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Laminate Floor - 101st Penny Pinching Party

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

While Mr. ThriftyHome was out of town I made a decision on the floor and bought it. I ended up getting a Shaw laminate that looks a lot like real wood. I emailed Shaw some questions about their engineered wood floors and laminate floors and they emailed me back saying that the laminate would be stronger. Since the laminate was also a lot cheaper, it wasn't hard for me to decide to go with a laminate over the engineered wood.

The prep work, as with most projects, took the most time. After removing the tile, we discovered that the top layer of subfloor was missing since there had been tile and the backer-board took the place of the top layer. Some of the subfloor was also uneven due to rotting and had to be replaced. The prep work is probably the most important part of the job and the least fun.

We discovered 2 dead mice under the floor. They looked like they got trapped in there during the construction of the house 27 years ago. It made me wonder how many other dead mice were inside the walls and floors of our house.
I didn't put a close-up photo because it was not pretty looking. I can't stop thinking about all of the dead mice that we didn't find. Where are they? Is there one in the ceiling above my bed? How many are there?     Will I ever be able to get their images out of my head?


Here is the floor partially laid down. My 4 year old thought it would be a good idea to draw with permanent marker on it. After a quick google search I discovered that non-acetone nail polish remover would clean it. Try using nail polish remover on real wood. I am already happy with my decision to use laminate.

I bought my laminate at RC Willey for $1.99 sq. ft. with free padding. I even found a coupon for $200 off! The name of the laminate is Left Bank by Shaw. I bought both the 3" and 5" boards to create a custom look. 

What projects have you been up to?

http://www.thethriftyhome.com


11 comments :

  1. Magic Eraser does the trick to. But very very lightly. Don't want to hurt floors. My son decided to do the same thing.

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  2. Great deal! and $200 off.. you made out fantastic! Good luck on your floor project! Thank you for hosting!

    http://ginawithlove.blogspot.com/

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  3. Do not like mice... repeat... Do not like Mice!! But liking your floor.... : )
    We just decided to do laminate wood in our new lake home. Practical & cheap & so far looking good...
    And the black marker story will be great for a laugh when re-told, when he is older... : )

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  4. Hi! I am new to your blog! and so happy that I found it! At our 1st house we ripped up all of the flooring and installed laminate flooring and LOVED it! The only thing you have to be really really really careful about is water. Do not let water sit on it otherwise it will bubble. Don't ask how I know! :-) We are now in our 2nd house and there were already engineered hardwood floors installed and we hate them! They are so soft, literally walking on them you scratch the floors. It's so sad! I would love to just lay laminate over the hardwood and be done with it! Good luck with your floors!

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  5. Thanks for hostessing another great thrifty party! So glad to have electricity back so I can join!

    Hugs,
    Mary

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  6. I love the color choice! The mice would freak me out a bit (lot) too. Then again, a dead mouse is better than a live one scurrying over your feet while you sit at your computer (eww)

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  7. Love the floor! I had laminate floor in a prior home and I really liked it. For me, it was easier to maintain than wood and it looked just as pretty. One day I hope to put it in our house and get rid of all the carpet. Your kiddo's art project looks like the little "gifts" I have found around my house from my little artist.

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  8. Okay - first of all, you would think that 27-year old dead mice would be skeletons by now. Hmm. Second of all - I'm thinking that your little artist was just used to being able to draw on the floor from your subfloor artfest. Glad you figured out how to get it off, though.

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  9. We found a mouse carcass underneath our fridge when we went to move it. So, odd...and so gross.

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  10. What a discovery! I can't blame you for thinking about the other mice out there. Anyway, your flooring job is an accomplishment. With the developments we have these days in the flooring industry, it is good to know that solutions are within reach and at an affordable price too!

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