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AquaGuard Laminate Flooring Reviews

AquaGuard Laminate Flooring Reviews

by Dylan Johnson

What’s so special about AquaGuard laminate flooring? You probably have thought about installing laminate floor at home, but you want a quality one and the look that mimics the real stuff just perfectly.

The laminate floor from AquaGuard can be a superb candidate. They have smooth and perfect look with several different textures and finishes.

Here’s more depth and details about the brand so you can decide whether it is going to be the perfect flooring for you or not.

About AquaGuard Floors

AquaGuard laminate flooring is exclusively sold online you can find them at Floor&Décor.

They have a pretty large collection on their own. And most of their collections are distinguished by the finish such as smooth, handscraped, textured, and others.

In terms of price, the laminate cost is sold between $2.69 and $3.99 for a square foot.

There are reviews about the features, cost, warranties, and category. And there is also comparison with other brands, such as Shaw, TrafficMaster, Tarkett, Armstrong, and Mohawk.

The General Overview

We are going to talk about a brief summary of AquaGuard laminate flooring, especially in terms of features and costs.

  • The Authentic Texture (EIR) line has traditional look with 15 years and lifetime warranty. The price is set between $2.69 and $3.79 a square foot. The floor has 12mm of thickness.
  • The Standard Texture line has various look with 15 years and lifetime warranty. The price is set between $2.69 and $3.29 a square foot. The floor has 12mm of thickness.
  • The High Gloss line has various look with 15 years and lifetime warranty. The price is set between $2.79 and $2.99 a square foot. The floor has 12mm of thickness.
  • The Handscraped line has old world look with 15 years and lifetime warranty. The price is set between $2.79 and $3.99 a square foot. The floor has 12mm of thickness.
  • The Smooth line has contemporary look with 15 years and lifetime warranty. The price is set between $2.79 and $3.29 a square foot. The floor has 12mm of thickness.

Keep in mind that the prices mentioned here are only for the floor. You may have to deal with extra costs that include molding, transition strips, underlayment, and others.

Those extra supplies would add around $0.50 to $1 a square foot to the cost of the project. And if you are thinking about hiring a professional installer, there would be extra cost. It is between $1.75 and $2.50 a square foot.

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The Laminate Reviews

The specialty of AquaGuard laminate flooring is the double coat layer of each plank. It creates a waterproof floor at least for 30 hours. In most cases, the waterproof laminate warranty is ‘only’ for 24 hours.

This makes AquaGuard special and sturdy. You won’t have to worry about the quality of the floor, provided that you care for it well.

  • Authentic Texture Floor

This line is also known as the EIR or Embossed in Register line because of the finish. The form or construction is made from true and real wood planks with (prominent) wood grain. It’s the molds that pick the grain.

There are also other brands using the same EIR technology, like Mohawk, Armstrong, and Shaw.

When the manufacturers create the planks, these planks have the same textures like the authentic (hardwood) planks, which not only you can see, but you can also feel.

This line dominates the biggest part of AquaGuard line. You should be able to find 40 different styles and also colors with various quality levels.

The prices would range from $2.69 to around $3.79 a square foot. The thickness is 12mm and it has AC5 for the wear rating. This is considered the highest rating in laminate flooring world.

The warranty itself is quite impressive with residential lifetime warranty and commercial 15 year warranty.

Here is the further breakdown for the line:

  • Styles. This would be a perfect floor if you prefer traditional look with full and rich texture. There are also options for worn wood or distressed look too.
  • Colors. It covers entire spectrum, including Light, Gray, Medium, and Dark.
  • Wood species. The line is dominated by Oak, but there are options of Ashwood, Hickory, Maple, and Birch. Many of the colors don’t really have specific (wood) species name
  • Gloss. Although matte finishes are the common one, there are also semi-gloss and satin finishes
  • Plank width. It starts from around 5 inches. The widest one is more than 9 inches. In general, the width is from 6 inches to 8 inches. The variety gives you various look, from traditional (the wide planks) to the contemporary type (the thinner ones). The company also makes multi-length and random-width styles with the planks. It is meant to create different visual effect when compared to the floor having the same length and width of the planks.
  • Best used. This floor is perfect for either traditional or contemporary look. Although this line has several Old World, country, or rustic designs, you will find them more within the Handscraped line.

