Some people say that
all laminate flooring is cheap--compared to pricier types of flooring like solid hardwood and engineered wood flooring. And there was a time when "cheap" and "laminate flooring" were synonymous. But with flooring manufacturers improving the quality of their laminate--and adding useless gizmos and doo-dads--the prices of some laminate flooring has skyrocketed. So, we decided to take a look at inexpensive laminate, and we played by these rules:
- Square Foot Price $1-$2 - Laminate manufacturers price flooring out both by square foot and by carton. To compare apples to apples, we convert everything to square footage. Because prices fluctuate, you'll need to drill in and get it. But suffice to say that all flooring in this guide hover around the $1.00/sq. ft. range.
- No Gizmos - We do not take most of their silly gizmos into consideration. If they tout a 1,000 Year Titanium Wear Layer, we pretty much ignore it because it's not something you need to pay for anyway.
- No Discrimination - All manufacturers are on the same playing field. Some of these are no-name manufacturers. Are you bothered by that? Let's hope not. Yet, you'll find a few big names in there, too.
And for a few things that define cheap laminate flooring? How about:
- Less textured (embossing, they call it) than more expensive flooring.
- No attached underlayment.
- No unusual dimensions, such as plank flooring.
So, read on and follow us on our
Cheap Laminate Flooring Buyer's Guide.
