Laminate in Sherwood, OR

Usually. Subdivision homes from that era were built on flat, square subfloors, and builder-grade carpet wearing out on schedule is not a sign of anything worse. We still lift a corner and look before quoting, but on a house that age the honest answer is often that it is a straightforward replacement and the budget belongs in the material.

Yes, and plenty of people do. The thing to plan for is transitions — doing it in stages means deciding now what the finished floor height will be everywhere, so the rooms still meet cleanly when you get to the last one. We will map that out with you at the estimate.

Neither, they are good at different things. Laminate has a harder wear surface and usually looks better for the money, so it wins in living rooms, bedrooms and hallways. LVP handles water, so it wins in kitchens, bathrooms, entries and laundries. Running both in one house, with a planned transition, is a common and sensible answer.

We would rather it did not. Kitchens have dishwashers, fridges with water lines and sinks, and the failure mode for a wood-cored floor is a leak that runs for a week behind a cabinet. Water-resistant laminates have improved a lot, but the honest recommendation for a kitchen is LVP or tile.

Almost always because it is floating over a subfloor that was not flattened, or over a missing or unsuitable underlayment. The plank is bridging a dip and drumming against the void underneath. Fix the subfloor and the sound goes away. It is a preparation issue rather than something inherent to the product.

Yes, with the right preparation. Concrete releases moisture, so the slab is tested first and a suitable vapour barrier goes down before the underlayment. Skipping that step is how a floating floor over a slab ends up cupping a year later, so it is not something we treat as optional.