This is the floor good for big homes with active and busy households. If there is often spill and splash of water, the laminate won’t be fussy about it.

Feel free to damp-mop it without any concern. Due to the AC5 rating, the floor is also perfect for commercial environments, such as hotel guest rooms (or common areas), restaurants, schools, offices, and retail establishments.

  • Standard Texture Floor

When compared to the previous EIR line, this one has lighter texture. However, it is still more than enough to deliver genuine wood-look-alike floor for the setting.

The style is combining neat, traditional, and clean wood appearance with those with more ‘personalities’ or character.

You should expect mineral staining within the weathered appearance, knots, and wood as well as the reclaimed wood look.

Half of this line is Oak, while the remaining consists of different wood species (and also colors). Some of the styles have mixed width (of the plank) to create appealing visual.

Just like the previous line, the planks have 12mm of thickness with AC5 rating. The warranty is also the same.

This floor is best used for balancing out the overall décor and look of the house. If you want a striking effect for the floor, the EIR would be the best pick.

But if you want something that is more calming and more harmonious to the overall effect, then this Standard Texture would be the perfect pick.

This floor is durable enough to deal with foot traffic in commercial buildings or busy and active homes.

  • High Gloss Floor

Although the high gloss floor is somewhat sparkling, it easily shows imperfections much easier than the floors with satin or matte finishes.

If you install the floor at home, be ready to see dirt, wear, scratches, or water spots here and there.

And you may also want to be careful about the floor because the gloss is responsible for the slippery feel of the floor.

This line of AquaGuard laminate flooring comes with 10 different styles all of which are highly attractive and beautiful.

The collection consists of a good and balanced mixture of warm, neutral, and cool colors in all shades.

For instance, St. Lucia Oak is basically a gray-brown neutral. Ivory is the washed white cool while Catalina is the warm honey-brown. There are also dark tones in this line.

When it comes to specs, it is relatively the same as the previous ones. It has 12mm of thickness with AC5 rating.

The warranty is commercial 15-year warranty and residential lifetime warranty. The edges are completely and thoroughly sealed for 30-hour protection against pet accidents and water damage.

Because of the gloss finish that will show imperfections easily, the floor isn’t recommended for heavy foot areas, such as hallways, entryways, or others.

However, the floor itself looks beautiful and it won’t scratch or damage in areas where you don’t typically wear shoes, such as the gym or yoga spots.

Keep in mind that the glossy finish requires you to clean up the floor often. It means that you need to sweep it regularly (more often, in fact!) and you should invest yourself in good cleaner that won’t leave any water streaks.

  • Handscraped Floor

This type of AquaGuard laminate flooring line has this gorgeous and beautiful Old World effect.

It reminds you of the past time when each of the planks was made manually (by hand) to reach the right thickness. The handscraped effect is helpful to expose the wood grain’s richness and details.

This line comes with various pricing levels, starting from $2.69 a square foot to the most expensive one with $3.99 a square foot.

The most expensive type has 3 plank length as well as 3 plank width for better aesthetic appeal and the real look of Old World floor.

The available colors are mostly browns and medium grays, while the neutral picks include Estate Oak Greige and Latte Walnut.

There are also warmer colors, such as Estate Oak Cocoa and Cerise (with the ruddy highlights).

The floor is best used in spots with Old World, vintage, or classic vibe. It is just perfect for cabins (in the woods) or vacation homes. It is also perfect for man caves, workshops, and cabins by the water.

  • Smooth Floor

This AquaGuard laminate flooring line doesn’t have any texturing. The collection is small, comprising of tile-look and wood-look variants. The colors are medium-dark brown with quite warm effect.

The smooth surface delivers modern or contemporary style. Each of the tile styles would display colorful tile design collections rather than the uniformed effect.

