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| After much deliberation, I went with laminate flooring. I loved the look of wood, but knew I couldn't afford the real thing, and also didn't want to invest the maintenance it required. Materials like stone and porcelain are too hard and too noisy for my taste. When I saw it, I fell head over heels in love with cork: its gorgeous patterns, and its (relative) softness strongly appealed to me. The price was a definite drawback, as was the need for sealing, but what finally | made me give it up was its tendency to fade when exposed to sunlight.
I looked at a lot of vinyls, including Amtico, about which I'd read rave reviews, but couldn't find anything I liked. So that narrowed my choice down to laminate, and I ended up with this Armstrong Pacific Heights Autumn Maple, with 3½ inch wide planks that are microbeveled on all four edges. |
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I'm quite happy with this flooring; it has a slight give to it, so it's easy on the feet, and so far it's fooled everyone, even people with hardwood floors, into thinking it's real wood. The photo on the right shows several dirt blotches (you can also see a couple in the lower left of the photo above), which show only when you're looking from an angle. Cleaning is very easy --- a damp microfiber cloth for blotches like this, and every once in a while, a spray-on cleaner that was recommended by the dealer. To lower the risk of scratching, I stuck protective felt pads on the legs of the chairs, and so far that's worked very well. I have two cats who race and slide on the floor, but their joy rides haven't marred it (yet?). |
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Last updated on
01/20/2007
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Site created and maintained by Margaret Simpson |
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