Laminate flooring
Typically $5.50–$9 per square foot installed · 15–25 years · fair against water
What it is
Laminate is a photograph of wood under a hard melamine wear layer on a fiberboard core. It scratches less than almost anything, it clicks together, and it is the cheapest way to a wood look that holds up under kids and chairs. Its core is pressed wood fiber, which is why water at the seams has always been its problem; the newer sealed-core products narrow that gap without closing it.
Cost
Typically $5.50–$9 per square foot installed at national averages, materials and labor together; the full range runs $3.50–$11. Typical installed cost is the middle half of the national range, materials and labor at average rates. Builder-grade product with the cheapest crew runs under it; premium product with a specialist runs over. Laminate Flooring Cost covers what moves it, and the calculator adds removal, prep, stairs and trim for your square feet.
Installation
Floated over an underlayment on any flat subfloor including a slab. Expansion gaps at every wall and doorway, covered by trim. A laminate floor that buckles was pinned somewhere it should have floated.
Durability
The hardest wear layer of the wood-look floors. AC3 is a bedroom, AC4 a whole house, AC5 a store. It dents rather than scratches, and a dent is permanent.
Water resistance
The weak point. Standing water at a seam swells the core and the swelling does not go back. Water-resistant products buy hours, not days. Bathrooms and laundry rooms are out; a kitchen is a risk you take with a mat and a habit.
Maintenance
Sweep and a barely damp mop. No wet mopping, no steam. Cannot be refinished.
Pros
- Very scratch-resistant for the money
- The lowest installed cost of the wood-look floors
- A weekend DIY floor
- Holds its look under chairs, toys and traffic
Cons
- Swells at the seams if water sits
- Hollow underfoot and loud without a good underlayment
- Cannot be refinished
- Cheap versions look printed because they are
Best rooms
- Bedrooms
- Living rooms
- Home offices
- Hallways
Worst rooms
- Bathrooms
- Laundry rooms
- Basements
- Mudrooms
Pets
Good for claws, poor for accidents. A dog that is reliably house-trained and a matte, textured surface for grip.
Kids
Tough against toys and chairs, unforgiving of the juice cup that tips over and is found later.
DIY
Yes, one of the easiest. Flat floor, underlayment, click, trim.
Lifespan
Fifteen to twenty-five years in dry rooms. Water shortens it to whenever the first leak happens.
Alternatives
Luxury vinyl, Engineered hardwood, Hardwood. Luxury Vinyl Plank vs Laminate · Laminate vs Hardwood
Who should buy it
- The rooms are dry and the budget is tight
- Scratches from chairs, toys or claws are the main worry
- You are installing it yourself
Who should not
- Water is anywhere near it
- You want quiet, warm footsteps
- The room is below grade
Where it ranks
A top-three pick for: to install yourself.
Getting it quoted
What a good laminate quote includes, and the three questions to ask every contractor before you compare prices.
The failure modes, the care schedule and the buying guide for laminate are on FlooringFAQ. This page is the decision; that one is the education.
Don’t start with the flooring. Start with your home.
Eight questions about the rooms, the household, the subfloor and the budget. A ranked shortlist with the reasons, the watch-outs and a project estimate.
8 questions · about 2 minutes · no obligation
Ready for laminate quotes?
Laminate is fast to install, so the quote is mostly product and prep. It should say the AC rating, whether the core is sealed against water, the underlayment, and the expansion gap plan at the walls; a laminate floor that buckles was almost always pinned somewhere it should have floated.
No obligation. You choose whether to contact the professionals who respond.