I have a house in a fairly low price range (~115k). The original carpet (12 yrs old) is still here and we want to replace it. I don't think putting real wood floors is really justified for this price range. I'm thinking of going with laminate floors, and installing them myself.

Has anyone ever installed floating laminate floors? Do you think it's too much of a job for someone who is not naturally very handy?

I've never done it but I plan to in the next few years. I'm not a very handy, DIY person & I don't own the tools to do it either so I'll have it done professionally. I'm also meticulous & picky so I get frustrated easily when something isn't going my way. Trying to do it on my own would be a disaster.

We have laminate flooring in our entire house and did it ourselves. It's fairly easy to do. We did our living room and liked it so much we did the rest of the house about 6 months later.

Ours is Pergo Original but that is hard to find now. I think it is far superior to the cheaper stuff available now and that is unfortunate. Ours is 13 years old and looks fantastic. We have had dogs, cats, and never a problem. Frankly, I would choose it over real hardwood floors in a heartbeat.

The tool kit to install it cost about $15 but you also need a saw to cut the ends off.

I've since helped put in a small amount (a very small room) in someone else's house. It was the newer stuff, also Pergo. It was easier to put in without tools but does not look as good because there are ridges between boards and it's harder to keep clean.

How does laminate stand up to pet claws? Any scratches at all? I ask because we have a Maine Coon cat that is quite a handful. Maine Coons are big, strong cats that have paws & claws like a baby lion.

Funny you should say that. We have a Maine Coon cat right now. But she does not scratch on the floor.

Ours has absolutely no scratches even after having a couple of large dogs for a few years. The occasional liquid spill (pee, wine, etc.) is also not a problem.

But this is for Pergo Original. The newer stuff is not nearly as good I don't think. On the original the seams were sealed with glue so they would not absorb water and they were mush tighter than the new stuff so even a cat claw would have a hard time getting in.

Well...as our carpet can testify...ours likes to play and you can hear his claws digging in as he runs thru the house. Occasionally you'll find a sprig of carpet torn loose by a claw. He doesn't knead on it though.

At Lowe's we use youtube videos to train flooring employees about laying carpet, tile and laminate. Just go to youtube and search for "how to lay...." whatever type you want to know about. With carpet, the life of your carpet is determined by the quality, thickness, and backing of the pad. The counter pressure to the underside of carpet, from weight of people traffic or heavy furniture can pancake standard carpet padding, allowing a cement foundation to wear away the bottom side threads causing them to start pulling out during vacuuming. This shortens the life of your carpet. With laminate the underlament is just as important. The best rule of thumb is to look at the cheapest and most expensive and purchase the one in the middle. It is usually the most durable padding or underlament. Also, you can talk to a flooring specialist, who will be happy to show you how to lay whatever type of floor you want to tackle.

It's very easy.

I'm actually off in about half an hour to put in a laminate floor at friends house. It s simple. Just look at two youtube instructions video's, read what it says on the packaging and you're off.

Really, anyone who knows how to saw in a straight line can do this. Because that's the hardest part, getting the laminate to the right size. (And shape for some weird corners.)

I've done this in about 6-7 houses so far and every time taught the person I was helping to do it as well. Never seen anyone who was not able to put in a laminate floor. Just read up a little and you'll be fine.

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The update some hours later. With 7 people we laminated a 3 storey house today of 120 square meters. Teams of 2 per floor and one person for food, beverages and garbage duty

They asked for a quote to have it done, 15 euro per square meter = 1800 euros or about 2300 dollar, excluding material.

Seems to me it's worth it, even if it takes you longer than it took us. (7 people about 8 hours each). But I didn't yet count the muscle aches that'll keep from doing anything tomorrow. Hauling all the stuff and working on the floor the whole time does start to hurt. If you've got any existing back problems, I'd probably advice against it.

We have some newer laminate flooring, and it has been a waste of money. Not happy with it at all. There are scratches and dents from moving our fridge when it broke. No problem with our animals (two dogs and a cat). However, ours does stain from spills. It is a light color though.

There are some pro's - it was inexpensive (hence the bad quality) and it is easy to clean and put down but, I wouldn't recommend it.