SIDE BAR:
It is not my intention to blow-out any-one's candle and I'm not sure this is the place for this but I'll tell you what I know then I'll shut up about the subject.
Some fifteen years ago (or so) (I really don't remember) laminate flooring was introduced to this country under the name of Pergo coming from a European company named Perstop.
This was the cats meow and had been successful and proven in European countries for the previous seventeen years.
I immediately became certified by Perstop to install their product. Almost immediately problems began to arise. At that time Pergo was a tongue and groove product (as they are now) but the tongue and grooves were to be glued together. The glue would purge of course and purging was hard to control even when limiting the amount of glue being used.
Over a period of days after installation the seams would swell from the moisture of the glue. The core was made of particleboard. It is no secret what happens to particleboard when it is introduced to moisture. The maker insisted the swelling would dissipate over time but the truth is it never did. The "Blame-Game" began and the faults were said to be a result of installer errors.
The assembled panels would shift over time as I mentioned above. Moisture from below would cause waves in the panels themselves separate from the seams.
In the meantime...every manufacturer of laminate counter tops started jumping into the circus. Wilson Art, Neva Mar, Formica, to name a few.
As the claims began to tsunami, manufacturers began to reformulate the core product they used. A plastic core finally solved the problem for some but priced the products out of the intended low-cost-flooring market.
Then no-name brands were introduced again but with the particleboard core. The proud old-time names were gone from the low-cost scene. The recognized brand names reappeared but this time with the higher priced floor products due to the new and improved core.
Sales plummeted for all laminate flooring for a time and that is when the extended warranty periods began to arise. Millions of square feet of product in production and no market without a twenty-five year warranty. That's funny because laminate flooring was always considered a throw-away product that could easily be change from time to time with little cost. The industry says most flooring has about a fifteen year appeal before Harriet Homeowner wants a change it.
With the high cost of installation by a pro and a desire to make the floors more installer friendly for the huge DIY market, "click" flooring was introduced eliminating the swollen edges from the glue that was no longer needed and basically eliminating the professional installer in some cases. Eureka...laminate flooring is now the preferred floor covering of the DIY market.
The makers gamble that the on average every-fifteen-year-exchange will continue and a twenty-five year warranty won't be executed in any great numbers.
To install laminate flooring properly all of the door jambs and door casings must be undercut. The problem with is the cuts must be made so high that the return to a vinyl flooring would be almost impossible from an acceptable appearance standpoint. The same may apply to a carpet replacing a laminate flooring. It simply ruins the woodwork unless more laminate is installed as a replacement.
The makers have made millions however so how can anyone (especially me) argue with that?
No one has ever been able to explain to me how a product with seventeen years proven success in Europe could come to this country and fail so miserably and so soon. Unless of course.............:whistling2: