How do you know when a certain finish is overkill for a given neighborhood. I have been thinking about getting rid of the carpeting in some of the rooms in my house because it is taking a beating with kids and animals.

Hardwood is lovely, but I am concerned that the price may be too much for the neighborhood. But on the other hand I don't want to go with a cheap inferior product that will end up being a liability. I am confident that granite countertops and stainless steel appliances would be overkill for the neighborhood, not that I really care for either anyway.

My house is a 1969, 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath raised ranch in a subdivision of like homes. It is the second smallest model of six. My suburb is affordable and similar homes in the neighboring homes would be $10's of thousands more. New construction in the area is mainly tear-downs and homes over the $600,000 mark. Comparably priced new-construction would require moving 15 miles further out from my location and would be nowhere near the retail and commercial centers that are easily accesible by my location which is close to three major expressways and a commuter train line into downtown.

I think you should determine what other homes in your specific neighborhood, of like age and size are doing. If similar homes in your price range are putting in hardwoods, then hardwoods are the way to go. If similar homes in the price range are putting in laminate then laminate is the way to go. My gut feel is that if granite and stainless appliances would be overkill for your neighborhood, then hardwoods although lovely might also be overkill.

You can't compete with the homes that are tens of thousands of dollars more then yours. Even if you did the upgrades to hardwoods, stainless and granite, your home is what it is. A 60's raised ranch with 1.5 baths that will be compared during the appraisal process to other similar homes and not the homes the next subdivision over that have all the bells and whistles. You certainly won't recoup the money you invest if you over improve.

Depends on your budget and don't worry about what other homes have. Whatever you pick- make sure it is of higher quality.

With kids and dogs in an active household, laminate floors would be a durable option. Easy clean up of spills and tracks. If planning on selling in the near future, the laminate floors would give you an edge over competitors in your neighborhood.

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Originally posted by real estate lady:
Depends on your budget and don't worry about what other homes have. Whatever you pick- make sure it is of higher quality.

Standing up applauding loudly!!!!

It is your home and it should be a place of peace and quiet and away from the chaos of life!!

I agree you should not update your home above the homes in your area if you are planning on selling within the next three years. On the other hand if you don't plan on selling, do what you want and enjoy it.
Personally, I have two very big greyhounds that would most definitely scratch and destroy any hardwood floor finish. Therefore I opted for Pergo floors and love them Would not have anything else in my house.

Do you plan to install them yourself? Laminate is the easier option since it's prefinished. And on a like note, labor is usually cheaper if you pay to have it installed.

That being said, I sure do love the look and smell of hardwoods. If you're the do-it-yourself kind, you can find reasonably priced hardwoods at places like Lumber Liquidators.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: michelle_TK,

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That being said, I sure do love the look and smell of hardwoods.

I agree, I think hardwoods look and feel much better than laminate.

In our previous home, we have some very high quality laminate. It was very durable and looked great. We also got ours at Lumber Liquidators. I would definitely look into it if you have children and pets.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: JoyNTheJourney,

My home has laminate as do most of the homes in this cookie cutter neighborhood of starter homes. It's builder grade laminate so I'll update it, hopefully in the next year or so and I'll go with Pergo laminate.

I shopped around between laminate and hardwood, wound up putting laminte in one back bedroom (the office/storage room) and I hate it. It looks great, but the sound and feel is just not hardwood. I shopped around again and found some great pre-finished hardwood at Home Depot and had my soninlaw install with my help. They are beautiful and have held up fine with my great dane and oh so much cleaner than carpet! The were really not much more than laminate, in some cases, much less.

Go laminate. You said developers were doing tear-downs in your area and since your home is built in 69 it means the property is worth more than the house. The amount of money you will spend on hardwood floors really do not add any value to your home other then marketability. I would check to do comps in your area on homes that SOLD to determine the value of your home. Location and square footage is what increases your value. The fact that you only have one full bath is a problem.

If this is a starter home, most people will find it difficult to secure to a loan from a lender. It seems that your area is in transition which leaves you between a rock and hard place because most developers buying homes in tear-down areas will not pay premium for your property and those that do want to buy the home, may not qualify for a loan.

Thanks for all the input. I did want to clarify that my house is actually in a very stable neighborhood that has fortunately is not declining in value despite the slow market. The teardowns are in the adjoining areas where there is a teeny tiny old house on a big lot which is torn down to make way for a McMansion. The single full bath is a liability, but if I chose to ever add on a Master Suite, I would still be in line with the size of other homes in the neighborhood.

I took a look on one of the real estate websites and found that of the homes in my subdivision there is a mix of flooring from the original parquet floors (mine are trashed beyond redemption), carpet, laminate, and hardwood. There were even a few kitchens with stainless steel and granite to my surprise. It appears that as long as I don't go completely over the top, some nicer, quality finishes can compete.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: vytis73,

I've been shopping for a new home for a while now. Newer homes and in the mid to high price ranges. With some of the markets I've been looking, the "high end" homes have come down so I guess "high end" is a relative statement these days. Anyhoo, point is that in some of these homes classified (by whatever standard) as high end, I've seen more Pergo laminate than I ever expected.

Pergo was not the appropriate choice for many of these homes. I know that some people do prefer laminate floors, but I just can't get past it being a faux attempt at the real deal. It looks, sounds and feels plastic to me and it felt very out of place in the high end homes.

A house in 1969 would not have had a laminate floor for obvious reasons and personally I don't think it belongs there now. Hardwood would be an infinitely better choice if budget allows.

Funcolors - i'm w/ you.......I've seen some nice looking floors, but i'll take the real thing anyday....

There are certain things i'm going to do in my home regardless of what is in the neighborhood because it is what i WANT to make my life enjoyable....

i can't help but think that some day we are all going to be looking at laminate floors like we do paneling and wondering "what was I thinking???"

Well, I have to add my two cents worth to this one. This house that we are selling has laminate Pergo (Wilsonart) flooring in the entryway, family room, and hallway. The color is lovely. The floor itself to me looks like that faux wood-grain contact paper. The previous owners had it installed.

When we added the side hallway to the house and had to extend the laminate to there, we discovered that the existing laminate was the bottom of the line and that the company didn't even make it anymore. We found something similar, again the lowest grade by that same company, and that lower grade looked much better than the original laminate.

My frustration with this particular laminate that came with the house, besides hating it and thinking it looks cheap, is that it is the most difficult flooring I've ever had to care for. Every spot shows and the spots don't clean up well at all. For months I lived with this ugly looking flooring that no amount of cleaning would help. The floors looked nice for maybe 24 hours after I cleaned them and then this film would appear out of nowhere no matter what cleaner I used.

Finally, when we found the store that carried the brand for the new laminate in the new hallway, I had my husband ask the owner how in the heck the floors were supposed to be cleaned. He answered with windex and a paper towel.

Well, I now use windex and a dry microfiber mop to clean the floors and I am at least happy that the film does not appear after 24 hours. It is a pain in the behind to clean them, however, and they still look overall spotty within a couple of days of cleaning.

Maybe a good quality laminate would have been better. I will take tile, even vinyl, over laminate any day.

Just MO.

I agree. If I wanted plastic floors, I'd rather have sheet vinyl or linoleum. I hate it when materials aren't true to their composition.

Sure, hardwood floor get beat up over time, but to me, this adds charm and character and they can be re-finished.

A low grade version of a product is seldom a true representation of the product.

I had a previous house with high grade laminate and low grade wood flooring. I loved the laminate, hated the wood.

I have found alot of buyers prefer tile over lanimates as many of those said..I don't want my woodgrain furniture to look like it is part of the woodgrain laminate... or wood...for that matter.

Laminates are more environmentally acceptable than wood floors in Europe, regardless of the homes value. Most people in the US just have not accepted that fact or don't care.

What makes laminates more environmentally acceptable ?

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What makes laminates more environmentally acceptable ?

I suppose they don't have to cut down as many trees, especially if they don't have many in the first place.

We have had this discussion many times before, I believe that I even posted a definition of Pergo Laminate flooring and what is made of.
If I remember correctly they are made of layers of wood and the top layer is an impression of the wood that you want.
I know that there are laminates and there are laminates, The Pergo flooring that I have installed cleans beautifully, no film not stains and no scratches. my flooring is a very light color birch. There is no way that I am going to put hardwood so that my dogs can scratch the floors, Some may say that it gives character, all those dents, Not for me. My floors have a 20 year guarantee, and it was as expensive as many wood floors that I priced.
So I guess it becomes a matter of taste. not price, My floors look great, they don't look cheap, I find them a great alternative to some wood floors. Plastic floors ! I don't think so. I suggest that the person who said that should go to the Pergo site and they will provide an explanation of the product.

Rker is right. There are many different types of materials, for every budget, need and taste. There's no reason to "dis" someone's else's choice, whether in flooring, countertops, appliances or decorating style. I would hate to see a time when there are only one or two "acceptable" choices. Over the years I have had wall to wall carpet, solid hardwood floors, ceramic, vinyl and laminate floors. The laminate has been by far the lowest maintenance.

Thank you Goosie, I hate to see that we have become so brainwashed that if we don't have now wood floors, stainless steel and granite we are supposed to be tasteless, dated and obviously, don't know what we are talking about, or how to decorate a home.
We need variety, in homes not cookie cutters, we are supposed to be creating a home, not a show place for the next person that is going to own the house.

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Thank you Goosie, I hate to see that we have become so brainwashed that if we don't have now wood floors, stainless steel and granite we are supposed to be tasteless, dated and obviously, don't know what we are talking about, or how to decorate a home.
We need variety, in homes not cookie cutters, we are supposed to be creating a home, not a show place for the next person that is going to own the house.

YES!!!!!!!! So nice to hear!

I've heard so many people hear say horrible things about the laminate and how 'tacky' they think it is. But I have a huge kitchen full of Pergo and people always assume that it's hardwood. It's tough stuff and that's exactly what I need right now...No scratches and NO dings and it has a beautiful shine to it.