Anyone do laminate flooring?

[pongpong32]

Anyone using laminate flooring for your bedrooms? Is it hard to take care? Wat colour did u use? I am planning to use a dark colour but my contract told me that it will look mouldy and advise me to use a lighter tone. Anyone encounter this problems? thanks...

 

[aplle]

hi,

wat brand of laminate you using ?
1.pergo
2.supreme
3.kronotex
4.floorworks
5.parador

 

[pongpong32]

hi aplle,

I am using supreme.. Any advise?

 

[meijia]

Hi aplle,

I am using Supreme too. They have just come and lay it for me last week.

Any advise??

 

[jannie]

Hi All

I m using Supreme "click" type. I think better cos they dun need to glue at the sides so less visible glue stains. So far, I only saw some glue stains at the top and bottom of the stipes.

pongpong32, I m using this colour called "Rustic".. a darker shade of brown.. dun think that colour is a determinant of mould growth condition leh, as long as you clean regularly...but anyway, i have it installed for about 2 weeks only, not shifted in yet, so really cannot comment fully.

I have my whole 5-room flat laminated.. other than the usual hollow feeling like in most laminate flooring, no issues at all.

 

[pepper]

I also laminated the whole of my 5 room plat except for the kitchen and foyer which were in homogenous tiles. i like the feeling as it has a warm and resort feel.

i used a dark brown with texture for the living room and the platform in bedroom and the other parts of the 3 bedrooms white so that it wont look too dark and cramp. the contrast between the drak brown and white is very nice and pleasing to the eye.

i used the click system too from Power Dekor. so far so good have been using it for about nearly 2 months liao.

i think those lighter colours will have mould faster so have to clean it frequently. drak colours cannot see. my cousin's one is those darker beige colour and have black spots along the edge near the walls. think it is due to using mops which are too wet leaving too much moisture.

i think laminated floors are much easier to maintain than parquet because i donno drop how many things on the floor already and still no scratch marks and no dent. whereas parquent one scratch by the chair u can see it liao and to revanish or resand it cost $$$. furthermore not staying too long in the same flat don need to spend so much on flooring.

just my own opinions.

 

[jannie]

hi pepper

how do u clean your laminate flooring? wet mop is too wet for the floor isn't it? will be going over to clean for the first time this weekend and dunno how to go about doing it the right way...

i completely agree with you that laminate flooring adds to the cosy and warm feeling... did not regret choosing laminate over homo tiles..feel so relaxed, right?

i agree that parquet is abit more difficult to maintain. my mom's place is all parquet and after some years, got to revarnish the whole place and patch up the glue that wore off inbtw the planks.

 

[pepper]

Hi Jannie

to sweep the floor, i use those special cleaning sheets featured in advertisements. I hope u know what i am refering to.

Then mopping i use the mop with the blue colour sponge at its end which is not wet so can clean laminated flooring without wetting it like conventional mops.

 

[jannie]

hi pepper

can u tell me where u get that kind of mop? they call it roman mop? i heard it is not cheap right?

 

[pepper]

Hi Jannie

most departmental stores or even household stores in neighbourhoods will sell it. Cheap ones are like $4.90 for the mop but those are not the original ones of course. the original ones probably cost $50. but i bought the cheapo one. anyway can use can liao.

 

[aplle]

anyone using kronotex, id recommend it'd from germany.

 

[itsuki]

Hi Ms Pi, Ms Ang and Jannie,

Can you pls share what price you got for your supreme? I was quoted by my contractor at $4.50 psf. Ex or not?

Also, is the hollow sound very profound? My wife is worried that our flat will sound like a badmintion hall.. kekeke...

Hi pepper,

Is Power dekor expensive? Do they have a wide variety of laminate? I find supreme's choice abit lacking leh... so maybe i want to consider other choices of laminate...

thanks.

