Tried big box store laminate flooring vs. a local Edmonton supplier and the difference was night and day

I needed to redo my basement floors in my 1950s house near Whyte Ave. First I grabbed some laminate from a big box store, like $1.50 a square foot. After laying it down, the edges chipped within a week from my dog walking across it. Swapped to a local place on the south side that sold me a mid-range product for $2.20 a foot, and that stuff has held up way better through two winters now. Has anyone else found a big gap in quality between the cheap stuff and what you get from a proper supplier?

3 comments

3 Comments

terry_carter1527d ago

Honestly, that sounds like a typical big box floor situation. The cheap stuff is just a thin wear layer with a crappy core, so a dog's nails can chew through it fast. A local supplier usually has better AC ratings and thicker planks that actually lock together right. If you're doing a basement in an old house like that, worth paying that extra 70 cents a foot to avoid pulling it all up in a year.

the_robin27d ago

Your dog really that hard on floors?

the_thomas18d ago

Funny enough, I used to think flooring was flooring and price just meant branding. But after helping a buddy redo his basement with the cheap stuff and watching it fail in months, I totally changed my tune.