LESLIE: Russell in Ohio is next up on The Money Pit. How can we help you?
RUSSELL: Hi, part of my house is converted from a garage.
LESLIE: OK.
RUSSELL: And I believe it’s just carpet over the concrete right now.
TOM: OK.
RUSSELL: And I’m wondering what would be a good solution to put down over that concrete for like a different floor to maybe insulate a little bit but not so thick that I have to change my door heights and what not.
TOM: I think laminate floor would be a great solution.
LESLIE: Yeah, laminate floor is a really nice solution and it comes in so many varieties of styles from a hardwood look to even a tile look. And they go in any room where you have a high moisture situation. So they’re great for a room just like the garage and they can go straight over the concrete flooring.
RUSSELL: Now, a laminate. Is that like the roll type or is that like the squares?
LESLIE: No, no, no, no, no. A laminate can be – a laminate, is it made from a plastic, Tom? Is that how they make it?
TOM: Yeah, it’s like a – it’s like a laminate countertop except it’s a lot tougher. It’s about 20 times more durable than the kind of laminate used for countertops. And it comes in a tile that has an interlocking edge on it so you basically can snap it together. Actually I shouldn’t say just a tile. It does come in strips as well, depending on what kind of flooring you want. But it’s a great application for putting it on top of concrete which can be a damp surface because it’s totally structurally stable.
RUSSELL: Oh, OK. So not like – so Pergo wouldn’t work over that?
TOM: Well, that is – Pergo is laminate floor.
LESLIE: Pergo is a laminate.
RUSSELL: Oh, OK.
TOM: That’s a brand of laminate.
LESLIE: But if you’re looking for more options I would say check out Armstrong.com. Because they’re a flooring company that offers a huge selection of laminate floorings; anything from all different types of wood to a slate to a brick look. So there’s a lot of options and they range in prices from, say, $4 go $11 per square. So the prices are fantastic. So there’s a lot of great options and that’s a good place to start.
TOM: And they also have an insulating underlayment that goes under that floor as well.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm. Some of them – some of them have a rollout sort of subflooring that might go on there; like an underlayment. And others of them have the underlayment directly on the back of the piece. So depending on what you choose make sure you have the right underlayment.
RUSSELL: Excellent. The insulation’s what I was looking for. Thanks a lot, folks.
TOM: Russell, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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