Anyone have an opinion on which way to go on a laminate floor?
I think that totally depends on where the flooring is going to be installed.
About 2 years ago I installed Ikea Tundra flooring in my kitchen. It is the glue-together type. A real pain in the behind to install, because of the glue. But my wife and I liked the looks of it, and at the time didn't want to spend almost twice the price on any other brand. So we bought the Tundra for $1.40 a sq ft and a 15 year warranty.
After installing it in my 19 x 14 kitchen, we loved it. Still do. However I noticed that there was a small area, about a 4" by 3" area, that appeared to have glue residue left on it. I didn't think much of it, figuring that I'd just be able to scrape it right off. A few days later I tried wiping it off with a damp rag...no dice. And then over a few more days I noticed it was getting real dark, as if dirt was getting stuck in the glue. And it was ticking me off because it was right in the middle of the floor. No one really notices it but my wife and I.
Anyways, I read a post in here the other day that stated that laminate flooring warranties are worthless. Well, I'm here to tell you that that just isn't true. I called Ikea about the floor's "spot", so they sent out a flooring contractor to clean it up. He couldn't believe that it wouldn't come up. (keep in mind, by the time I called them, I had tried mineral spirits, goo off, pergo laminate floor glue remover, and even a razor blade scraper! nothing worked). The contractor said he's never seen anything like it, and couldn't figure out how to fix it. He said he could try replacing just the one board, but that's pretty hard to do. So guess what? I'm getting a brand new floor installed, professionally this time at that! Not bad for a $500 floor that, quite frankly, my wife and I were very happy with even with the spot.
I realize I used your post to get semi-off topic, so back to your situation: I chose the glue-together because it's a kitchen. But mostly because of price. I'd like to install laminate in my living room, though I'll probably not get to it as I plan to move in a few years. However if I do decide to install it in the living room, which is a pretty big room (39 x 30), I'll definitely NOT go with glue together, and would opt for the snap together.
No experience. Extensive reading in this group and Google over the last 3 months has me heavily inclined to go with the glued variety for my project. Being rental property I am choosing it for the most water proof surface I can get. It also about half the price for materials. It will take extra time to install. Really won't be able to finish any room in one day as the glue has to cure for 8 hours before you can walk on it to do those last few boards on the last wall.
I disagree. After doing both, I feel that the gluing takes up much more time. Not so much the actual act of putting on the glue, but the general slowdown due to the constant cleaning/wiping you have to do after inserting each board, not to mention that since each board has glue in it you generally work slower with it so as not to get glue where you don't want it. I feel the glue down floor takes at least twice the amount of time.
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