knees and feet a little happier to have that cushion under step...
What kind of puppy are you going to get?
Whack the Pergo, not the puppy!
Dan
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I was in the same situation 1 year ago. I gave in and installed 450 sq ft. I was not too excited about putting down a laminate vice hard wood, but I have to admit, it has stood up to 2 kids and a 100 lb Golden Retriever very well. Make no mistake about it, it ain't wood but we are satisfied. One caution, while Pergo is durable, it can dent and chip if something heavy and sharp is dropped on it (like the web clamps used to install it...)
We used the whisper walk. I wanted at least SOME cushioning since it lays on a slab. If you are installing it over a slab, take the time to level it. If I remember correctly, the tolerances recommended are 1/4 inch over a 10 ft length. Pain in the A** to do this over 450 sq ft, but you'll get creaks as you walk on it if you don't.
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Dave,
Not only will you get creaks but you will get failures at the seams. And there is no warranty for this. Buyer beware.
Try and find a friend who has had a warranty claim honored or ask your lumberyard if they know of any.
Unfortunately, I've never heard of one, but I do know of some failures.
*Check out the Floor Forum at (www.floorsearch.com/cgi/config.cgi). There will be more discussions about floor products including endless discussions about laminate floors on that site. The floor installers that are on that site seem to be quite knowledgable. They seem to prefer Wilsonart as the best laminate product as I recall.
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Two years ago I installed this kind of flooring in my own home. I actually used a Wilsonart product, but it's basically the same. We put that stuff everywhere - Kitchen, Dining Room, Family Room, Halls, Powder Room, and Master Bedroom.
I've since sold the home, so I can't attest to its longevity, but I can share some observations.
b INSTALLATION
Plan, plan, plan!! Do everything you can to anticipate your cuts before you have to make them. Consider both the length & the width of your installation.
When gluing, wipe all the excess glue away before it dries!! If you don't, you end up with a very visible haze at all your seams. It can be cleaned off, but it means more time on your hands and, by now, aching knees.
Finally, my home was in the midwest and the floor was subject to radical changes in humidity. I installed it in moderate humidity and when the weather dried out, the floor pulled away from some of the outside corners exposing small gaps between the flooring and the base shoe.
b FINISHED LOOK
Very impressive. People couldn't believe the transformation. I had two problems though.
First, in two rooms I had a lot of windows providing a lot of light. From certain angles the reflecting light would show every seam and imperfection, no matter how slight. This is not something a perfectionist can easily tolerate.
My second problem was how the floor sounded.
My installation was on the main floor of a typical midwestern ranch with a full basement - plywood subfloor over joists. The floor didn't sound like wood. I've got two 60 pound hunting dogs and the sound of their nails clicking on the floor used to drive me nuts!
b DURABILITY
On that flooring, I dropped tools (sharp & heavy ones), I broke glasses and other dishware, I dragged furniture, and I watched my dogs chase each other, wrestle, and go skidding into walls full speed without ever causing a dent, ding or scratch. Routine cleaning consisted of dusting & an occasional damp mopping.
b FINAL THOUGHT
This stuff is easy to install and is so durable, that it is appropriate for just about every room in the house. A two car garage would look really cool with this stuff (kidding). If I had to use it again, I would install it in smaller areas with less traffic. The sound is just too much of an issue for me. Before using it again, I'd probably investigate a thicker product. I've seen 3/4" engineered flooring that has the same surface with greater density.
Good Luck
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No kidding, a site about floors and floors only. I'm floored...
I've defended Pergo before (search under my name, archives too), and enough. I think there is an institutional prejudice among the old guard here for much the same reason as the anti-vinyl venom. There is a time and a place (and a budget) for each.
I wouldn't do the whole house with it -- too antispetic, too much plastic, creepy. Use real wood in bedrooms and such, it will be a much warmer look -- there are excellent veneer T&G products you can install much like the Pergo. (Yes, you can afford cherry -- you're already into the price range so consider the alternative.) Find a urine-resistant varnish! And clean up quickly after your pup. I vastly prefer the look and feel of wood. Many can't tell the difference (your wife?) -- so if I were a landlord I'd use more Pergo. Or cheap carpet w/o the puppy.
Pergo is great, I think, for smaller high traffic rooms where wood would quickly wear unacceptably. And I have found the stuff to be very tough. I am a careful installer, and I think the tolerance demanded is more like 1/8" in 10'. I met this and there are no voids or movement in the sheet. You could indeed park a car on it. If the floor is close to that to begin with, do it; if not use something else (or work a -long- time to make it flat).
Whisperwalk: Pergo is overpriced; the whisperwalk is absolutely insane. $$$$$$$. I used ww in one tiny room, the green foam in the other and they are both fine. If I were doing a big project i would take the time to find a suitable generic underlayment like a bulk roll of comparable foam that I'd cut into strips. I considered using Homasote, but there need to be a lot of little pieces because the Pergo tends to get glued to the floor and would buckle. Heck, i bet you could find a material identical to the ww far far cheaper.
