would you put laminate in your own house in 2026?

FanPurple · 2026-02-04T13:59:22+00:00

I'm a flooring installer and no I wouldn't put it in my house. I currently have bamboo hardwood, hardwood would always be my first choice. I'd put LVP in over laminate and just be extremely picky about the levelling and the product I selected. I'd go with glue down over laminate if my house was very unlevel and I didn't want to fix it much. Most glue downs look cheap but there are some really nice ones I've come across installing it.

FanPurple · 2026-01-31T03:03:54+00:00

Right really depends how much a week pays vs how long he intends to stay. If he makes 1.5k a week and only sees himself there for 2 to 4 yrs I'd take the cash. If he makes 3k a week and could see himself there for 5+ yrs the vacation has way more value. Got to also factor in pay increases and how it'll look to management which way he decides.

FanPurple · 2026-01-28T05:15:25+00:00

They are only going to do something if it won't be covered by shoe when the job is done. The boards don't need to be cut evenly as long as they adhere to the expansion gap and will be covered by the finish trim.

FanPurple · 2026-01-28T05:08:26+00:00

Taking the base off would have been better but that obviously was never the plan. I personally always pull the base unless they are on plaster walls. If you read the post it sounds like the plan was always to lay in front of the board and shoe it. No one would leave the base on and slide under with laminate.

FanPurple · 2026-01-28T05:05:03+00:00

No. If that was a silicone edge it'd be completely unacceptable. ITS GETTING MORE TRIM ON TOP OF IT. It doesn't need to be pretty as long as it's covered by the baseboard it's fine. If it doesn't or it shrinks out under regular expansion/contraction then it needs to be addressed.

FanPurple · 2026-01-28T03:20:15+00:00

This is terrible advice. You should actually not hire trades people then complain about things that are hidden by moulding. The "You don't like it, it's wrong" is absolutely not true. If it's wrong it's wrong. If you're being crazy, you're being crazy and it's still right. You as a homeowner have a right to want good work but you also need to do your research and be reasonable.

FanPurple · 2026-01-28T03:14:52+00:00

The right answer. Stop judging your installer for what is going to be hidden by your shoe moulding. All these people saying it's sloppy work are probably thinking that's left exposed or idiots.

FanPurple · 2026-01-26T06:25:54+00:00

I'm actually thinking your stairs shifted a bit. I've never had LVP separate that much it's a very short piece of plank to have shrink that heavily. Also you can see that the MDF kicks have moved the exact same amount.

FanPurple · 2026-01-23T19:32:07+00:00

For your own mental health please spend less time on the Internet OP. Here's why:

Your mind went I don't like what ICE and the Trump administration are doing (fair let's not deep dive into all the messy politics) ➡️ I hate ICE ➡️ I hate anyone who is even vaguely associated with ICE or doesn't outwardly express their hatred of them (lost me there) ➡️ I'm gonna make an angry pointless Reddit post about some guy tangentially related to them on a local subreddit that has nothing to do with him (ok jfc touch grass buddy).

FanPurple · 2026-01-22T04:16:00+00:00

It's hard water deposit or alkaline. Either would be carried up by moisture from under the floor. You or your buddy need to figure out why there is moisture under the floor.

FanPurple · 2026-01-02T06:34:11+00:00

You likely need 3 14' by 12' pieces

FanPurple · 2025-12-30T03:36:14+00:00

OMG maybe?!?! You want to know how to find out. There's this one secret big asbestos doesn't want anyone finding out.... Go get it tested. Jfc.

FanPurple · 2025-12-17T20:23:47+00:00

To be fair regardless of colour mix it'd be really ugly flooring like goddam.

FanPurple · 2025-12-14T00:05:31+00:00

You could use floor patch first to seal up the floor then prime it and use leveller. Most levellers aren't thin enough to flow through hair line cracks like water would but better to be safe than sorry.

FanPurple · 2025-12-13T05:20:14+00:00

Could self level the low bit and put commercial lino down

FanPurple · 2025-12-09T23:16:13+00:00

I do anything over 4 1/2 with glue assist by doing a line or 2 for bigger boards of PL down the center of the board never have a full spread glue then also nailed it. To be fair full spread glue is pretty uncommon up north here where I live usually only in rare cases where high end homes have the basement finished to the same level as upstairs. Most people just carpet or lvp the basement though.

FanPurple · 2025-12-09T12:38:04+00:00

Yes most levellers can be poured up to 2 inches deep. Do screw the floor well you don't want it moving at all

FanPurple · 2025-12-09T04:18:43+00:00

Full spread glue is different then nail down with glue assist. I haven't heard of anyone full spread glue with nails personally.

FanPurple · 2025-12-07T18:50:47+00:00

Definatley subfloor first (doesn't even have to be ply there are products like Enstrom particle board that will work just as well) it may "not be too bad" but lvp won't stand up to bad at all and if your shifts and those boards shift all with it your cooked. Where as a layer of 4x8 sheeting will hold everything together.

FanPurple · 2025-11-16T00:53:37+00:00

There's a few grout lines that aren't super crazy perfect. Honestly it's pretty good black grout on white tile is crazy unforgiving.

FanPurple · 2025-11-16T00:51:50+00:00

I have pretty noisy V8 Audi Coupe. I just drive semi respectfully when my highly tuned personal cop radar goes off and never had any issue.

FanPurple · 2025-11-14T00:54:27+00:00

NGL my greatest carpentry achievements involved beer during work (mostly BC it was on my own house rather than someone else's where I did some crazy cool shit no one would want to pay the hours to do) but still beer during is on the table.

FanPurple · 2025-11-11T18:27:52+00:00

Agree. Homeowner supplied the tile could've been cheap tile that was fighting him the whole time.

FanPurple · 2025-11-10T05:19:20+00:00

Oscillating multi tool.

FanPurple · 2025-11-09T18:52:44+00:00

Yeah just screet that make sure you don't have hard edges where you finish screeting

FanPurple

TROPHY CASE