We are in love with the laminate we picked for our home… it’s being used for our kitchen and also for benchtops in the walk-in pantry, laundry, powder, ensuite and main bathroom.
Polytec Ash Zebrano:
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy322/vanilla_tree/Polytecash_zebranohorz.jpg
It has a number of colours/tones running through it ~ the darker being a cool chocolate colour, with the lighter and middle tones being almost a mushroom-like grey tone.
If we like tiles then I think we would have had a much easier job of trying to select the right flooring. However, we really want a timber look for the flooring ~ which has caused us a lot of extra angst while trying to select the right flooring that won’t clash with it…
Originally I was thinking:
Tasmanian Oak type-light?
A limed white, almost?
A weather light grey, almost?
Nothing yellow, or with yellow tones.
However a few really wise Home1-ers have suggested that darker may really be the way to go. So keeping an open mind and looking carefully at both options.
I was very keen on vinyl planks originally (though DH is suspicious). Real timber *is* absolutely beautiful and absolutely the way to go. And we can’t afford it now, so moving on.
Bamboo was our next option ~ but unfortunately they didn’t quite have the colour that we needed ~ and this would have definitely been at the very top end of our budget (but still cheaper than real timber)!
We starting taking a closer look at laminates and have narrowed our choice down to this. Primarily, DH finally said no to vinyl planking on two grounds: (1) we would have to incur the extra expense of getting the slab levelled (with levelling-compound); and (2) the vinyl planks then stick directly on top of the slab.
We felt that if we go with laminate, then we have the underlay with the plastic membrane over the slab and under the laminate planks, and then the planks just slot over the top. Nothing is glued to anything. Ultimately if we win Tattslotto in 10 years or so, we may be able to get real floors done then!
The waterproof issue: YES we know laminate flooring isn’t waterproof like vinyl planks. Apparently what they (the professionals) do, is glue the planks together when installing in a kitchen area (esp. the dishwasher part). That way, if there is a leak it is less likely to seep down in between the planks and into the core of the plank itself. [Please professionals, tell me this is true? Is it standard practise or do we need to ask for it?]
I am still thinking that the vinyl planks are a good option… they are just not going to be an option for us! This is complicated enough already!
So OK, we have been travelling around with our little A5-sized sample of Ash Zebrano. Here are some pics of the better options we’ve come across. It is amazing how this laminate causes some flooring to look yellow, or even pink in some cases…
Tarkett “Linen Wood”
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Mosowood Bamboo “Lime Wash Matt”
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Mosowood Bamboo “Coffee Matt”
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Embelton laminate “Stringybark” ~ see the green streaks?
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Embelton timber “White Oak Lime”
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Embelton timber “White Oak Smoke” ~ this is very nice, though darker than we originally thought, this actually works…
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Unknown brand ~ real timber “Limewash” ~ too yellow
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Unknown brand ~ real timber “Dark” vs “Limewash”
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Witex laminate “Michigan Oak” ~ very nice
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Embelton laminate “White Oak” (this was at a different store)
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Embelton laminate “White Oak” ~ closeup
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Embelton laminate “Cool Oak” ~ can you see this is throwing up a bit of a pink hue?
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Embelton laminate “Cool Oak” ~ closeup
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Embelton real timber “White Oak Limed” vs “White Oak Smoked”
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Embelton real timber “White Oak Limed” closeup
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Embelton real timber “White Oak Smoked” closeup
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Embelton real timber “White Oak Wenge” closeup ~ somehow this one makes our lovely Ash Zebrano look a little … well … cheap?
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Then at last we discovered the Quick-Step range…
Quick-Step Largo White varnished oak planks
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The Largo range is the widest and longest plank by Quick-Step I think, and it’s also the most expensive ~ but lovely… This range is 9.5mm thick, with planks 205cm long and 20.5cm wide. Plus they have the lovely v-groove on the joins, which looks really good.
The Eligna range may well be the best choice for us as there were so many colours we could choose from. This range is 8mm thick, with planks 138cm long and 15.6cm wide.
Quick-Step Eligna Limed Oak ~ way, way too yellow
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Quick-Step Eligna Worn light oak planks ~ again, can you see the pink coming up?
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Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ ~ same colour, different shop, different lighting ~ still pink…
Quick-Step Eligna White varnished oak planks
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Quick-Step Eligna Light Grey varnished oak planks ~ my current favourite of the “light” flooring…
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Quick-Step Eligna White Ash planks
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But then, we found this colour! Really like! But it’s from the Classic range and only 7mm thick instead of 8mm… wonder how much of a difference that would make? These planks are 120cm long and 19cm wide.
Quick-Step Classic Light Grey Oiled Oak ~ current super-favourite in the darker flooring…
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Would it be really really stupid to pick a 7mm product instead of an 8mm product ~ just because you like the colour better??
Is a 9.5mm thickness *soooo* much better than the 8mm thickness??
How difficult this is!
All opinions MUCH appreciated!! Thank you thank you thank you!!