Okay guys, before I blow your mind with today's project, I've got to tell you that this is a sponsored post. I was given flooring in exchange for writing this product review. However, the feelings I'm about to share are 100% honest. The first time I installed Select Surfaces flooring from Sams Club in my home, it was not a sponsored project. I simply fell in love with Canyon Oak hand-scraped, wide plank laminate flooring the moment I saw it. The unbelievable price tag sealed the deal. I immediately ripped up our stained, builder grade beige carpet and had Canyon Oak installed in our entire main level.
Many of you contacted me letting me know that after seeing it on my blog you purchased it and love it also. Apparently, the folks at Select Surfaces noticed. They called me a few weeks ago to see if I wanted to do a product review for their new laminate product, "Cocoa Walnut". I still had carpet upstairs and the thought of replacing it was exciting, but only if the product was right for our home. I ran to Sams Club to see it in person. The color was gorgeous, very similar to the Canyon Oak that I had installed downstairs, just a bit more chocolate brown. It had the same amazing hand-scraped detail and extra wide planks that makes it look like real wood. The price at my local Sams Club was $1.69/square foot. (Seriously).
What I liked most was what I saw on the packaging…
Flooring suitable for "High Residential Traffic"is exactly what our house needed. I couldn't wait to get started so I grabbed the flooring and called Gordie Cook from Design Floor Covering (the same awesome guys that installed the Canyon Oak in our lower level).
Installing this click together style laminate flooring is often approached DIY style. Since I was tackling the entire upstairs, I let Gordie and his experienced team handle the project. They were able to knock it out in just a couple days. Not to mention they did an amazing job with tricky areas like the staircase and angled walls.
Before I share "after" photos, let's take a look at the "before".
This is the part of the post where my cheeks get all red and I think to myself, as an interior design professional should I really be showing the world how disgusting my carpet was? (Disgusting only because it was heavily stained. To clarify, I'm not saying that carpet in general is bad). Luckily this is "Interior Design For Real People" and I can be totally real here. This is what beige, builder grade carpet really looks like after eight years of hard core living in a house with three children and a puppy…
The Master Bedroom
*blushes*
The Boys' Room
*cringes*
The Hallway
*hides behind hands*
The Laundry Room
*dies inside*
Hannah's Room
*dies a little more*
Phew, glad that's over.
Are you Ready to see what it looks like now?
Hold on to your hats…
Aside from the practicality of this flooring and the amazing price tag ($1.69/square foot), what I love about it most is the way it looks. It has fantastic detail and texture which makes it look similar to real hard wood plank floors. I will be sharing a post with more after photos of the kids bedrooms and the staircase to show how we transitioned from Canyon Oak downstairs, to Cocoa Walnut upstairs while maintaining flow.
We absolutely love it. Next to real hard wood flooring, in my opinion, this is the next best thing. This product has changed the way I feel about laminate. As I designer, laminate was never something considered for my home, until now.
You can check out this product at your local Sams Club, or click here.
For information on my affordable online design consultation service, click here.
© Copyright 2013 The Yellow Cape Cod
*I received product in order to facilitate this product review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.
Your floors look AMAZING! I too am ready to rip out the same disgusting 9 year old builder carpet from my home and put down some kind of hardwood. I've always been skeptical of laminate because I dont like that hollow sound it usually has. Can you comment on the way the floor sounds?? Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteHi there, in comparison to real hardwood flooring, it does have a different sound. In comparison to other laminates I've seen, it has a less hallow sound then most. I hope that helps. Sarah
DeleteBeautiful! What a difference! Had to laugh at the builder grade carpet commentary - anyone who has carpet in their home (almost all of us) can totally relate! :-)
ReplyDeleteReally beautiful! We have 5" wide non-laminate Ebony Marbeau hand scraped floors in our home that were not nearly as reasonable! Would love to hear how your floors hold up with kids/dog since ours take a beating everyday!
ReplyDeleteI have stranded bamboo flooring (from a big box store) on our main floor. Its a terrible product! Not only is it defective but it is impossible to keep clean and the surface finish scratches with every foot step! We have decided to take the flooring up after only 2 years. We just cant take it! So now I am looking for a replacement flooring. Please post details about wear and care for your new flooring. I am very interested. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI saw this color in the store. I love how it looks. I will be using it to replace the builder basic flooring in my main level. Thanks for this post. It confirmed my choice.
ReplyDeleteIt looks great! We are just about to start a remodel project on our second floor. How has the floor you installed on your main level been holding up? We have 3 kids and 2 dogs so we need to choose wisely!
ReplyDeleteIt has held up wonderfully. I am very happy with it. Sarah
DeleteIt looks great! We are just about to start a remodel project on our second floor. How has the floor you installed on your main level been holding up? We have 3 kids and 2 dogs so we need to choose wisely!