And as for the specs, they are basically the same as the others 12mm, AC5, and others

This line would be best used in laundry rooms, entryways, basements, and bathrooms. It is also perfect for commercial and residential settings with eclectic, contemporary, and modern vibes.

AquaGuard Laminate Floor Special Features

When it comes to features, it is worth comparing AquaGuard laminate flooring with other brands.

  • Waterproof quality. When it comes to waterproof feature, AquaGuard definitely has the best one. Not only the top surface, but also all of the edges are covered with protective layer. With double coating sealer, moisture won’t be able to seep into the inner part of the floor. It’s no wonder if the waterproof quality is up to 30 hours which is better when compared to the 24 hours of Pergo WetProtect, Harmonics SplashDefense, Mohawk RevWood Plus, or Shaw Repel.
  • Solid warranty. Although some brands do offer a lifetime warranty, few also offer commercial 15-year warranty. Not to mention that the company has Pet Warranty for stains.

AquaGuard Laminate Flooring Pros and Cons

On the positive notes, there are some things to like about this AquaGuard laminate flooring:

  • It is a high-quality floor. With AC5 rating and impressive water resistant feature, it is definitely one of the sturdiest
  • The collections have various styles (handscraped, EIR, gloss, etc) and all of them have good options and picks
  • The warranty is superb, covering both residential and commercial use together

On the other hand, the floor has several downsides on its own:

  • The price is quite high. This is actually logical because of the premium quality. If you want to find affordable products, then you should check other brands. For a less expensive laminate, you have Tarkett (the low cost type at Menards), Armstrong laminate, or TrafficMaster.
  • You can only find the floor online. If you are the type of homeowner who need to check tons of samples, this one won’t be the best pick.

Professional Installer

If you want to find qualified (and honest) installer for AquaGuard laminate flooring installation, there is an estimate tool online and it is free. Within 24 hours, you can get 3 local bids, minimum.

The tool is created because of the overpaid installation or the difficulty to find local installers.

Why 3 bids, you may ask?

It enables you to do comparison in a balanced mode, so you know which one to choose without being ripped out.

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Common FAQs AquaGuard Laminate Flooring Reviews

Is AquaGuard laminate floor water resistant or waterproof?

It is water resistant because there is no floor that can be 100% waterproof. However, you can enjoy 30 hours of water resistance perk from AquaGuard floor.

Should I use an underlayment with AquaGuard laminate floor?

Yes. Feel free to choose whatever you like although the company suggests Eco Ultra.

Can I install AquaGuard floor for the walls?

Most of the styles can be used on the wall too, but you may want to check further into each style.

Is it okay to steam mop AquaGuard floor?

Although steam mop isn’t exactly advisable, you can still use a residential (steam) mop with the LOWEST setting. And the mop should be moving most of the time, not resting in a spot.

Do I need to acclimate AquaGuard laminate flooring? For how long?

AquaGuard floor doesn’t need any acclimation.

What is the square feet of installation can I make without floor break up for transitions?

It can cover 4,300 square feet without having to use transitional moldings unless you want to transition into another flooring style.

Is it okay to use AquaGuard in high foot traffic areas?

The floor handles daily tear and wear quite well. However, there are better options and alternatives for commercial application, especially for heavy foot traffic.

Is AquaGuard safe? Does it produce VOC?

The floor has UL Greenguard Certified

What sizes are offered by AquaGuard?

It depends on the design and style you want, really. In general, the products have boards from 3 inches wide to 8 inches with various lengths. But all of them come with 12mm of thickness.

What’s AquaGuard abrasion classification?

The laminate floor comes with AC5 rating

Does AquaGuard have micro-beveled edge for their laminate flooring?

Yes, they do but not many. Most of their collections have beveled edge, but there are some with pressed edges as well as the straight edges collection.

Those are the overall facts about AquaGuard laminate floor. As you can see, aside from the top-notch quality and performance, the brand comes with various collections and lines.

You will never run out of options!

If you want to install AquaGuard laminate flooring, make sure that you make a thorough research about the floor so you won’t regret things after the purchase and the installation.