Does anyone have laminate that looks really good?

[mrsbabookaloo]

I was planning to get engineered wood, but some of the laminates look nearly as good, and so much cheaper.

Does anyone have laminate that they think really looks as good as wood?

[LittleMissRayofHope]

I spent fortunes on laminate flooring over the years.
I now have vinyl. It looks fabulous. It's quieter to walk on, less slippy, warmer. It wasn't that much more in price either.

[mrsbabookaloo]

That's interesting: vinyl everywhere? Vinyl that looks like wood, or just something totally different?

[Nocturne123]

Oh I'm watching. I can't afford wood at the moment but the carpet the previous owners left has had it's day

[mrsbabookaloo]

.

[LittleMissRayofHope]

Vinyl in every room.

It looks like wood flooring. It is slightly textured as well so when you walk bare foot you get a grain feel. I did go for very good quality though.
But because you buy it off a roll and they fit it it has no boards like laminate so it's water proof and sealed at the edges so water tight. It's got it's own 'underlay' if you like as I went for a thick one so its soft underfoot. Most people who come in don't realise it's vinyl at first. I get a lot of compliments. Obvs, there's one or two who don't like it and say it feels and looks plastic-y but you can't please everyone!!
I love it.

I have a thinner one in my kitchen that gives a tiled effect. And my bathroom has a thinner stone effect (I wish I had put a thicker one in here).

Worth every penny.

[mrsbabookaloo]

Thanks for the info, little miss, is it karndean or amtico or something like that?

[alwayssleepy]

We have real wood (engineered) in the kitchen and hall, and some very similar laminate in the study (as it's a kids craft room too, so needs to stand up to paint and stuff). The real wood is beautiful, warm and looks lovely. It is also higher maintenance, and marks and scratches easier.

For me you can very much tell the difference, the laminate looks ok, but the real wood looks much warmer and beautiful. It glows in the sunshine and feels nicer under foot. Even though the real wood is much more work to look after (it is only waxed, so that means it's a bit harder to care for than varnished), it is certainly much more of a feature than the laminate floor.

For me the real wood is worth the price, but the laminate is great for somewhere that is going to get glue and paint dropped on it (and with a 5 year old, buckets of glitter).

[ladybird69]

Another oak look vinyl here, it looks amazing and it's bomb proof. I had laminate in my last house and I was so precious with it and with a house full of kids and animals it didn't stand up to the wear. The vinyl is great I scrub it, bleach it and steam it and it's like new. And I was really impressed with the designs in the shop, heart wanted bubblegum pink but head chose oak look

[Agrestic]

I had wood effect vinyl downstairs in my last house. It looked great, warm underfoot and easy to clean but i found it dents easily and isn't easy to repair. The sofa feet pushed it so it puckered up, not really noticeable but annoying. And I found it stained a lot easier then wood/laminate.

I'm going to put it in the bathroom of my new house but won't be having it downstairs again.

Watching your thread as I'm also having the laminate or engineered wood debate :)

[Cantdecideondinner]

Quick step is fabulous. Mine is 8 years old and still pristine

[monkeymamma]

Another big fan of quickstep here. We have the antique oak type one now and I love it. Cleans beautifully with my steam cleaner too.
Another possibility is the wood effect karndean which looks amazing, and of course is easy to clean, also very easy to replace any damaged tiles (not that they damage easily, either). Nice and warm underfoot too.

[todayiamfat]

I've just had quickstep reclaimed chestnut (antique) put down in dining room and it looks amazing. People think it's wood. it looks so good that i have no bought enough to do the rest of the ground floor. It's the 9mm thick stuff over a decent underlay and it sounds great too. Soooo much warmer than the floorboards in living room...

I have luxury vinyl in the kitchen-it is similar in design and colour to the quick step. It is brilliant and hides scratches from the dogs etc. However, i do prefer the quickstep...sorry!

[mrsbabookaloo]

Thanks for all this info. I am still dithering!

[GertrudePerkins]

we've also got quickstep, and people have mistaken it for wood.
it's very easy to maintain, and has lasted well. I'm planning to use it again when we redo the kitchen.

[Monica101]

I'm just about to buy 44 sq metres of Quickstep for the hall, sitting and dining room. Glad it is getting positive things said about it.

The wood does look a bit nicer in the shop but you need to be so careful of it scratching and denting. I don't really want to have to worry that much as I have a three year old and a fair amount of visitors.

[ChishandFips33]

Quickstep here too

[TheOneWiththeNicestSmile]

I just had Karndean fitted in a small hall. It looks great & will be effortless to maintain but fitting is extremely expensive