Thread: laminate cold?

About 3 years ago I put a laminate floor down in our kitchen, over the incredibly hideous linoleum that was there when we moved in.

Ever since, in cold weather, the boss, I mean, my wife, has complained that the floor is colder than before. I expected exactly the opposite, since there is a foam padding under it that should insulate at least a little. There is a crawlspace under part of the kitchen, basement under the rest, and a relatively large opening between the two.

Nothing else has changed, including the winters, which if anything, are warmer.
(This is not an invitation to hijack the thread with global warming fights.)

Is she imagining things, or is there something about the laminate that actually does make it feel colder? Anyone else hear about or experience this?

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Originally Posted by John Arnold

Is she imagining things, or is there something about the laminate that actually does make it feel colder? Anyone else hear about or experience this?

I would say "or is there something about the laminate that actually does make it feel colder".

Think of when you install "cool deck" (by all the various names) around swimming pools - because the concrete deck gets hot, real hot, in the sun. The "cool deck" surface is not flat/smooth, it is textured in one of many ways, which allows/causes your feet to not contact the full surface area it would otherwise be contacting, therefore not being "as hot" as on smooth concrete. Also, that texture, it is said, allows water to collect in them, thereby cooling the surface, however, I feel that plays less of a role as even the dry-never-wet cool deck areas are cooler.

Now back to your regular programming ... of laminate "over the incredibly hideous linoleum" ... the laminate is flat/smooth and allows full foot contact whereas most linoleum/vinyl flooring is textured, reducing the contact area.

How far fetched does that sound?

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

...How far fetched does that sound?

Pretty far-fetched, but the wife might buy it! Thanks!

Originally Posted by John Arnold

Pretty far-fetched, but the wife might buy it! Thanks!

Hey, if it works for keeping pool deck cooler, it should be the reverse for (reversing the hot and cold) and keep the laminate cooler too.

John,

JP is mostly correct. The other part has to do with the ability of the material to conduct heat. A piece of metal at 70 degrees is going to feel colder than a piece of wood at 70 degrees. Part of that is the texture and part is the ability of the material to conduct heat. Vinyl conducts heat fairly poorly while plastic conducts better.

FWIW. My wifes feet feel cold to her most of the time. Circulation.

Buy her nice socks.

She keeps complaining, put her out the door.

rick

Your on a roll Rick

Also that little tiny piece of foam is keeping the more constant warmth in the crawl from getting to the top layer. Cold settles in the home and the warmth under the home is not allowed to warm the floor up.

Huh?

Originally Posted by John Arnold

About 3 years ago I put a laminate floor down in our kitchen,

has complained that the floor is colder than before.

Nothing else has changed, including the winters, which if anything, are warmer.

(This is not an invitation to hijack the thread with global warming fights.)

Well all this talk about Global ( whoops.)
* these are Real Cute ( for a Mukluk )*
.