I'm considered installing this stuff for others .. the only downside is that it's not exactly creative work. Oh, and Thomas, there is a commercial version of the stuff that is thicker.
*I am planning to use it right in front of the front door (exactly one package). I didnt like the blocked look on a large floor so I am going with a laminated hardwood everywhere else. I think the Pergo should work well with the tracked in sand and mud.
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OK, I've got a totally different opinion on all of this. Most people get sick of something before it wears out right. I know I do. Like wallpaper and that harvest gold or avacodo refrig. ,and that vinyl floor. If you consider laminate flooring as decorating, that can change in 5-10 years then that's what it CAN be. I would much rather uninstall some pergo that some vinyl or trashed hardwood would'nt you?
Durability? I've beat mine and it still looks like new.(it is Formica brand)I would'nt take a hammer to it anymore than I would some of my vinyl rooms or my hardwoods so that is kind of a stupid point, but I know an occasional dropped heavy object has not done any damage. The sound , well ,it is louder than the other rooms, but that is the trade off for the durability and looks.
Point 2- don't listen to the purists that hang out here.Knocking vinyl siding, and any other new products that comes along. Everything has it's place, personally I would rather play with my kids than paint my house, or refinish my floors.I build houses and I would rather enjoy some life rather than trying to maintain these high maintenance "natural,old world,last forever,been used for centuries, the right way materials" KC
*GabeIt's amazing how you know everything and know all the faults & failures for products and practices.You make no worthwhile contributions; go stand in the corner.Bad Gabe.
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Hi Homer,
I don't know everything, I don't know all the faults and failures, but I do know a few. If sharing them with you is not a contribution, then I don't know what is.
If everybody agreed that Pergo was the greatest thing since sliced bread, there would be no other type of flooring.
Have you never seen anything else being applied?
*We installed ~900 sq ft of Pergo in a house, and by the time the homeowner had moved in, there was a triangular chip about the size of a dime right in the high traffic area of the living room. Not sure if this occurred during construction, or move in.In another house that was going up right next door to the one I was working on, they got commercial grade Pergo, which appeared to be much more heavy duty - thicker top coat, etc. No chips there. Tough on saw blades though.Other than that - it like somebody said previously about the appearance: "it fools you once".
*Hey Homer,Lay Off. Gabe was expanding on the previous post (2.0) refering to whether the floor was level. When not level, Gabe saw those defects and noted that they weren't covered by warranty.There'll be plenty of other times to rail on Gabe (insulation/venting forum)...:)Your pal,Dan
*Just curious,What's the uninstalled price per/sf? I just bought a bunch of random width cherry (4/5/6 inch) to put in a kitchen. 4.75/sf.Personally, I would rather have wood and have to maintain it every twenty years or so. But I don't like laminates in general, not even on a countertop. I guess that makes me an elitist. Or someone who has his own likes and dislikes anyway.Steve
*About $3.50/sf Prefinished cherry?
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I installed pergo in our family room 3 years ,3 kids and one black lab ago. the kids have dragged and pulled everything,including the lab, across the floor.The floor is unaffected,there are some slight hairline scratches in it do to the small rocks that are transported on the shoes of the unsuspecting child.Also the light that reflects off the floor does show the the seams and inperfections but then again a customer of mine that had a brazilian cherry floor installed has the same affect with light reflection. The one thing that I do know is that if I installed carpet in this area it would have been trashed by now and "REAL HARDWOOD" would have to be refinished. Clean up is easy and makes the floor look new.
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Hi Andrew,
No. Unfinished. Local mill here makes it. They are a great resource. I can get pine up to 18 inches wide sometimes.
Steve
*I know of a group home that installed the stuff, they love it because the residents can't wreak it no matter what they beat on it with...
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Most everybody on this forum seems averse to Pergo. I've never installed it for a client, but my wife seems determined that I install it throughout our house (kitchen included). She has further stipulated that I must do this prior to our getting a new puppy, as we've both had our fill of cleaning pee out of carpets. (Emotional blackmail, I know, but she doesn't do this often.)
The only info available on durability (water resistance, large dog toenails, etc.) comes from the manufacturer, and they seem happy to say anything you want in order to make a sale. So far, the only people I know who have had it installed know absolutely jack squat about building, so all they know is that it looks pretty.
So tell me now, please: 1) Should I go ahead with the job?; and 2) If I do, is it worth using Pergo's "Whisperwalk" underlayment?
I have no idea whether I'll be delighted by the decision or driven to insanity. Thanks a lot for weighing in on this critical domestic issue!
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I had a chance this weekend to look over a newly installed Pickering laminate floor. In the kitchen, you could see chips and knicks from knives being dropped onto the flooring.
Sean