 

[pepper]

Hi Itsuki

my contractor quoted me $3.80 psf for the laminate from power dekor. but this is a very good price. i got this price by calling up wood doctor first then using their quote i showed it to my contractor and she matched the price.

power dekor if u go direct to them, they quote me $4.50 psf too. dun ask me why they quote more ex then me going thru the contractor. i think the price gap can be so huge.

 

[itsuki]

Hi Pepper,

Thx for your prompt reply. Seemed like i must give wood doctor a call too and see what they can offer.

What is your comments on power dekor laminate? Is the sound bearable?

 

[pepper]

Hi Itsuki

the reason there is sound is because the floor is not even so when u walk over the laminate it will move slightly down and produce a sound. if u ask ur contractor to do the cement screed properly, the sound is very minimal. i did my cement screeding with HDB, the quality is quite good as i supervise them during the process, so now the sound produced is only at certain parts of the house. the rest of the house has no sound.
btw the reason why i didnt ask wood doctor to do the laminate although they gave me the same price was that i prefer to have only one contractor to assume all responsibility and coordination. i don want to end up having to cooridinate and if the guys doing the floor dirty the wall etc, the main con will be responsible.

 

[pongpong32]

hi Itsuki,

my laminate floor is include in the package that i sign with the interior design company so i not very sure how much is it leh..

hi pepper,
u mean u can go to yr new house to supervise them when they do? i just ask hdb to go my house do the cement screed. the person say need 3-4 weeks..
dont know how long they take to do? mine is 3 bedrooms only.

 

[pepper]

yes of course u can enter into ur own house when them do the cement screed.

i told HDB i need to do do renovation quickly so they better quickly do the cement screed for me. so they did it within 1 week. took only 2 days to complete.

i think if u are taking a package should still ask for breakdown just in case u want to substitute something for it or want to reduce or add on then u know the basis of calculation.

 

[jannie]

H Itsuki

My laminate flooring is about $5300 odd for all 3 bedrooms, living and dining. We got a quotation of abt $4900 from Supreme itself (for whole 5-rm flat, irregardless of sq area) at an exhibition. We did not, however, ask our ID to take out the laminate flooring (they use the same brand)portion to do outselves as we feel that they need to earn in some areas too. Moreoever, letting our ID do everything means they will have to coordinate all things also, so we left it as that.

 

[itsuki]

hi pepper...
true, true... the reason why we go to a contractor is becos of easy coordination & responsibility.. good thing he match the rate for you...
so far, wat do u thik is the pros and cons of using laminate for living and dining?

 

[itsuki]

hi ms pi,

i hv read up in this forum before that the hdb cement screening can be sloppy quality (maybe depends on the contractors) so guess u better heed pepper's advice and supervise them during the work. But the prob here is how do we know when they are doing a sloppy job.. we oso dunno how to see the diff... For me, i would just pay a couple of hundreds to my contractor and ask him to do a good job.. just my 2cts worth...

 

[itsuki]

hi jannie..

u too kind to your contractor liao.. letting them earn $400 alone on your flooring.. kekeke.. you are the ideal customers all ID contractors eyeing for... haa... just joking..

so whats your review of laminate vs parquet and tiles?

 

[itsuki]

hi all,

for those who are using supreme laminates, how do u find their quality of their installation? Can u advs me on what to look out for when the guys from supreme comes to install the laminate? Need I be careful of certain things, etc? Thx

 

[pongpong32]

hi itsuki,
actually i did came across that discussion also.. but no choice cause i had already apply with hdb to come down and do. maybe will go down occasionally to check whether they have started loh.. Anyway thanks...