ReplyDeleteYour new floors do look amazing. I want to say, however, that as a popular blogger, you need to be careful about what you say embarrasses you, as many people live with carpeted (old or new) bedrooms, for function (rooms above garage) and comfort. I think your old carpet still looked fine and you shouldn't feel the need to blush or cringe. And you lived with it until someone gave you new floors for free. Same reason some of us live with the floors we have - can't afford to replace them. I am not trying to be a troll, I just think home bloggers need to be sensitive about what they call ugly.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I appreciate your feedback. I should clarify that I do not feel that ALL carpet is bad. My remarks about the yucky carpet were soley concerning my own stained carpeting. I should have been more clear in my post. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. Best, Sarah
DeleteI was worried I sounded too harsh. Glad you took it constructively. Happy Holidays! xoxo
DeleteVery nice! Did you do the steps as well, or keep the carpet on them?
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you posted this! We are in the market for laminate flooring in the next couple of weeks. I had looked on Sam's website & this flooring didn't look appealing. After looking at your pictures- it is exactly what I am looking for! And at that price, I have more money left over for accessories!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful floor! I would love to do something similar in my home. Carpet is nasty from 2 kids, 3 dogs.... need I say more? Our previous home had hardwood floors and I love the ability to sweep the mess.
ReplyDeleteQuestion for you, how did you decide which direction to run the floor? I noticed the planks run crosswise in your master bedroom. I like how it looks but I thought "the rule" was to run the planks longways.
We just put laminate in our entire main level...mostly thanks to your first post about how great the prodcut is now. So happy to see you do the second level too. It looks beautiful in your home!
ReplyDeleteLooks amazing, great color too!
ReplyDeleteIt looks great. I had laminate in a huge master bedroom in my previous house(would have preferred wood-- but I couldn't afford it). The only thing I didn't like was the sound....laminate just does not sound like wood.
ReplyDeletesorry-- I see my concern with SOUND was already addressed!
ReplyDeleteOh my! I LOVE that flooring and I HATE my carpet on my second level! We have wood floors on our main level, and what I wouldn't give to have this job done. Well, let me qualify that - what I wouldn't give to be GONE and have Gordie Cook come and do that job for us! It is an amazing transformation.
ReplyDeleteJust recently started following you via Holiday Housewalk 2013, Sarah. Your aesthetic definitely attracted me, so I'm one of your newest followers. Another great choice on the floors and accent rugs project - beautiful!
Best,
Rita C. at Panoply
Absolutely beautiful!! I love the clean look of the wood and just the area carpet. It makes the room look larger. Marisa
ReplyDeleteThe flooring is just gorgeous! We are currently trying to decided on laminate vs. a vinyl plank wood look. Can you tell me how the flooring has held up in the kitchen with moisture, spills, water, etc? We have a 7 year old daughter, one large and one small dog. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSarah I love it!!!!! Your floors look AMAZING, blessings, blessings, and more blessings to you and your family this Holiday Season. You deserve all the blessings coming your way, you have helped so many women love their homes on a budget! You have also given of your time and talents to others freely! You deserve!!!!
ReplyDeleteWow, gorgeous! I know my Mother in law is fed up with her beige carpeting and my kids have done a number on it. The colors is beautiful! I'll have to show her this!
ReplyDelete-Ash
www.thestylizedwannabe.com
Is Design Floor Covering in Michigan?
ReplyDeleteHi Mary Beth, Yes they are. If you would like contact info, please email me at theyellowcapecod@yahoo.com.
DeleteHi, What is the paint color used in the hallways upstairs with the new floor?
ReplyDeleteHi there, it's Brown Fox by Ralph Lauren.
DeleteCan you tell me where you purchased the black floating shelves in the powder room? Also, what are the dimensions on the shelves? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Mike, they are from Potterybarn. They come in a few different sizes. Sarah
DeleteHi Sarah! Happy New Year! Because of you we have installed Canyon Oak by Select Surfaces on our first floor of our home and as we were installing it saw that they had come out with Cocoa Walnut, of course fell in love with that but did not want to rip up what we had put down so now that we have seen it on your blog we are very curious to see how you made the transition to the stairs as we are wanting to do our stairs and upstairs possibly as well. Just wondering when you might be posting how you did your transition? Can't wait to see it! Thanks so very much! I have sent many people to your blog and to Sams for select surfaces. Thank you and Blessings to you and your family for a wonderful 2014! Courtney
ReplyDeleteSo happy to read this post! We are looking at redoing our floors, I'd never even thought of really looking at the stuff at Sams Club, even though I walked by it all the time! We will definitely investigate further. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWe just replaced our old "wood look" laminate flooring with new "wood look" laminate flooring which looks very similar to yours but ours is from Lumber Liquidators. They have come a loooong way with laminate flooring. We too have 4 kids and a giant golden retriever. I would Never have real wood floors in my kitchen, especially living in the Midwest with snow and ice and salt and doggy drool after he drinks water. The new laminate flooring is spectacular and I get a lot of "is this real or laminate?" so I am glad people are not sure. Just found your blog and I love it. :)
ReplyDeleteHi. Is the paint color in your master bedroom brown fox? Also, between the two different floorings, do you have a favorite?
