Sam's Club - Simple Solutions Living Laminate

[Fkent]

Anyone familiar with this brand? It is 10mm thick and has a very realistic texture to it. It also has the backing already applied. Very reasonable price in Sam's Club.

The rep indicated it was a new line from Pergo but I have yet to find anything on the Pergo website or the internet to confirm this.

I have found the Simple Solutions website for their 4 in 1 moldings but most of the links on it are not active yet.

The price is right, the quality looks good and it has one of the most realistic appearance for laminate that I have seen yet.

Any info on this product would be appreciated.

[pushkins]

Very often a company like Pergo will distribute a product that may be very well already in their line up under another name, particulary when big stores like Walmart want a quantity deal. By doing this they help starve off complaints from their regular distributors like floor stores or Lowes/H.Depot for example.
Try to find out how thick the laminate photo is (that's what laminate floors mainly are, a great photo reproduced and transposed onto engineered wood)
For hallways or heavy traffic areas you should be looking for inxs of 4 microns.

General rule of thumb for (and especially for) laminate floors :

Cost = Quality.
This doesn't mean that the most expensive floor is the best but it is a good rule to be aware of.

[Fkent]

I was in Lowes last night to look at their Pergo line of laminate. The stuff Sam's is begining to sell looks just like the stuff Lowes has for almost twice the price (Casual Living line). Same warranty, same embossed finish, same square footage per carton. They use the same 4 in 1 moldings made by Simple Solutions.

The stuff at Sam's has the backing already on it. Because it will be a basement install I need to put down at least a 6mil vapor barrier. In the flooring section they sell 100 SQ rolls for about $15. In another section of Lowes they sell 6mil vapor barrier 1000 sf rolls for about $35, a much better deal.

My question concerns the vapor/foam/padding rolls they also sell. Will it be overkill to put this down for a little exta cushion & R value since the laminate already has some padding on the back of it?

I am guessing that the price difference is the premium you pay for having the box labelled Pergo...

[pushkins]

If your planning on laminating a BASEMENT floor be very very careful, most laminates will not be suitable for below grade use, nor will any warranty be of any good to you. Make sure the laminate you buy clearly says it's suitable for below grade otherwise you will be pulling it up in a couple of years if not months. Laminate flooring is not water or moisture friendly and laying a 6mil sheet of plastic as a vapor barrier will not be enough. Most times a simple raised floor is the best and safest option.
Attached via tapcons or the like, treated lumber at 24" centers max. to the concrete floor and lay 3/4" ply as a subfloor then lay the laminate.

As for the pre attached backing that is always a much better option and usually a cheaper option as well.

[curveylpn]

I have noticed the a lot of the flooring companies are giving out exclusive rights to certain major store chains like Lowes and Home Depot. It makes it harder for people like me to bargain shop for flooring cause once the rights go exclusive Pergo will discontinue the line and you have no choice to go to the major chain and pay whatever they demand.