 

[jannie]

hi itsuki
there is a need to give and take in any relationship.. which turned out well in the end cos they did do some extra small work for us FOC (without even letting us know, we just went and saw).

no particular comments on parquetted and laminated flooring. I have live a flat with whole place parquetted and I like it. No money to do for my own place so had to go for laminating. Have not shifted in to new place yet...

better to go for the "click" system cos it is nicer, less glue marks, less problems. however, u must specify to them that you want "click" in advance as they might not have the stock. i chose quite a dark colour, and it turned out to be very nice and cosy (much to our surprise). both hubby and I like the effect (of course, my-laws hated it as they still like the old kind of whitish, pinkish ceramic).

one thing though.. if you or anyone at home has the habit of hitting the heel against the floor when walking, my advise is not to go for laminate... the noise can be extremely irritating esp when you are trying to catch some sleep.

 

[jannie]

oh... just want to tell you that i absolutely hated ceramics.. it gets sticky so quickly...

 

[itsuki]

Hi Ms Pi,

Guess it depends much on luck cos some claims hdb work is ok... some say its crap... my personal opinion of hdb contractor is nt very good either... maybe you can ask your contractor to check for you while they are doing it.. at least can rectify the prob immediately.. good luck

 

[itsuki]

hi jannie,

wat u say is true.. if we squeeze the contractor too tight, they may not be motivate to do a good job... luckily your contractor is good and know how to reciprocate.. there are some out there that will quietly keep the surplus and still do a bad job...

initially, we are considering betw parquet and laminate... cost, design and maintenance are the few concerns we had... and in the end, we chose laminate cos it is cheaper and easier to maintain.. heard from our contractor that the main thing is to ensure that the cement screeding is done properly so that will greatly lessen the hollow sound feedback.

Thx for your warning abt the heel part.. our contractor brought us to a couple of flats to try out laminated floor in person.. actually, its ok by our standard.. and i dun think anyone in my home will be wearing shoes inside...

strange you mentioned that ceramics will become sticky... is it becos of the floor detergent used?

 

[jannie]

hi itsuki

the laminates at my new place is ok, the sound is not to loud when walking, but it does seem quite hollow. it was another place that i stayed for quite some time that made very loud noises even when walking barefooted.

i dun not know how by our own standard to be able to see if cement screed is done properly. we did go down to take a look at the cement screed, but everybody in this forum say that must check. my question is check what? how to check?

i do not think it is the detergent used cos it happen to all the places i went to with ceramic flooring.

 

[pepper]

i think to check whether the cement screed is done properly

1) there must not be some huge bumps on the floor before the cement screeding is done, otherwise some areas with the bumps may not be covered by the cement properly. try to remove those bumps if possible first.
2)the cement screed must be smooth (quite straightforward right?)
3) there must not be bubble of air trapped under the cement screed. usually because of the mixing of water and cement powder, there will be some bubbles appearing after a while. so stay and observe a few mins after the guy uses a long wood to even the floor. if got bubble, ask him to redo that portion.
4)check that the height at every point is about the same. i guess if ur eyes cannot detect means the gradient is about the same. or u can use some reference points.
5)the contractor told me that after the cement is about to dry up, i should use a spray to spray a thin layer of water over in order to prevent over drying and cracking. so in the evening i went to spray water all over.

i hope that helps...

 

[smurf]

Hi all,

Like to find out from u how long had u all install the laminate flooring? I had install the supreme 'click' laminate flooring at the balcony area only. My flooring tends to 'pop' up.

I had install the flooring for close to 2 years & had get supreme staff down to rectify the problem a few times, but it still 'pop up.

Anyone out there faces the same problem? I am sick & tired of calling them up as they cant solve the problem once & for all.

I also had parquet flooring in my bedroom, though it is more expensive but my hubby like the 'original' wood kind of feeling. Also I do not face the problem of the wood 'popping up'

 

[itsuki]

Hi jannie,

Im not sure on how to check the cement screeding either. Maybe your contractor can advs u better. My in laws' place is using ceramics for the past ten years liao.. but so far, with the exception of the kitchen when its dirty, the living/dining area does not have that sticky feeling as what you mentioned. Thats why i thought it might be due to the floor detergent used...

