Skip to content
Chamberlin Flooring
Chamberlin Flooring

Call or text the family(715) 954-7833

Call usGet my price

A wood look on a budget

Laminate flooring installation in Somerset, WI

Laminate gives you the look of wood for less, and it stands up well to scratches. Installed properly, over a flat subfloor, it’s a solid floor for bedrooms and living spaces.

Price new floors(715) 954-7833
Two Chamberlin Flooring installers fitting plank flooring by hand
Fitting plank by hand

The short answer

Laminate flooring is a wood-look plank with a tough printed surface over a fiberboard core. It costs less than hardwood, resists scratches and installs as a floating floor over a prepared subfloor. Chamberlin Flooring installs laminate with the same subfloor prep we give every floor, and every install includes a free storage pod for your furniture.

What will it cost?

See a ballpark for your own floor in about a minute.

Answer four quick questions online. No one comes out unless you book it, and your exact price comes after a free in-home estimate.

Price new floors

Where laminate fits

Laminate is a good choice when:

  • You want a wood look in bedrooms, living rooms or hallways
  • The budget doesn’t stretch to hardwood
  • Scratch resistance matters more than being able to refinish later
  • The room stays dry

Where we’d steer you to something else

  • Bathrooms, laundry rooms and damp basements: vinyl plank handles water better
  • Homes with good hardwood under the carpet: refinishing it may cost less than you think

How we do it

Our process, step by step

  1. We measure and check the subfloor

    At the free estimate we measure and look at what the laminate will sit on.

  2. The pod shows up

    Your free storage pod is delivered so furniture can come out of the rooms.

  3. Old floor out, subfloor flat

    If there’s an old floor, we tear it out and haul it away, then get the subfloor flat.

  4. We lay the floor

    Planks go down with staggered seams, the right gap at the walls and clean cuts at doorways.

From our jobs

See more of our work
  • Chamberlin Flooring installers fitting plank flooring in a bedroom
    Us fitting vinyl plank. Laminate goes down the same way.

What to know about laminate

Laminate or vinyl plank?

They look alike and install the same way, so people mix them up. Laminate is a fiberboard core with a printed wood-look layer and a hard wear surface. Vinyl plank is synthetic all the way through.

Laminate tends to feel a little more solid underfoot and resists scratches well. Vinyl plank wins on water. If the room could get wet, we’ll point you to vinyl plank.

Can laminate be refinished?

No. The wood look is a printed layer, so there’s nothing to sand. When laminate wears out, it gets replaced. That’s the trade-off for the lower price, and it’s why we always check for hardwood under old carpet first.

Why the prep matters

Laminate floats over the subfloor and locks together at the edges. If the subfloor isn’t flat, the joints flex every time someone walks across them, and that’s how laminate floors end up with gaps and squeaks.

What affects the price

The laminate you choose, the size of the rooms and how much subfloor prep is needed all affect the price. Removing an old floor adds to it.

For a ballpark, answer four quick questions in our instant estimate. It shows hardwood, vinyl plank and laminate side by side.

Hardwood, vinyl plank and laminate compared

All three can look like wood. They differ in what they’re made of, how they handle water and what happens when they wear out.

Hardwood, vinyl plank and laminate compared
FeatureHardwoodLuxury vinyl plankLaminate
What it isReal wood, solid or engineeredSynthetic plank with a printed wood lookFiberboard core with a printed wood look
WaterFine with spills that get wiped up; not for wet roomsWaterproofFine with spills that get wiped up; the core can swell
Can it be refinished?Yes. Solid hardwood several timesNoNo
Best roomsLiving areas, bedrooms, kitchens, stairsKitchens, bathrooms, basements, mudroomsBedrooms, living rooms, hallways
When it wears outRecoat it or sand and refinish itReplace itReplace it
CostHighestLowerLower

Laminate: common questions

Have one we didn’t cover? Call (715) 954-7833.

What is the difference between laminate and vinyl plank flooring?

Laminate has a high-density fiberboard core with a wood-look layer on top. Vinyl plank is made from synthetic material and is waterproof. Laminate suits dry rooms; vinyl plank is better where water is a risk.

Is laminate flooring waterproof?

Not fully. The surface handles spills that are wiped up, but the fiberboard core can swell if water gets into the seams. For bathrooms, laundry rooms and basements we recommend vinyl plank.

Can laminate flooring be refinished?

No. Laminate’s wood look is a printed layer, so it can’t be sanded and refinished like hardwood. When it wears out, it’s replaced.

What happens to my furniture during installation?

Every new floor installation includes a free storage pod delivered to your home. Furniture goes in the pod while we work and comes back out when the floor is done.

Related services

Where we offer laminate flooring installation

Anywhere within about 50 miles of Somerset, WI, on both sides of the St. Croix River. See the full service area.

See what your floors would cost.

Four quick questions. No one comes out unless you book it.

Get my price(715) 954-7833