Our family cabin was built in the year 2000 and not one update has been done to it since. We decided recently that twenty years is plenty long enough and we are ready for a change! Our cabin is not only used as our family getaway, but we also rent it on Airbnb. We wanted a durable flooring that will withstand a lot of foot-traffic and is also easy to maintain. We teamed up with Select Surfaces to totally transform our outdated cabin using their Heritage Oak Laminate.
Check out this before and after!
BEFORE
AFTER
First, it was out with the old! Our cabin was a mix of carpet and vinyl and it wasn't exactly the easiest to keep clean. We pulled up the carpet, then started ripping up the vinyl (which was originally put in before the cabinets) so we had quite a bit of cutting to do to remove it. Next, we removed the baseboards and made sure all of the staples were out of the floor.
After the old flooring was removed and subfloors were swept, we started to install our new Heritage Oak Select Surfaces laminate flooring, which is available at Sam's Club.
We chose this floor for a few reasons:
1. This particular laminate is extremely quick and easy to install thanks to the advanced Speedloc™ installation system and pre-attached foam backer. We are handy, but we've never taken on the task of installing a laminate floor. We were sold on the fact that this floor wouldn’t be difficult to install!
2. The texture and color is exactly what we were looking for. I have made the mistake of buying a laminate floor that had zero texture and because of this it was extremely slippery. The Heritage Oak laminate floors have a gorgeous caramel tone with just enough texture so you're not sliding all over the place when you have socks on.
3. The SpillDefense technology played a huge factor in why we chose this flooring. The laminate is water resistant for 24 hours and can withstand plenty of household accidents. With people constantly in and out of the cabin, we needed a flooring that was durable.
When I say this flooring was easy to install, I MEAN IT! I've never installed laminate flooring before and after about two rows, I felt like an expert. You line it up in the groves on a slight angle (making sure it is tight) and pop it down. THAT'S IT! We moved pretty quickly in open areas. If you have an empty room, I imagine this would be a breeze.
The only problem we ran into was around the stone where our wood burner sits. The cuts were a bit unusual to get the laminate boards to fit around the raw stone edge, but once we got passed it we were flying once again.
I love that the foam backer is attached so there's no extra work involved. The boards were easy to cut and even easier to install. They lock in for a nice tight fit. As a beginner, I don't think I could've found an easier product to use and highly recommend Select Surfaces.