 

[itsuki]

Hi smurf,

Sorry to hear what had happened.. did this happen within months after installation or only recently (a few months ago)? Did supreme offer any explanation for this problem?

Prior to you confirming the deal with supreme, did the sale exec claim that this wont happen?

Sorry for all the qns but i believe most of us here has the same fear as me...

 

[smurf]

Hi Itsuki,

It happen a few months after installation. The reason which they offer is as good as no reason at all. Such as it could be due to the sunlight or the amt of water (after i done up the laminate wood, i did ask for their advice on the correct way of cleaning up). The best thing is tat the guy & his supervisor who came up to do it avoid the question.

My laminate flooring was done thru the recommendation of my contractor who also said tat his whole hse did the same thing.

Another reason why i did it tat time is coz they offer 'lifetime warranty'.

Sigh......

 

[itsuki]

Hi Smurf,

sorry to hear abt your situation.. some of the forum members here encounter the same thing while some did not. I hv checked my contractor and he claimed that it shld not happen. But from the snippets that I read, it seemed like they dun recommend laminated flooring for areas near the windows (strong sunlight and possible rainspray) or near the toilets. But in that case, it means i cant use it laminate at all since almost all the rooms has windows right? So it is abit conflicting.. I oso blur liao...

Bt i think (using logic), could your problem becos there is not enuff space allocated under the skirting for the expansion of your laminate due to direct sunlight? If your balcony is a big area, the direct sunlight may cause more than usual expansion and if the space is not enuff, the laminate is bound to "pop".

I dun thik moisture is the problem cos you did not mention noticing moulds on the laminate..

Altho there is a lifetime warranty, no one likes the hassle of repairing stuff every now and then but I am surprise that the SE and his sup did not offer some more substantial explanation.. Maybe you shld probe more... good luck

 

[smurf]

Thanks Itsuki I am getting the guys from supreme to come down and take a look some time next week.

Anyway, wat I mention is juz an experience to share with all of you, something for u guys to watch out. I am not the only one face with this problem, my colleagues also had the same complaint.

Anyway gd luck to your laminated wood

 

[smurf]

Anyway, wat I mention is juz an experience to share with all of you, something for u guys to watch out. I am not the only one face with this problem, my colleagues also had the same complaint.

Anyway gd luck to your laminated wood

 

[itsuki]

Hi smurf,

if ok, maybe you can share with us on the outcome next wk and share with us the cause of the problem... my wife is very keen on laminated floor and we plan to use it for the whole house except bathrooms and kitchen... so now i really worry... i dun hv balcony but the area i wonder the most is the living rm cos i hv full ht windows..
wonder if anyone else who did laminated for their living rm has same prob?

 

[meijia]

i have laminate flooring for my 3 bedroom, and i notice that one of the bedroom, some of it has 'pop' a bit. the joint is obvious.

my house is still under reno and have this problem already. Mine also done by supreme. Have highlighted to id and he say he will settle this today.

Dun know if future will happrn again..

 

[aeina]

Oh dear, i m also using supreme laminated. Only installed few days ago. Seem quite ok for now. Is it workmanship or the quality of the laminate??? Mine is water resistant too and sunlight resistant. Hope it will be better. ai yoh...

 

[jannie]

mine is also whole place with supreme laminates... been up for almost 4 weeks and so far so good... i hope none of the problems discussed here will happen cos i have quite alot of carpentry works.. if pops up... gotta re-do everything....including carpentry if that area is affected..

meijia, is yours the glue or click type?

itsuki, go for whole place laminate if your wife desires and if you can find a brand that u think is reliable... it really makes the whole place look very very cosy and warm and welcoming...it is the kind of place that i want to come back to after a hectic day at work...if you are worried abt sunlight, get your curtains installed as soon as you have finished most of your reno to block it out..

 

[pepper]

hi guys

those who said that their floor pops up, can the popped up area be visible with the naked eye under normal lighting? or is it just a feeling when u walk over it?

