Laminate Flooring, Water Resistant and Standard Boards

• Water resistant laminate: the bulk of our range. Most of these boards carry a maker's rating for how long surface water can sit before it must be wiped up, from 24 hours up to 120 hours, with Fuzion Nautiq Pro rated 200+ hours. Some lines, such as Toucan and Evergreen, are sold by their makers as waterproof laminate.
• Standard laminate: boards that mostly carry no water rating, from brands including Beaulieu, Amazing, Tosca, Richmond and Power Dekor. A good choice for bedrooms, living rooms and upper floors where spills are rare.

Our advice: if the room has a kitchen sink, an entry door or a dog bowl, choose water resistant. Otherwise standard laminate is fine.

• AC rating: the abrasion class. Most of our laminate is AC4, which handles busy family homes. AC5 lines from NAF, 1867, Fuzion, Impressive and Artfloor, and AC6 boards from Grandeur, are rated for heavier traffic. AC3 suits bedrooms.
• Thickness: 8 mm, 10 mm, 12 mm and 14 mm. 12 mm is the most common board we carry; it feels more solid and sounds less hollow than 8 mm. 14 mm boards come from NAF, Evergreen, Kronoswiss and Beaulieu.
• Width and length: up to 10 inches wide on Grandeur boards, and lengths up to 89 inches on Fuzion Nautiq Pro. Wide, long boards read more like real wood plank.
• Texture and edge: embossed and embossed in register (EIR) surfaces, where the texture follows the printed grain, plus micro bevel or painted bevel edges that define each board.
• Attached pad: some boards come with an underpad attached; for the rest, choose a laminate underlay to suit the subfloor.
• Origin and certification: boards made in Germany (1867, Canadian Standard), Switzerland (Kronoswiss, 1867) and Spain (Grandeur), and most carry FloorScore or CARB2 indoor air certification.

Laminate floats over the subfloor. The boards that list a grade rating are approved on, above or below grade, so a basement over a proper vapour barrier is possible, and many boards are approved over hydronic (water) radiant heat. Check each board's warranty for heat type: several makers approve water-based systems only.

Rooms we would avoid: full bathrooms with standing water, laundry rooms prone to leaks and any room where water could sit unseen for days. For those rooms, look at vinyl plank flooring or porcelain tile. Laminate also needs a flat subfloor; we check that before quoting.

• Toucan: TF66, TF80, TF81 and TF83, AC4 boards sold by Toucan as waterproof with hour ratings on each line, plus TF6 EIR.
• Beaulieu: Gallo and Atomic in 8 mm, Maven and Conquest in 12 mm, and Littora in 14 mm.
• Fuzion: Waterfront, Fuzguard, Nautiq Pro and Seabreeze, mostly 12 mm, in AC4 and AC5.
• Canadian Standard: Egger Pro, Egger Aqua+, Lamdura Inspirations (including pad attached boards) and Drywise Elemental.
• 1867: Concerto Edge and the Authentic lines (Horizon, Advanced, Intuition and H2Organic), from AC3 to AC5.
• Richmond: Dovedale, AquaSure Chic, Accord Premium and Accord Select.
• NAF: AC5 boards in 12 mm and 14 mm, including Waterproof Pro, rated 72 hours.
• Next Floor: Water's Edge, Brookside, Regatta and Catamaran.
• Also on display: Evergreen (10, 12 and 14 mm), Kronoswiss, Lee, Grandeur Aquamate, Amazing, Tosca, Power Dekor and Golden Choice.

Our in-house crews install laminate across Ontario, with the trims, stair nosings and underlay to match, and our installations carry a one year workmanship warranty. We deliver anywhere in Canada, to your door or to the nearest transport company terminal. For nearby store pages, see laminate flooring in Mississauga and laminate flooring in Barrie, or read vinyl vs laminate flooring before you decide.

Bring your room sizes and a photo of the space to either store and we will work out the boxes you need, including the extra for cuts.

Mississauga: 700 Dundas St E, Unit 3-4, 905-277-2227.
Barrie: 112 Saunders Rd, Units 1-4, 705-726-2272.