Armstrong Grand Illusions Laminate?
 

Anyone have any experience installing/living with Armstrong Grand Illusions laminate? It appears to be a somewhat newer product. It truly has the look of hardwood. We're quite impressed. We are looking to put it in our kitchen/dining room. Any help would be much appreciated before we take the plunge!

yes I have

I'm sorry -- didn't make myself very clear. Wanted your opinions of the product -- easy or hard to install, wearing/cleaning well, etc.

Mike...Yes, you are...

Lol no problem at all.
Seems like a very decent product. I cannot attest as to the wear but after installing a few of them they seem to be a rugged well made floor

I spoke with the Armstrong rep about it yesterday. He's sending me wear testing data. Basically they took an orbital sander with a buffer bad to it to simulate wear. It performed just as well as any other laminate they make. It's the same wear layer basically. He said the wear layer is the toughest they could make without sacrificing clarity. Only commercial grade laminates get much tougher. I believe he said it has the lock and fold locking system as well with makes for much easier installation.

I found this online: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load...808289706.html

Grand illusions is a high shine product.
I would wonder if that would show more just like any other higher shine material.
Could that be mistaken by consumers as premature damage when there is slight surface abrasion?

That's what I'm thinking as well. I've done a bit of scratch and dent testing on our showroom samples. I don't see where it is any more prone to damage than any other laminate. I can more easily see any marring though due to the sheen.

We've sold a couple large jobs of it and never had any scratching issues so far.

yup...I agree. Large jobs with no complaints yet.
I will pay attention though.

I have researched thousands of laminates over the past 2 years and this is by far the most realistic looking laminate on the market (this and the same ones by Bruce Park Avenue). There is no comparison with pergo or any other. Why? It has the most realistic shine which is exactly like a true sanded and polished hardwood. It comes in individual planks, not sheets or strips. And finally and most important, it does not have the plasticky surface that every other laminate floor has (the only selection is one by Westwood...and that one doesnt have the shine).

As far as shine and scratches..well a well polished car or a well polished hardwood will obviously show scratches in direct sunlight. It is the nature or anything clean and pristine. You want something beautiful, you take care of it. Otherwise go with something cheap and worry free. And honestly, it has the same wear if not BETTER than everyone I've tested (westwood ac5 commercial and higher end shaw laminates seem to be the only better ive seen actually).

Dont let bad reviews fool you...this is leagues above any other laminate as far as realism. Wear is like any other floor...just be careful and take care of it like you should any floor that is experiencing high traffic.

Also, check for pricing online. Some store are selling this in my area for over $5 a square foot...and one nationally advertised company even sells it installed at $12 p/sf!!! Ive seen very competitive deals for between $3-$4 p/sf...and some places even pricebeat ;)

We have recently had this installed and we are experiencing serious squeaking and snapping and movement of individual planks, because of the poor design of the locking system. We are failing to get any co-operation from the Armstrong company with regard to warranty. Would not recommend product at this point, despite how beautiful it is.

The locking system if fine on this product. I'm willing to bet whoever installed it tried to tap it in instead of using the locking system as it was intended and damaged the joints.

We have sold a lot off our website, no complaints at all.