Covering a hardwood floor with a laminate is not going to solve your squeak problem. The old floor will still squeak until you address the squeak and fix it. Wood floors squeak because a nail loosens at one end of a board, the wood swells and rubs due to weather, etc. But the problem can be easily solved. If you have exposed joists underneath, you can have someone walk above you and find the squeak spot, then you can shim that spot, drive an angled screw through to hold the shim. That's one way. What you need to do is visit a good flooring or hardware store and ask for the tools and products to fix your old floor. There are simple products that are inexpensive and easy to use. Save your hard wood floor. There is no value in laminate. Have you ever walked on one? Talk about noise!
No, laminate is floating type of floor installed over an insulation pad. Hardwood floor has to be nailed, stapled or glued to the subfloor. If you do manage to install hardwood on top of laminate sooner or later your Laminate floor will expand due to high temperature or humidity and it will create gaps between hardwood planks.
No, laminate is floating type of floor installed over an insulation pad. Hardwood floor has to be nailed, stapled or glued to the subfloor. If you do manage to install hardwood on top of laminate sooner or later your Laminate floor will expand due to high temperature or humidity and it will create gaps between hardwood planks.
The floors themselves install in a very similar fashion. If you want a floor with a lot of shine, you will want to go with hardwood. If cost is an issue, laminate.
Laminate floor cannot be refinished. It will have to be replaced. Hardwood flooring can be refinished.
When shopping for hardwood floors for your home, you’ll have to make a choice between installing a real hardwood floor or a laminate floor. It might seem like a cut and dry decision that choosing real hardwood is the better option, but owning a laminate floor has its merits. When you have to make the choice between a hardwood floor and a laminate floor, the deciding factor is always money. Hardwood floors cost much more than laminate floors, which makes laminate flooring a great option for people who are on a tight budget. In the past, laminate floors often looked cheap and inferior to real hardwood flooring, but with newer manufacturing techniques and increased consumer demand, it is often hard to tell the difference between a laminate floor and the real thing. The next issue that you need to think about when choosing between a laminate floor and hardwood is where you plan to install the floor. Real hardwood floors are not easy to install in every room. This is because real hardwood planks need to be glued to a subsurface or nailed into place. Doing so may be impractical and expensive. For example, if you have to install a hardwood floor over a cement slab, you will need to level the slab, sand it, and then apply glue, all labor intensive jobs that can cost a lot money. You also have to be careful about installing a real hardwood floor in places like the bathroom or kitchen where there the potential for a lot of exposure to moisture, which may cause the floor to warp or buckle. Instead, a laminate floor may be ideal. These floors are installed very easily without the need for glues or nails and can be placed over virtually any subsurface. Finally, you may want to consider the durability and ease of maintenance that a laminate floor has to offer. Laminate floors are resistant to scratching, fading, staining, and impacts that can damage the surface of real hardwood floors. On top of this, they are easy to clean, needing only a light vacuuming and mopping every now and then. Because of this, they are ideal flooring options for people who have kids or pets that may dirty the house a lot. If you’re making the decision between hardwood and laminate flooring, make sure you think about these things before making your purchase. Real hardwood floors are not suitable for every home and for every family. If yours is one of them, laminate flooring is a good choice.
Yes, you can install a laminate floor system over existing hardwood floors. Just be sure that the existing hardwood is pretty smooth or the hump in the floor will transfer through. You must use a vapor barrier over your existing hardwood to reduce sound as well as moister transfere between two floor systems. Be sure to let your new floor acclimate to your room temp. for at least 48 hrs. this is especially important if you are installing floor in the winter.
Laminate floors are very simple usually hardwood looking floating (meaning you don't actually fasten them to the substrate) floors. Any type of true laminate floor does not actually attach itself to the floor, so as long as your floor is flat, you can install a laminate floor that locks to itself rather than locking to it;s substrate. there are some more requirements, but the requirements all depend on your particular installation.
hard wood it is way cheeper but way worse
form_title=Install Residential Floor Buffers form_header=Keep the floor clean and maintained with a proper floor buffer. What type of floor do you have?=_ When was the last time you buffed your floor?=_ What type of flooring do you have?= () Cork () Hardwood () Laminate () Tile () Multiple () Other
Swiffer Wet Jets are safe for laminate flooring. To clean a hardwood laminate floor without damaging it, you should use a mop and hot water. Wring the mop out so it is not dripping wet.
To install hardwood, first you need a bare floor, then you install the lined paper barrier, then you nail in the hardwood strips, sand it down, and then add a finish such as poly.
To clean heavy duty stains on laminate hardwood floors, you can use a mixture of warm water and mild detergent. Avoid using abrasive cleaners or tools that can scratch the flooring. If the stain persists, consider using a specialized laminate floor cleaner recommended by the manufacturer.