What is the best laminate flooring? Which ones should be avoided?
We’ve got the answers in this guide to the best laminate brands and ones that aren’t worth the money – unless cheap laminate is exactly what you want.
Let’s get started. Our list of best laminate brands are:
Mohawk, Pergo, Shaw, Armstrong, AquaGuard, Dream Home, Tarkett at Menards, Select Surfaces.
Each of these laminate brands fills a niche. They’re not strictly equal.
There are also two brands we recommend you avoid, and those details are discussed below.
Let’s get started.
Best Overall: Mohawk & Pergo Laminate
Mohawk’s RevWood Plus - Sawmill Ridge
Are they tied? Yes, but there’s more to the connection. Mohawk and Pergo share identical technology at their core.
Pergo was the original laminate flooring, introduced to the world in 1979. Mohawk acquired Pergo in 2013. Mohawk borrowed Pergo’s fantastic design, and its used on both brands now.
Why Mohawk and Pergo are the Best Laminate
Here are the top reasons for selecting Pergo and Mohawk as best laminate.
Quality Construction: Everyone makes attractive laminate. But does it look good 5 years after installation? Are the boards coming apart or cracking?
These brands will keep their good looks, at least their midgrade and premium lines. Why? It’s that core technology mentioned above:
Almost all of the flooring has an AC4 rating for scratches and wear, which means it is suitable for residential and light commercial use.
Dependable Water-resistance: The construction allows you to wet mop your Mohawk or Pergo flooring without fear of damage. Use it in the kitchen or bathroom or basement. It will be OK.
Large and Varied Selection: Mohawk has nearly 150 laminate options in smooth and textured varieties.
The Pergo selection isn’t as large, but it is more diverse with laminate in handscraped, textured, smooth and “natural authentic” lines. Natural Authentic is an enhanced texturing that really gives the flooring a true-wood look.
Matte, Satin and Semi-gloss finishes give you the right amount of sheen for your needs.
How sheen matters – Do you sweep your floors often? Then bring out the woodgrain beauty with a semi-gloss. Do you prefer a flooring that hides dirt a little better in a busy household? Then choose a matte or satin finish.
Solid Warranties: Not the best in the business, but better than average. Many of their flooring options have lifetime residential and 10-year commercial warranties.
Reasonably Green: No laminate is perfect, since recycling it is difficult. Most laminate ends up in a landfill. However, these brands are GreenGuard certified for low-VOCs and CARB2 for low/no formaldehyde emissions.
They should not cause problems for household members with allergies or breathing issues including close-to-the-floor pets.
Ratings: We gave Pergo a 4.25 rating and Mohawk a 4 rating out of 5.
Would you like to learn more about these brands?
See our Mohawk Buying Guide or our Pergo Buying Guide for pros, cons, ratings and prices.
Runner Up: Shaw Laminate
Shaw's Pinnacle Port - Baytown Hickory
Here’s a tidbit that tells you something about Shaw. The brand was purchased by Berkshire Hathaway founded by Warren Buffet – and Buffet is a shrewd investor.
The businesses Buffet buys are known for quality and profitability.
Why Shaw is the Runner Up Best Laminate
The Berkshire Hathaway connection is not the main reason Shaw laminate makes our top laminate brands list.
Shaw Repel: This is the industry’s best-selling waterproof laminate flooring. Like most others, it is guaranteed to resist moisture absorption for 24 hours. Only AquaGuard’s 30-hour guarantee is better.
In addition to resisting water damage, Shaw Repel is available in a huge range of options. Shaw lists 9 separate collections of Repel with almost 60 total style/color combinations.
These include the whole spectrum of colors from washed-out and nearly white to rich browns with gray and black highlights. There are multiple “looks” for every style: rustic, traditional, Old World, country, contemporary, modern, eclectic, etc.
Long Boards and Mixed Width Planks: The titles speak for themselves. The long boards are 6.5 feet long, so there are fewer end seams and installation goes faster. This produces a more elegant and expensive look.
