How long do laminate floors last before the finish is gone or scratched?

We put laminate flooring in our last home. . .throughout the entire house. We used what we thought was a good brand name (pergo). . .honestly we've had it for 2 years now and the dinning room floor is scratched bad from people sliding chairs in/out when eating dinner. We also have a few areas where the joints have separated and there are little gaps there, and a few other areas where something heavy was dropped (son's toys) and it chipped the finish off.

Don't be fooled by "25 year guarantees" they give you, because after reading the FINE print. . . . its only guarunteed if you have them professionally installed by one of their installers, which we did not do, so we were **** out of luck. We just sold our home, but before doing so, we had to rip the flooring out in a couple of rooms and redo it, as to make it look better. Thats the down side of laminate wood flooring. It cannot be refinished, so once something happens to it, all u can do is replace it.

We have a dog (75lb weimaraner) and an 18month old son. . . our current (new) home has hard wood floors, and I like them soooo much better!

Rawstuff is correct. It varies with the quality of the flooring. Some have more scratch resistant surfaces than others and that is reflected in their warranty.

Laminate floors will resist scratches a bit better than "regular" wood floors. The laminate will resist dents much better because the laminate if very hard. Laminate floors can't be refinished but regular wood floors can.

Neither is bullet proof but for the price, the really good laminate is a better bargain.

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RE:

How long do laminate floors last before the finish is gone or scratched?

I know they can't be refinished. How long before they need to be replaced. Dogs and children in family.

Actually, laminate flooring is pretty tough!! I have a client who has preschoolers and two dogs. The floor was laid three years ago. It looks pretty good. There are, of course, a few small scratches here and there, but they chose a high end floor, and it has stood the test of time.

It's all in the quality of the flooring, and the underlayment. She has spoken to me about possibly replacing it with either an engineered floor, or a hardwood floor in the next two to three years, as the kids get older.

I think you can count on about 5 years, with normal wear and tear, with kids and dogs. Maybe longer, if the kids are taught to be careful, and the dogs have their nails clipped regularly. Buy a high quality 9mm thick flooring, with avery good under pad, and you will get years of wear and it will be easy to keep clean with a damp mop and mild soap and water!!

3 years is not a long time. 5 years is not a long time for a job that can cost thousands of dollars.

Thinks but I haven't decided yet