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Let me tell you about pergo. I live in a house that is a half slab, half basement house. I have had nothihg but problems with my pergo over the concrete. If you are going to use pergo, please be absolutely sure that your concrete slab is completely dry. As far as wear and tear, I have worked with both products, and I believe that they both wear very well. Just remember, Pergo cannot be refinished when it gets scratched. Wood veneer can. Hope this helps!!!
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Let me tell you about pergo. I live in a house that is a half slab, half basement house. I have had nothihg but problems with my pergo over the concrete. If you are going to use pergo, please be absolutely sure that your concrete slab is completely dry. As far as wear and tear, I have worked with both products, and I believe that they both wear very well. Just remember, Pergo cannot be refinished when it gets scratched. Wood veneer can. Hope this helps!!!
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Chris,
Could you be more specific about the Pergo problems you had?
Thanks -- Barry
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You might want to check the archives for more info on laminate flooring. We found them to be a good source of information (some of it that the manufacturers won't share with you or tell you).
Good luck!
*While we're talking about flooring over a slab(I'm thinking of using the engineered wood veneer flooring in my kitchen over existing vinyl) what's the best way to not get that "hollow" sound when you walk on it? Glue it down instead of floating? Thanks for the thoughts in advance.
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What?
*I used to think laminate flooring had it's place. I used it in my basement over Delta FL, bought a premium brand (which had a sample joint in a bottle under water at the dealers, to show how waterproof it was). Then we got some water in the basement, under the floor (impossible to get every drop out). Now every joint is swelled and curled; 2-3K basically ruined, and it's gonna have to wait a while to get fixed. Not a fan of laminate flooring anymore.
*Thanks for the replies. It seems that no one is truly happy with laminate flooring. My remaining question is whether I should "float" engineered veneer wood flooring, or glue it to the slab with mastic. This seems fine, unless there's an earthquake and the slab cracks. But would the floor fare any better in that situation if it were a float installation?thanks.
*Well, noone else is jumping in here, so I'll have a go. Bear in mind I'm in a totally different climate. But I would never glue down a floating floor. They are 'engineered', and they are designed to float at least in part because they do expand and shrink in response to environmental change (so does plywood, and anything else made with wood or wood fibres). I installed my laminate floor with the recommended gaps at the perimeter; when the water came, all that space was taken up as the floor grew. I would be very concerned about splits and buckles in the floor if you were to glue it down ('character' in a solid wood floor, 'looks like crap' in an engineered floor). Can't comment on the earthquake thing. Bottom line is, there are some floors that are usally fastened down that I might float, but I would not fasten down a floor designed to float.
*I'd have to suggest the use of a floating floor system for a DIY'er in this case over the gluedown application as I've seen far too many failures including those that work in the hardwood flooring trade. The failures are always a result of not enough adhesive applied or low spots in the concrete slab which don't grab the flooring. Also all paint has to be scraped from the slab to insure a proper bond.FX-- Trust me you'll find the floating installation MUCH easier than a gluedown...and you'll be cleaner at the end of the day. At least you won't be sticking to the furniture or wondering "how do I get this crap off me...it's even in my hair."Been there
*Recently put down about 500 s.f. of armstrong laminate, against my wishes. I wanted real wood, but the better half had her heart set on Armstrong "maple" planks. Intallation is pretty straightforward, and not too messy. I would reccomend buying your flooring from a flooring company that would be willing to loan or rent you the clamps. I don't think you could do a quality job without them. And definitely put down a vapor barrier. What's the cost of a roll of visqueen on a 2 K floor.Now that the stuff is down, I'm kinda used to the look, and it seems pretty bulletproof. We used the upgraded foam underlay, and the floor is quiet and quite soft to walk on. All in all a good comprimise between the real thing and low maintinence. And the boss lady thinks it is perfect.I stayed away from the factory mouldings where I could. Made up some cherry shoe molding for the toe-kicks, and maple transition strips where it runs into carpet. the "real" trims just seem a little odd to me.BTW. We are also in the dry CA. mountains, slab on grade.Hope this helps.wedge
*hi. we are from your area. we live in yuca valley and have just put a maple floor over slab. the thing you have to watch out for in palm springs is all the moisture from watering around the perimeter of the house. its a real issue. the best method is wood floor o/ 3/4" min. good quality ply o/ felt o/ mastic o/ felt o/ mastic o/ felt o/ mastic o/ epoxy sealer. get the ply level. get the wood dry. there are so many good floor finishes these days why not use real wood? cost is not that much different even for quartersawn. hope this helps. ps. if you find a great finisher in the area please let me know.
*John,I think your record has a bit of a skip in it....> o/ felt o/ mastic o/ felt o/ mastic o/ felt o/ mastic o/Rich Beckman
*nope. do it three times. but i forgot mastic between the last coat of felt and the ply. thats what a good mechanic does in palm springs.
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We have a house, built in the '80s, in the desert -- Palm Springs, CA, where it's quite dry (although it does rain some in the winter), and we'd like to rip out the wall-to-wall carpeting and install flooring.
I have several questions:
Are there problems putting flooring directly on a concrete slab? The manufacturers seem to think not, and because of the low moisture in the area, I'm inclined to agree, but I'd like to hear from those with experience.
Is it preferable to use a Pergo-style floating installation, or just use mastic and glue the stuff down? It seems to me that the mastic method would be be easiest and most straightforward, but I'm wondering if perhaps there might be advantages to the floating system, especially if the slab cracks or settles (it is a seismically active area).
Finally, what are your opinions of the engineered cross-grain wood veneer products (which claim to be dimensionally stable), vs the Pergo style laminate materials? The installation will be in the living room/kitchen area. I have to admit an aesthetic preference for the wood veneer product, all else being equal, and the price seems about equivalent.
Thanks for any thoughts on this.