Laminate - why is it so unpopular among sellers?

Even though gluing has some disadvantages (extra costs, a lot of glue, ...)... you can immediately tell when standing on a floor whether it was glued down or laid floating. The feeling is clearly more premium when glued. In our new build, there will definitely only be glued parquet. Just the feel of laminate... not my thing.

Glued parquet simply costs more than floating laminate, but on the other hand, no rental apartment vibe, can be sanded multiple times, timeless, and not a disposable product. Scratches caused by pets and children don’t bother me there either.

On the other hand, I can understand laminate in children’s rooms, since children quickly develop their own taste and don’t appreciate parquet anyway ... but we don’t like a colorful mix of floor coverings in the house; we want it to be as uniform as possible.

Just snapped with my phone. Laminate. Not slippery. Parquet is worse for cats and kids there

sent from unterwegs

I didn't have to watch the costs for the flooring and therefore considered all options. Parquet was one of the first things to be crossed off the list because it's simply too high-maintenance for us. Both of our parents had it and wouldn't choose it again. Tiles in the living area felt too sterile to us, so we went for high-quality vinyl that is glued down. It is easy to maintain, looks very good, and there was a wider selection of designs.

In the bedroom, it even became laminate; the look we had in mind was not available as vinyl...

Both options ultimately cost significantly more than the prices mentioned here for parquet, but they still convinced us. Whether this will be the case in the long term remains to be seen, of course.

As said: The flooring does not have to last 100 years, since it is for the children's room, bedroom, and study.

Especially in the former, the quality of the floor is initially not a concern for the 0-5 year old residents. It should simply be low in harmful substances (according to Warentest, unlike vinyl according to Ökotest) and not cost a fortune, as damage is inevitable. If the floor is worn out in 20 years, something else will be installed. It would be a shame to have parquet.

Or does anyone have another idea, also considering the underfloor heating? Tiles are not an option, my wife objects to that.

I never understand the argument with parquet that it would be a "shame" to cover it up. It gets sealed, then it is extremely durable; in my opinion, you won’t find that much hardness/resistance in any other floor.

The higher price results from the fact that depending on the thickness of the wood layer, you can sand the floor multiple times (!!) and thus achieve a lifespan of several decades (!). Even high-quality laminate can’t compare to that.

Alternatives:

In the kids' rooms, we have low-pile carpets that were laid with an underlay usually used as a base for concrete stairs. This way, the carpet surface is short and dense but has the damping and impact sound properties of a deeper carpet. However, it’s not cheap; the underlay alone costs about €10/m².

In the attic, we have a floor made of OSB boards (at least 3 cm thick, if I recall correctly), sealed with a special lacquer. The lacquer is clear, so the appearance of the OSB boards is fully visible. The floor is so hard that you can roll around on it with swivel chairs without protection. The kids sit and play on it, no problem, and of course, you can also put play rugs or similar on it.

Such a floor costs about €15/m² including lacquer, is glued and screwed down on a subfloor, and can be resealed or sanded again and again like parquet.

It also looks pretty cool because everyone recognizes that it is "just" OSB material, but combined with the hard clear lacquer, it is immediately perceived as intentional and unusual. If you get tired of the look, you can simply glue a carpet over it or apply lacquer in another color.

Best regards
Dirk Grafe

I never understand the argument about parquet that it's a "shame" to replace it. It's sealed, so it's enormously durable; in my opinion, you won't find that level of hardness/resistance in any other flooring.

I have had different experiences. Especially with pets (dogs), I have observed that parquet lasts less long than people here say. When I calculate the costs for sanding and sealing over the years (especially if you have it done!), I can also install new laminate many times. The effort for that is not higher than sanding and sealing everything, but you get something completely new and can, for example, even change the appearance. However, I think the idea of sealing OSB is good.