Laminate Flooring

We're going to replace the flooring in the addition to our home that was built in 1997.  It's an open kitchen/living room.  The living room area is carpeted and the kitchen has vinyl flooring.  The carpet is really bad.  It's old and stained from kids and the big beast dog and everyday life.  We're going to do the whole thing along with the mud room in laminate flooring AKA fake wood.  It can stand up to the farm boys coming in with their dirty boots and the dog can puke on it and it can be thoroughly cleaned up.  The vinyl flooring in the kitchen was top of the line when we put it in but even top of the line doesn't last forever.  It is harder to get it clean these days.  It used to clean up just like new even when it was really dirty with just a swipe of the mop but not anymore.  (Believe me, it could get really really dirty!)

When we first started talking about this, I thought it would be rather easy to go pick it out.  Well, I was quick to realize that this was going to be anything but easy!  There are sooooooooo many choices and it is so overwhelming.  When I started looking at the displays and realized that there were so many I almost said forget it; we've lived with gross carpet this long and we're just fine!   I brought some samples home.  I've been there twice looking at it and have brought samples home both times.  I'm narrowing it down.  I realized that I tend to like the darker shades better.  I also like the styles that look like older floors.  I tend to like hickory patterns the best.  We have a builder lined up to install it.  It's a man who has done work for the farm.

Laminate floor samples

This is a bunch of samples.  I have more than this.  So many different choices.
Narrowing it down a bit:

Finalists

These are a few that I really like.  I'm really leaning toward this one:

Pergo Max Handscraped Richland Hickory

I've actually found a couple of blogs of people who put this in their homes and have posted pictures of it.  It looks good.  

In other things, it seems that I now have a cold.  I am so over winter already.  I ran three extremely slow miles today.  I was planning on going to the group run tomorrow morning but then I remembered that my daughter wants to go to an event for the Humane Society, Paws and Claws.

It's bed time for me.  Hopefully, sleeping in instead of getting up early and going running in the 3 - 5 degree (feels like -5 to -8) temps that are on the current forecast for the time I would be running in the morning will help my cold to go away faster. 

Runner Nerd
has to pick out a floor