ᐅ Laminate Flooring – Experiences and Prices Ranging from $5 to $30

Good evening everyone,

In my daughter's condominium, laminate flooring is going to be installed in the children’s room, bedroom, and hallway. I will be doing the installation together with my son-in-law.

After some online research, advice from specialized retailers, and of course also at a home improvement store, we still haven’t made much progress.

The laminate should have a 4V-groove design and will be installed as a floating floor over underfloor heating with a low supply temperature.

Before any suggestions come in, please note that vinyl, cork, hardwood parquet, or other natural flooring options are not desired.

Now to the point.
As mentioned in the title, laminate ranges from €6/m2 (about $6.50/sq ft) up to €25/m2 (about $26.50/sq ft) without integrated impact sound insulation.

What is the general opinion on integrated sound insulation like Haro Tritty Silent Pro, for example?

Does anyone have experience with brands like Parador, Haro, or Meister? These offer higher-priced laminates, but in this case, does a higher price mean better quality?

To everyone who has recently installed laminate, I look forward to sharing experiences and hearing your opinions. What brands and types have you used, and how satisfied have you been?

Thank you very much.

Over the weekend, we installed 40 sqm (430 sq ft) in the basement. We used one of the cheapest qualities available from Obi, plus a vapor barrier. The cost per sqm was about 20 € (including skirting boards, small items, etc).

The quality is relatively acceptable. Two panels had damaged surfaces, and the installation took longer than with premium brands. The surface seems relatively thin. We will see how it holds up in the long term.

Wassermann schrieb:

What is your opinion on integrated insulation, such as Haro Tritty Silent Pro?

It saves time and therefore indirectly money during installation when the insulation is already integrated.
I don’t know any particular advantages or disadvantages from personal experience, though I’m somewhat skeptical of the usually very thin integrated insulation. I tend to trust “add-on products,” meaning separate insulation layers, more.

Wassermann schrieb:

Does anyone have experience with the brands Parador, Haro, Meister? They offer higher-priced laminates, but in this case, does a higher price mean better quality?

Personally, I’ve only had good experiences with Meister so far, and just last month installed Parador for relatives as well.
The major brands don’t differ that much. There are different quality levels and different climate technologies, so this has to be decided on a case-by-case basis. A higher price is definitely justified, although you shouldn’t rely solely on the recommended retail price as a reference.
It’s worth comparing products, especially branded ones, where you can save a lot of money.
Higher quality products are usually more pleasant and cleaner to install, and also more durable in terms of the core construction and the decorative layer. Some laminates feel very comfortable barefoot, almost like a natural product (engineered wood flooring), and/or are almost indestructible even with a hammer. Others can be much more sensitive—any contact can cause damage, or the decor may start to peel after a few years...

Based on good experience from the past, my personal recommendation is to check major online retailers and/or large auction sites for clearance stock of branded products. It’s often possible to find high-quality items in bundled clearance packages, for example, 34 sqm (365 sq ft) of Haro starting at 1 EUR, or 64 sqm (689 sq ft) of Meister for 460 EUR. You can also look for Meister laminate B-grade, which I would personally always prefer over cheap “no-name laminate” products.

Good luck!

Great, thank you very much!
This is exactly the kind of experience I was hoping for 🙂

I would also like to mention Kronotex. They offer really great laminate flooring. We previously had only cheaper options, which were not comparable. Our current laminate has already been frequently repurchased by others.