Laminating your floor is a major home improvement decision, which is why you should choose your brands carefully. Unfortunately, certain brands do not make the mark because of low quality, shady warranties, or poor customer service. This post will list some laminate floor brands you should avoid at all costs, so let’s get started.
Lowe’s
Lowe’s is a hardware store brand that needs no introduction. If you’ve been involved with home improvement, there’s a chance you’ve visited one of them, bought their supplies, and had a satisfactory experience. We’re not here to tell you that you should avoid Lowe’s altogether. However, their floor lamination leaves much to be desired.
Why should you avoid Lowe’s for laminate flooring? One reason is that Lowe’s workers tend to be jacks of all trades. Therefore, when searching for someone to laminate your floors, it would be best to look for a person who specializes in only floors.
Another reason to avoid Lowe’s is that many consumers report issues with keeping appointments. In addition, you want someone who will commit to your schedule with a flooring company unless an emergency happens.
In addition, many consumers are not satisfied with Lowe’s because they feel like their flooring is lower quality, with it warping shortly. One reason for this is that many of their workers lack the knowledge of how to laminate, and they are overworked, leading to a rush job. In addition, Lowe’s tends to charge more for less, and some consumers report hidden costs. Therefore, it would be best to skip Lowe’s for your flooring.
Home Depot
The Home Depot is another large store for your home improvement needs, rivaling Lowe’s. Like Lowe’s, the Home Depot is a decent place if you need some supplies, but you might want to look elsewhere if you are thinking of installing laminate flooring with them.
Home Depot is not the best place for laminate flooring, similar to Lowe’s. They are a company that does not focus specifically on flooring, leading to lower quality flooring that costs more. However, Home Depot has even more problems than Lowe’s, with legal issues facing the company.
For example, several class-action lawsuits have been over Home Depot’s flooring services. One lawsuit details customers who were overcharged, and details the flooring quality. Many are suing Home Depot in Florida because their flooring is not adapted to Florida’s hot climate, meaning that it warps quickly after installation.
When you get your floor laminated, it’s vital that you look for a service that knows the climate of your area. Businesses like Home Depot and Lowe’s are all across the country, and they may have the same standards for installing floors regardless of the area you live in. Looking for a company that deals with your local region can ensure that you have the flooring installed that’s adapted to the climate.
Armstrong
Armstrong is a unique situation compared to other brands. While Lowe’s and Home Depot tend to have flooring that many describe as low quality, Armstrong has flooring that’s considered to be of a higher quality. Not only that, but the prices are respectable as well. What’s there not to like about Armstrong?
There are a few problems, with the main issue coming with their warranties. With warranties, many do not read the fine print. For example, some of their laminates have a 20-year warranty. At first glance, you might think that for 20 years, if you have any issues, they will replace your laminate at no charge.
But the issue is that every year, how much material cost Armstrong is willing to cover for you goes down. For example, if your flooring has issues out the gate, you can get it replaced at no charge. However, in two years, you will have to pay 10% of the costs. And what happens if your flooring goes bad 19 years later? You only get 5% of the expenses covered. You’re better off getting a new lamination altogether, meaning that the warranty served no purpose.
Because of that, we do not recommend Armstrong. When searching for a flooring company, always be sure that they provide a warranty with easy-to-understand terms with no catches. A good company will stand by their lamination job and offer you a great warranty.
Traffic Master
Traffic Master is a brand that offers affordable laminations, but as they say, you get what you pay for. In the case of Traffic Master, they have a much shorter warranty, being 15 years. If you’re new to lamination, you might think that 15 years is a long time, but most brands guarantee their lamination for decades.
In addition, the materials are of poorer quality, which can be expected for a lower cost lamination job. However, with floor lamination, spending more money can benefit you in the long run. Not only will your laminated floors look better, but they can last longer. As a result, you might save more money due to having a floor that can last a much longer time.
Style Selections
Finally, we have Style Selections, another brand with a deceiving appearance. While their laminate can help your floors avoid water damage and stains, they are not friendly towards foot traffic. That’s right; floors are intended for people to walk on, yet this brand struggles with that task.
Style Selections is another affordable brand, so we must reiterate that you might want to pay a little more with flooring. Another issue that Style Selections have is that the laminate has a poor grip, leading to a loss of balance. This loss can be detrimental to anyone, but especially to senior citizens.
The Takeaway
With floor laminates, you want to avoid cheap brands and home improvement retail stores. Repairing or replacing your laminate can be a hassle, so you need a brand that will last you a long time. By eliminating the brands that don’t have a good reputation, you can move on to brands that will give you satisfactory results.