The Pergo Plague
I like Pergo (laminate floors), I have used it in my home, some of my best friends use Pergo, but…
I look at 15-30 homes per week, and I am getting sick of seeing Pergo. Sure, it has it’s place, but when a buyer is paying over a million dollars for a home they shouldn’t have to settle for “simulated” wood floors.
The newer laminates look surprisingly good, and at first glance might seem like the real thing. At least until you walk on it. The tell-tale hollow sound and spongy feel always gives it away.
As a Realtor my other concern is that laminates are really good at hiding all sorts of otherwise scary stuff. Cracks, critters, and our old friend mold. Frank Lloyd Wright said he was jealous of Doctors because they could bury their mistakes, but all Architects can do is suggest their Clients plant ivy. Pergo is the modern equivalent of ivy.
If you ask someone if the floor is real solid wood you need to be very precise. Many of the new snap-together floors are made with a man-made sub-straight and a thin veneer of real hardwood. The surface is real hardwood, but too thin to sand and refinish more than once. I find that many Realtors give incorrect information because they really don’t know the difference.
The picture below is the real wood floor at a listing I had in Concord.
The homes in this area were all built in the mid 1950s and have real hardwood floors (usually oak). Even after 50 years we were able to sand, repair,and refinish the oak floors. It looks and feels great.
Easy to clean, repairable, long-lasting. Imagine what a 50 year old laminate floor would look like!
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