ᐅ Flooring. Laminate, engineered hardwood, vinyl? Where is the best place to buy?

Created on: 10 Oct 2016 18:25
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AndreasPlü
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AndreasPlü
10 Oct 2016 18:25
Hello,

for our new single-family home, we are looking for suitable floor coverings. On the ground floor, the choice is fixed with a view to the entrance/terrace to the garden/fireplace: tiles. There will also be tiles in the basement. The house will have underfloor heating with an air-to-water heat pump.

Now we are considering what to put upstairs (children’s bedrooms and ours) as well as in the attic (gallery). Regardless of price, I find parquet problematic in playrooms, but ideally, the flooring should be uniform throughout the floor, look like wood, and be somewhat warm underfoot.

The price should be a maximum of 35 €/sqm (about $37/sqft) and it should be possible to install it ourselves. It should also match the solid walnut staircase.

What would you choose/recommend? Laminate, cheaper engineered wood flooring, or even vinyl? And where is the best place to buy? Which manufacturers have a good reputation?
C
Curly
10 Oct 2016 22:47
In this price range, you won’t find any decent hardwood flooring, and it will get scratched anyway in the kids’ room. Laminate feels cold and is noisy. I would choose vinyl instead; it’s quite warm, softer than laminate, and also looks very much like wood.

Best regards,
Sabine
Uwe8211 Oct 2016 06:51
We have vinyl flooring from Parador. In the first two months in the house, it has already withstood our two young children without any damage despite their high activity. We’re glad we didn’t choose hardwood or laminate upstairs.

The hardwood floor in the living room also shows no noticeable dents so far and is easy to clean (oiled, very lively oak, Kährs Oyster) but it cost over 70€/m2 (about $65/ft²).
Neige11 Oct 2016 07:55
Please note that laminate and hardwood flooring can tolerate minor unevenness, whereas vinyl cannot.
W
world-e
11 Oct 2016 08:03
Neige schrieb:
Please note that laminate and hardwood flooring can tolerate minor unevenness, but vinyl cannot.

How is it with click vinyl then? There is also an underlay for impact sound insulation underneath, right?
Uwe8211 Oct 2016 08:14
Neige schrieb:
Please note that laminate and hardwood flooring can tolerate minor unevenness, vinyl cannot.

Click vinyl on HDF should not be a problem then, right?