 

[itsuki]

Hi Bee Kah,

Sorry to hear abt your situation.. this happens for only one of the room rite? Is it the laminates directly under the window? It seemed, IMHO, that the cause of the warp is not caused by the laminate itself but could be due to the installation becos the other 2 rooms are not affected. Maybe you can check more with your contractor and share with us if conv?

 

[itsuki]

Hi Bee Kah,

Another reason I suspect could be exposure to rain and sunshine. During the reno period, your windows might hv been left open to keep the place airy during the day and night. If it happens to rain at night and the rain water allowed to sit on the floor the whole nite thru, high chance that the water will sip in and cause the laminate to warp.

Acc to wat i rem, our laminate are water resistance but not water proof. We nid to wipe off asap (pref not more than half an hour) so as to prevent the water from sipping in. Maybe you can check with your contractor if this is the case.

 

[itsuki]

Hi jannie,

both me and missus r considering using cement flooring for the bedrms cos we both dun want to hv those lines that comes with tiles... do u hv any feedback on the cons of using cement flooring? i hv searhed thru this forum but not much info leh..

 

[meijia]

Hi Jannie,

Mine is the click type.

Hi Itsuki,

Supreme came to re-do half the room yesterday cause only half is affected. Now it looks ok liao.
Supreme also told me it maybe cause by rain during reno as the affected part is directly below the window.

In future, have to really take care. As I have not move, now still under reno, it is very hard for me to oversee everything...haiz!!

 

[jannie]

Hi Meijia
My renovation is not completed yet too. Last week when I went to see the place, it started raining heavily and NO ONE from the contractor's side (they have like 4 pple working at that time)bothered to close the windows... I had to rush from room to room to close windows for them... sigh....

Hi Itsuki
Now, I have only one fren who is doing up her whole place in cement screed (3-rm re-sale). She has not shifted in yet (just started renovation recently).. expected will be early to mid May... I guess her comments by then will be too late for you? But I personally feel that cement screed for bedrooms is abit too "cold"?

 

[itsuki]

Hi Bee Kah,

Guess for the time being hv to be extra careful loh.. since you engaging a main contractor, be sure to tell him to be aware of this and to ensure his workers to take better care of the flooring.. understd sme contr will lay a pc of protection (i thik plastic) over your flooring to protect it during the reno works.. mayb you can ask your main contr to do that... Good luck..

 

[itsuki]

Hi jannie..

wow lau.. u must highlight this to your main contr on this.. its not just abt the money, but the hassle and time wasted if you hv to re-do your flooring again... smtms, these workers got sm attitude problem one..

Or else, the next tm you go up, buy some snacks and drinks for the workers... once you break the client/worker barrier, they will tend to be more caring to your house too.. just my two cts..

i will only start my reno in late may.. can u help me (if it is not too much a bother) on whether her contr has advs her abt the cons of using cement as flooring? Also, is she using the normal cement or coloured cement?

I m considering cement screed cos we like the idea of a "seamless" house but we want to know the +ve and -ve before going ahd.. yah, might be abit cold feeling... but we intend to warm the rooms up abit with rugs and other accessories..

also, budget prob... kekeke...

 

[jannie]

Hi Itsuki

Asked my fren.. she is doing cement flooring purely for cost reasons.. she did not ask abt pros and cons.. and no point doing it now since the flooring has been completed. Sorry, not able to help..

Saw yesterday that some of my MBR laminate flooring also popped out at the edges like Meijia's. And coincidentally, it is near the windows as well.... sigh....

 

[meijia]

Hi Jannie,

Aiyoyo, last sat, i saw my MBR walk-in-wardrobe area's laminate have quite an obvious scratch. Think it was cause by the person who was carrying the mirror into my walk-in-wardrobe to my toilet.

Have called my id again and he say will call supreme to come down again.

Hopefully they will do it fast as next week is my wedding liao...haiz!!!