Laminate is an attractive, durable, and inexpensive alternative to natural hardwood. They are scratch and stain-resistant and easy to maintain, making them an excellent choice for people with children and pets.
The most frequently asked question regarding laminate flooring is: What is the best laminate flooring. Here is a quick guide to help answer that question.
Let’s start with the two top brands: Mohawk and Pergo.
Pergo was the first of its kind and entered the marketplace in 1979. Mohawk then acquired Pergo in 2013, and they now share the same technology. Due to their core technology, their top and mid-grade lines retain their look and strength without coming apart or cracking over time. Both companies offer a range of colors, textures, and finishes, including semi-gloss and matte. Mohawk has 150 options from which to choose. Plus, both are water-resistant and come with a lifetime residential warranty.
Runner ups:
Shaw Flooring
Shaw Flooring is one of the industry’s best-selling waterproof laminate flooring. It is guaranteed to resist moisture absorption for 24 hours. Shaw is available in various options, nine separate collections with almost 60 total style/color combinations. There are multiple “looks” for every style from rustic to modern and come in either 6.5 feet longboards or mixed-width planks to give your flooring a varied visual and authentic appearance. Shaw warranties are among the best. They cover wear, stains, fading due to light as well as manufacturing defects.
Armstrong Laminate
Armstrong has the best laminate selection in two ways. The most style and budget options. While Armstrong offers authentic wood-look laminate, the brand’s collection of 20 plus stone and tile styles makes it top our list. Armstrong’s stone slab laminate looks like the genuine article, at an average of 95% savings over natural stone.
AquaGuard Laminate
All the major brands make a waterproof laminate, but AquaGuard has the best technology, and it is backed with a 30-hour warranty, not the 24-hour warranty provided by most other manufacturers. AquaGuard planks are coated twice for superior protection against water absorption. AquaGuard warrants that this laminate flooring will resist permanent staining caused by pet urine (domestic cat or dog) when thoroughly cleaned. They offer 100 options, including parquet and two tile-look laminates.
Dream Home
Our definition of value is the combination of reasonable cost and good quality. Dream Home achieves that and more. Its 30 plus styles give you design and color options in oak, walnut, hickory and offer widths from 7mm to 14mm, to suit your installation needs. Dream Home may not look as realistic as some other laminate brands, but their prices are excellent.
Tarkett Laminate Flooring
Tarkett makes laminate flooring at all quality levels, but its focus is on their very inexpensive lines sold exclusively at Menards. These floors range in price from $.99-$1.19 per square foot.; plus, there’s plenty of selection in rustic, traditional, contemporary, and modern designs. If you are working with a tight budget, Tarkett is an excellent choice. Of course, you have to shop at Menards for their deals.
Select Surfaces Laminate Flooring
This is Sam’s Club laminate, and we think it is superior to Harmonics sold at Costco and TrafficMaster sold at The Home Depot. It’s outstanding quality, of course. Twenty design lines are ranging from mid-grade to premium and are 10mm to 14mm thick.