# Forum Home Renovation Flooring  Floating floor boards- long term opinions

## Avalon

Hi, I'm new to the site and new to renovating :Biggrin:  
I am think about putting down floating floor boards in an upcoming reno... but... I am concerned about the long term wear and tear of the product. Especailly since the house is likely to become a rental in the next 3-5 years, and every sales person I go to has a different opinion on how many times these boards can be sanded. What are people's long term experience with floating floor boards.. how do stack up 10 years down the track?  
I'm most like to use Big River's Armourtread Spotted Gum on a concrete subfloor, if I don't chicken out and go for tiles instead :Redface: .  
Cheers!

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## plasteredagain

hi, have you thought of putting down a good quality laminate flooring, i,ve got staind and varnished floor boards in my livingroom and they scratch really easy,and laminate in kitchen and hall which looks as good as the day that i layed it 8 years ago, and with laminate its easy to lift and replace again if needed,

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## glock40sw

Stick with real timber flooring that can be re-sanded up to 4 times over its lifespan. 
Laminate flooring is crap. Short & sweet

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## Avalon

glock40sw- "Stick with real timber flooring that can be re-sanded up to 4 times over its lifespan."  
Thanks for the response. I assume when you say 'real timber flooring' it is just that... the glued or nailed down, 13mm or 19mm whole timber boards? I only ask because 4 sands seems like a lot for the veneer stuff, especially with some sales people saying I'll need a skilled sander to get even 2 refinshes out of the product!?! -Cheers :Biggrin:

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## plasteredagain

> Stick with real timber flooring that can be re-sanded up to 4 times over its lifespan. 
> Laminate flooring is crap. Short & sweet

   perfect for a rental though

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## glock40sw

For a rental, solid timber is the best. when the tennant moves out and the floor looks like crap, you get it resanded and the new tennant moves in and loves the look of the "new" timber floor. Of course you charge a premium rent due to the timber floor.  
If it were a floater that was stuffed, you would have to rip the whole thing up and install a new floater.

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## Gaza

> glock40sw- "Stick with real timber flooring that can be re-sanded up to 4 times over its lifespan."  
> Thanks for the response. I assume when you say 'real timber flooring' it is just that... the glued or nailed down, 13mm or 19mm whole timber boards? I only ask because 4 sands seems like a lot for the veneer stuff, especially with some sales people saying I'll need a skilled sander to get even 2 refinshes out of the product!?! -Cheers

  you will only get one resand out of a floater but will get 10+ buff and coats which would remove any scratches. 
this envloves using the polyvac with a blue pad then applying two coats of new finsh.

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## Avalon

Thanks Gaza. It is all starting to make a lot more sense now!

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## dazzler

If shes a rental then you want the toughest stuff available.

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## Pulse

laminates are tougher and cheaper than timber,
just compare the wear of a timber benchtop after 15 years compared to a laminate benchtop. I'd rather not have to resand after each tenant.. easier to replace it in 15 years I think. 
commercial grade with a 15 year warranty.. how can you complain? 
Timber is great for it natural appeal.. . for your own house though 
Cheers
Pulse

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## LetsGo

We put laminated wood effect flooring into our rental kitchen when it (the kitchen) was redone 4 years ago. 
It has not required ANY sanding, repair, etc and still looks great.  Our place rents mostly to university student groups and you cannot tell that a bunch of fridges have been moved in and out of the fridge space.  It cleans with a mop, doesn't dent and I dont need to have a floor sanders phone number in my phone. 
The cost was MUCH less, it was done quickly and relatively easily and we do not fret about how the floor is being treated.  When renting the place out people always comment on how good it looks and the overwhelming majority of potential tenants assume its real wood. 
We put timber flooring down in our home - love it but would never put it in a rental. 
hope this helps!

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## Avalon

Thanks, everyone for the input. You confirmed my thoughts about timber flooring. If I knew I would live in the place for 10yrs I'd use it, but not for a rental. I'm going with ceramic tiles instead. Cheers  :Biggrin:

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