Home Improvement Articles

So in 2009 laminate flooring has reached it ultimate peak in technology or so all believe, from small beginnings of glue together 7mm and 8mm laminate flooring, with glue oozing all over the place and installers trying to clean it up without leaving a glue residue behind and of course trying not to use to much so that the glue when dry would expand and slightly push the boards apart but not use enough and they would come apart anyway. It was a nightmare. 

A decade in the making and countless millions spent in legal battles over locking system designs and here we are at the top.
 
So what is at the top the top and the pinnacle of laminate flooring design? It is a collection of products that are made by numerous manufacturers that are called Narrow Plank and Beveled with textured realistic surface.
 
It is for sale in all the home centers, the regular wide board laminates 7-8″ are cheap 7mm $1.99SF – this is still way too expensive considering it only costs the manufacturer $0.51SF to make, but the Home Centers have huge fixed costs. But the Narrow Plank and Beveled with a realistic surface this is the cream of the crop – the best in laminate flooring – it could only be better if you brought it home and it installed itself.
 
The question is the price, it varies so much and some companies (the more well known brands) sell for as much as real hardwood. So how do you get the best Pergo and other laminate has to offer without paying a fortune, you go online and compare and even buy. 
 
However when it comes to buying Laminate flooring online there is a plethora of choices – with over a decade of industry experience this is our quick five point advice:

Know which factory & where you laminate is from, no point having a 15, 20 or lifetime warranty if the product is from China – how will you claim on your warranty? Write to China, call them on the phone – no chance, let’s face it the factory warranty is not worth as much as a domestic ‘here to stay’ USA corporation.
Buy from Factories with a USA corporation – the overseas manufacturer has a USA based legal entity, this means there is a legal way to ensure all the warranties are bound and it also shows you the companies commitment to the USA and the market. If all the ‘Brand’ has is a 6 page website and an ‘800′ number – you should be careful.
Be careful of clever wording ‘made to European standards’ does not mean it is made in Europe. This is another trick with the online Chinese importers, whether they stock or not – ‘made to European standards’, when they visit the factory and then – who knows.
Price is an important factor, HDF core laminate flooring, with the same AC rating, beveled & narrow plank design is identical to another laminate that costs three times as much. The cost difference is attributed to a numerous factors, mainly ‘Packaging and Advertising cost’ (same as a bag of chips, the chips cost $0.03 but the packaging, advertising, marketing, etc costs $0.50) and margin that the selling company needs to generate to cover their overhead and costs also is responsible for the selling price. You could work on 10%GM if you are a family run, non excessive spending business, but you will need 60%GM if you are have $10m a year CEO & Executives with private jets.
Make sure you get the product from a known manufacturer and buy from a company that operates on low margins. You can buy the best the laminate flooring world has to offer for $0.89SF or you can pay Pergo $3.99SF and CEO with corporate jets and huge bonuses. My vote is save $3.10SF on your 900SF project. This is over $2,700 you can give yourself the bonus – the CEO will not miss it.

Author: James Adverto

At http://www.buildersdepotdirect.com/ we have done all the work for you. If you are looking for the best in premium laminate flooring at the lowest price visit us on the web. Narrow Plank & Beveled Laminate Flooring for only $0.89SF.