Coming into the talk a little late but I have laid some of all the above before and lived with each numerous years after. I’m not an installer just a DIY homeowner like yourself.
Having done full soft and hard wood and refinished a few floors, when laminate came out I had a house that the floors were beyond repair and thought I would give the plastic a try. I used Formica brand knowing how tough the counter tops were and the color and texture we wanted they had. The Formica product back then was just tongue and groove and was installed as a floating floor but had to be glued. The glue was a Formica product also but was basic yellow glue as far as I could tell. Each strip was glued and then wedged in place and the glue came out the top and was wiped off. The cracks were totally invisible unlike the snap together stuff now.
The store told me that with gluing the floor was waterproof except at the edges. That floor has been down 20 years with dogs and cleaning and lots of spills and still looks like the day I laid it.
A few years later they started selling the snap together stuff and I asked about it at the same place and was told no glue required except if you want it water tight then you can glue it. I don’t know if they still say that or not.
IMHO I think it boils down to the look you want and if the product gives you that. Secondly is cost if you can afford it.
I see a lot of really cheap laminate being sold and I wouldn’t use that except maybe in a low traffic area like a bedroom maybe. It looks great but I don’t think the quality is the same as a better product.
Myself if I was planning this to be a rental in a few years I would look at the most durable products.
Having done full soft and hard wood and refinished a few floors, when laminate came out I had a house that the floors were beyond repair and thought I would give the plastic a try. I used Formica brand knowing how tough the counter tops were and the color and texture we wanted they had. The Formica product back then was just tongue and groove and was installed as a floating floor but had to be glued. The glue was a Formica product also but was basic yellow glue as far as I could tell. Each strip was glued and then wedged in place and the glue came out the top and was wiped off. The cracks were totally invisible unlike the snap together stuff now.
The store told me that with gluing the floor was waterproof except at the edges. That floor has been down 20 years with dogs and cleaning and lots of spills and still looks like the day I laid it.
A few years later they started selling the snap together stuff and I asked about it at the same place and was told no glue required except if you want it water tight then you can glue it. I don’t know if they still say that or not.
IMHO I think it boils down to the look you want and if the product gives you that. Secondly is cost if you can afford it.
I see a lot of really cheap laminate being sold and I wouldn’t use that except maybe in a low traffic area like a bedroom maybe. It looks great but I don’t think the quality is the same as a better product.
Myself if I was planning this to be a rental in a few years I would look at the most durable products.