The mixed width styles come in 3 widths to give your flooring a varied visual appearance. It’s a very authentic look.
As a bonus, these AC4 rated laminate styles come with a 5-year commercial warranty to go with the 30-year residential warranty.
American Made: Quite a bit of the laminate sold in the US is made overseas. If you’d like to support the home team, then Shaw is a good choice.
Rating: We gave Shaw a 4 out of 5 overall rating. See our Shaw Laminate Buying Guide with pros, cons, prices and more for all the details.
Best Selection: Armstrong Laminate
Armstrong Laminate - Exotic Olive Ash
All the big brands – Mohawk, Shaw, Tarkett, Pergo, etc., have excellent selection. But Armstrong outdoes them all.
Why Armstrong Laminate is the Best Selection
Armstrong has the best laminate selection in two ways – The most style options and options for every budget.
Armstrong Style Options: Authentic wood-look laminate is available from Armstrong in traditional, handscraped and specialty wood options. The options are similar to other major brands.
But that’s not what sets Armstrong apart in terms of selection. This is: The brand’s collection of 20+ stone and tile styles is the best you will find.
Rich stone slab laminate looks like the genuine article – rich granite, limestone, slate, and other looks – but at a 95% savings over real stone.
The Castilian Block and Porto Alegre tile is just as attractive.
Audacity is the Armstrong waterproof laminate flooring. It is backed by a very solid Lifetime residential warranty and 15-year commercial warranty. This is one of the best waterproof laminate floors available.
Armstrong Cost Options: This is the second area where Armstrong has outstanding selection.
Poor-quality laminate starts at less than $1 per square foot – but Armstrong isn’t super cheap.
Armstrong laminate cost is about $1.50 to $4.00+ per square foot, and even the most affordable stuff is decent quality. We call that good value – a pretty good laminate floor for a low cost.
If you want midgrade or premium laminate, Armstrong has options for you there too.
Armstrong Floor Cleaner: If you prefer laminate cleaner formulated with your laminate in mind, then Armstrong laminate spray bottle and refill are ideal.
Rating: We gave Armstrong a 5 out of 5 rating for selection. It’s the only brand with a 5 in this category. The overall Armstrong rating is 4.25.
Our Armstrong Laminate guide with prices, pros and cons has more details about selection and the other factors you’re considering when buying a floor.
Best Waterproof Laminate: AquaGuard Laminate
All the major brands make a waterproof laminate. It’s not waterproof like vinyl sheet flooring is, but it resists being damaged by water for about a day.
Waterproof laminate includes Shaw Repel, Pergo WetProtect, Mohawk RevWood Plus and Harmonics SplashDefense.
But AquaGuard has the best technology, and it is backed with a 30-hour warranty, not the 24-hour warranty the others provide.
Why AquaGuard is the Best Waterproof Laminate
Several other brands have coated edges. AquaGuard planks are coated twice for superior protection against water absorption.
The manufacturer is so confident in AquaGuard’s ability to keep out moisture that it offers a Pet Friendly warranty: “AquaGuard warrants that this laminate flooring will resist permanent staining caused by pet urine (domestic cat or dog) when thoroughly cleaned.” However, that warranty is pretty narrowly defined. You might have a tough time getting a claim honored.
There are other things to like about AquaGuard.
Good Selection: How does 100 options sound? Among the wood-look brands are embossed in register (EIR), textured, handscraped, smooth and high gloss.
And within those styles are a few parquet wood floor looks and two tile-look laminates. That’s impressive!
Strong Warranties: Lifetime residential and 15-year commercial. Also impressive.
AC5 Wear Rating: Most brands on this list make AC4 laminate which is OK for light commercial. You’ll have more confidence installing AquaGuard in a commercial setting than you might with any other brand.
Rating: Our total score for AquaGuard is 4.5 out of 5.
If you’d like to compare