ReplyDeleteJust saw this floor today at Sams and thought it looked great, but now after seeing it in your beautiful home and reading how they've worked for your family Im definitely going to give them a try! :) Looking forward to reading about how you put the laminate on the stairs as I didn't see stairnose available with this particular product. God bless!
ReplyDeleteThis was SO HELPFUL! I've been trying to decide which Sam's Club flooring to get for our entire home, and this post has sold me on this flooring. I LOVE the Canyon Oak (my original choice), but feel this new variety is slightly more neutral in tone, and having all these pictures has really showed me that it will work for our home. Their sponsorship worked :) Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteCan you tell me if this color darkens your home? I am in the market for new floor and I love (love!) dark laminate but am scared it will darken my house too much. My house is large but doesn't have a lot of natural light. Yours floors are so lovely!
ReplyDeleteHi, I was wondering if you are still loving the Sam's Club laminate flooring after a couple years of wear and tear. We also have three kids and are considering installing it. Also, did you use it on your stairs or did you install wood stair treads?
ReplyDeleteHi Rachael, I am in love with our Sams Club floors. We have had Canyon Oak downstairs for a while now and it has held up great. As for the Cocoa Walnut, we have only had it for a few months but absolutely love it so far. Info on the stairs will come soon! Best, Sarah
DeleteHi did you put pictures of your stairs?
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I just recently bought a box of this to test out in our living room. After spending months debating on spending 4.00/sq ft engineered wood or this for 1.69. I can tell you it is not nearly as beautiful in person. The pictures above would have you believe it has a semi glossy finish. Maybe the manufacturer sent you a special pallet for this review. The sample box we purchased has a matted dull finish and no where near as shiny, dark or rich. This leads me to bet that some of these photos are photo-shopped to add depth and saturation. No offense Sarah. Having said all this, we are going ahead and installing this flooring because it is what we can afford and we feel it will hold up better with 2 dogs and 2 kids. i just think it fair that you should know it is not as rich looking as pictured above. also you should know that it has a square edge which leaves a gap between the groves (does not have a flush joint). Feel Free to pass my comments along to the manufacturer as we feel the quality is not the same as pictured above. Somewhat misleading.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, Thank you for sharing your thoughts. My review and opinions on this product are 100% honest.
ReplyDeleteWhat I love most about my new floor is the semi-matte finish and squared edge. The finish adds to the high end look in my opinion and the squared edge makes it look more authentic, like real plank style hardwood floors. If that is not the look your going for and you prefer a high shine finish and a flush edge with no groove, check out the “Canyon Oak” color option. It has both of these qualities and the price is similar. Best, Sarah
Hi Sarah, It's Anonymous (Shannon) again. We installed it over the weekend approx 700 sq feet in living and dining. It did turn out nicer that i had originally thought it would. It looks completely different once laid out! Love your blog/work. Any tips on how to clean this floor? I have a dust film from the install and i'm not sure what to use on it.
ReplyDeletethx
Shannon
Hi I love your floor makeovers! I am wondering which color is easier to keep clean/shows less dirt from kids and pets? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteJessica
I bought a box of Cocoa Walnut yesterday. It looks almost gray and the grain looks much different then your lovely pics. Anyone know if its change
ReplyDeleteI love the look of these floors and they seem to be really nice quality. Now that it's been more than a year, how are they holding up? I have a large dog and three teenagers and I'm considering installing this throughout our home. It would be helpful to know if you are still as pleased with these floors as you were. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLooks nice. I read your blog and decided to install Surface Select laminate floor. However, I would like to add a few comments for future home owners who are thinking about this product.
ReplyDeleteFor whoever is thinking of installing it please think twice if you are doing stairs. The local Sam's club does not carry stair noses and you have to order it directly from the manf site. This should not be a deal breaker, but both my initial and replacement order were damaged 100%. None of them can be used. And it takes a good week for the shipment. In addition, there was no customer service reps available to take your call. I have to leave a voice mail plus e-mail to get a response. So, if you are doing stairs... think twice or you are stuck with Select Surfaces as the rest of the house floor is already installed....