Question about laminate flooring here in Puna?

[GuitarDude]

Aloha all. I have heard varying stories about laminate flooring being a bad choice for a house in the moisture laden Puna district. My house is on concrete slab. I am curious whether or not laminate on concrete is a good idea and how well it might hold up[?] Thanks in Advance. Steve

[Carey]

Steve,
We heard all of the stories when looking for 'what to do with our floor' & do know of one new house in which the beautiful laminate got all wavy & cupped....

When we were looking, it seemed that proper prep. was absolutely essential to place laminate on concrete, which included a very good moisture barrier (absolutely a must) & some recommended shimming up the whole floor....the costs & work seemed to go up with each recommendation.

We decided to go with porcelain tile (see the 'project done' thread for some of the fun we have had) after also looking at concrete staining (our preferred was staining, but when we decided to start this LOOONG project the stains were all acid stains & our frame is metal....so that did not bode well for either the house frame or the floor color...)

There are also solid vinyl tiles & strips...I would be more hesitant on the roll flooring, unless also well vapor barrier-ed.... that was in our house & there was mold on the backing, esp near perimeter walls...& do not think that carpet would ever "air out" unless dehumidifiers were running...

[KeaauRich]

We bought some laminate flooring for our vacation rental at Home Depot and when we got it home, read on the directions that it should not be used in areas where humidity averages over 60% (don't quote me on the percentage, but it was less than our normal Puna humidity). Immediately took it back and the flooring guy basically agreed that installing it in our area with no a/c would be risky. We went with their Allure vinyl planks instead, which were easy to install, look great, and are really easy to keep clean. May not look "high end" enough for your taste, but it's really practical and durable.

[MarkP]

I just got done putting both sheet vinyl and vinyl composite tile in my shipping container. Had I known how well the VCT was going to work I would not have messed with the sheet vinyl. Anyway, for my purposes the VCT is great.

[unknownjulie]

I have laminate flooring in my entire house except for the bathroom. This is a rental and I am constantly worried about the floor. There are areas that are beginning cup around the edges of some of the pieces. It is about 4 yrs old and overall still looks very good, but the key is to never put water on it. YOu clean it like you'd clean plastic with windex type stuff that evaporates right away. At least that's what I've been doing with good results. I think even damp mopping it would be a disaster. I live at about 1000 ft in HIlo, and I'm in one of those old kit houses in the Japanese area. They have the solid wood walls, and are on piers. I dont think i'd use wood or laminate floors in my own house. Too much to worry about. Carpet is also out, so I guess that leaves brick, concrete, or tile...

[csgray]

Our house in HPP came with the fake wood laminate floors that come in 8 inch wide tongue and groove planks in the large living room/dining room area. They must be at least 7-10 years old and are holding up fine, in spite of having to go through housebreaking two puppies at the same time. One of those dogs had the bladder of a mouse for the first year of her life, so the same two spots got puddled many times without any real damage. The house is raised a full story, and gets both excellent air flow and solar gain on that side every afternoon which may make a difference.

I had a coworker who built his house in Eden Rock with bamboo laminate that he had to rip out due to buckling. He did an excellent job on the house so I think the product was to blame. My brother in law is a contractor in the San Juan Islands in Washington and he tests all laminated flooring products by immersing them in a bucket of water for a week or two. He says the more expensive product isn't always the best in terms of delaminating when exposed to water.

Carol

[unknownjulie]

MY floors are the cheaper, flat laminate. I dont think my floors would hold up to a dog at all, but it also may be the elevation difference between our houses. I put that tongue and groove laminate on some floors in New Mexico myself and was impressed with how it "snapped" together, but underneith, it's still basically cardboard.

[mar1957]

I've been reading about vinyl planks (traffic master allure) at Home Depot .
Guess it's even used in some Walmart stores.
Thinking about using it in the laundry room ?
We have tiled most of house my worries have been dropping
something breaking a tile .
Our laundry room will also be used for other guy friendly projects
would just hate seeing a cracked tile .

[GuitarDude]

Thanks for your responses. I have been reading your posts and also asking folks I know who are in construction or already have a laminate floor. It seems that if a vapor barrier over the slab is put down 1st and a 3/8" gap is left around the perimeter it "should" be ok. I will use either vinyl or tile for the kitchen & BR's and laminate for the rest of the house & keep fingers crossed!!

[VancouverIslander]

quote:

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Originally posted by mar1957

I've been reading about vinyl planks (traffic master allure) at Home Depot .

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We just installed Allure and I think it will be fine other than the fact you have to be careful dragging heavy stuff on it as it shows deep scratches quite noticably. We use ceramic tiles in the bathroom. Laminate has the disadvantage of being essentially a fibre board product and as such it can absorb moisture. I probably wouldn't use it on concrete.