Laminate Flooring and Cleaning? Please Help! :)?

I have laminate flooring and all I do is clean it with a mop with a removable, washable microfiber cloth.. The microfiber cloth really picks up all the dirt and it dries almost instantly. I simply run the cloth under hot water, wring it out and go over the floor. If there are any sticky spots, I give it a small squirt of Windex and wipe it up right away. The other good thing about the microfiber cloth is that it does not put a lot of water on the floor, you have to be very careful because if the joints get wet, they will swell and the floor will be ruined. Always vacuum beforehand to get any dirt up that might scratch the floor when you clean it. The floor is always nice and shiny when it dries, I mop it every day, just give it a quick once over. The wet feet stain might be something that you can not fix. The water may have sat on the floor too long and lifted the finish. Because laminate is like fibreboard with a picture of wood grain then a coating, there is little you can do about the finish once it's gone. The key is proper maintenance Good luck:)

1. Carpet replacement with laminate flooring - Good idea?

Go with real hardwood. For the price of a good laminate and installation you can get a cheaper hardwood and installation. Hardwood will add more value, look better, feel more solid to walk on, have les isuues with a heavy pool table being on it, and wood floors can be refinished in the future

2. I have dark cherry cabinets with black granite countertops. What color of laminate flooring could I use?

You left out the color of your appliances but I would recommend stainless for them then use a deep oak on the floor that will mostly accent the cabinets and also the counters. The cabinets will visually take up more space so you will need so address them first when choosing color. Use a coordinating color on the walls to pull it all together. I've done many a home remodeling project and color choices are many and mostly vary according to taste

3. I found the laminate flooring display called "CAROLINA LIFESTYLES", are they good quality?

My experience tells me that most laminate flooring is not good quality. I believe if you want the look of wood, you should just get real wood floors

4. In our kitchen we have white appliances and walnut cabinets. What color laminate flooring should we buy?

Personally I would NOT put laminate flooring in a kitchen or a bathroom, and the manufacturers usually recommend against using it in areas where there may be water. I have done that with horrible results when the sink leaked and ruined the underlayment of the floor. We ended up replacing half of the kitchen floor TWICE. Then we ended up putting in porcelain ceramic tiles, which after 3 years and heavy use still looks like new! There is also more color and type selection with tile. I think some of the other posters above are confusing LAMINATE with VINYL flooring. I have not seen marbled white laminate (but I do know they now make a faux tile that is laminate, but still NOT water resistant)

5. How do I ensure my concrete floor is "flat" for laminate flooring?

You do not really have to have perfectly level concrete to lay the floor. You need a flat surface not necessarily level floor. I have laminate over concrete in my house I did not check for level except visually for anything really off, it is fine. If you really want to you can use a string line in several places. Along opposite walls staple a string 3 inches from the floor. measure to the floor in different places along the string if it is more or less than it is out of level. NOBODY DOES THIS WHEN LAYING FLOOR. As long as it is close that is fine, just ask the place where you bought the flooring it comes with complete instructions.

6. What is the best way to wash laminate flooring?

There are cleaners out there expressly for laminates. Not knowing the brand of laminate, I would suggest a laminate cleaner made by Capture. Spray on and wipe off. It is not recommended to bleach or even mop laminate floors. If you are trying to get it shiny looking, it may not be possible due to the finish of the final product. Some laminates have higher gloss levels than others and it sounds like yours may have more of a matte finish so your scrubbing is a moot point. Know that laminate is a cinch to remove and replace- you could always look into a renovation!.