Would you like to redo your floors with European flair? Are the environment and issues of sustainability important to you? Then we recommend you take a look at Tarkett’s laminate line.
Tarkett is a 130 year old German company that makes a wide range of products and flooring, including sports stadium astroturf (in addition to hardwood, vinyl and laminate). They are, in fact, the #1 seller in flooring in Europe. They started out as a purely European company, but now they are worldwide with factories and offices in the United States.
Perhaps because of their position as a major European company, Tarkett’s visibility and emphasis on issues such as environmental sustainability and responsible consumption is much higher than its U.S. counterparts.
The other thing that really stands out about Tarkett is the emphasis on cutting-edge style, sophistication and high-end branding. Their super-spiffy website is a archetypical example of the kind of continental, minimalist elegance that we often associate with European or Scandinavian design.
In all, Tarkett is a classy, upscale option that you may want to explore. Please read on to find out more about the company, its options and what people are saying about the brand and its products.
- Traditional styles and colors
- Unique styles and colors
- Environmental and health
- Availability
- Cost comparisons
- Consumer and Business Reviews
- Our conclusion
What traditional styles and colors are available?
Tarkett has 128 different colors and styles of laminate. These range from very light (white oak, painted white or snow oak) to very dark (black buzz and dark sand). The brand seems to offer a wider selection of blue and gray-scale colors and shades than some other major brands of laminate.
Tarkett’s offerings come in four lines: essentials, Woodstock, premium and commercial. Within each of these lines there is a wide variety of color choices.
The company offers all of its laminate in 15 different surfaces, from deeply embossed to lighter and smoother, allowing consumers to choose the texture of their floor. You can choose from a glossier surfaces that are perhaps more traditionally “laminate” and embossed planks that mirror wood grain. Tarkett’s laminate also comes with four different beveling options, double-sided, four-sided, micro-beveled and no bevel. These choices let you go for a more natural or vintage look in your flooring.
Unique stone and artistic designs
One of the special things that Tarkett offers in its products are a range of unusual and unique embossed designs that can be applied to any of their colors.
The Stone designs in laminate, instead of mirroring wood-grain, mirror the natural appearance of stones or concrete floor. The artistic choices in Tarkett’s “Lumin’art” collection feature flowers, patterns and other artistic designs.
Tarkett also offers a unique “infinite” plank that are beveled along the length, allowing the illusion of longer boards that seem like a plank cut directly from a tree.
What are the environmental and health benefits of Tarkett’s flooring products?
Tarkett positions itself as a world-wide leader in sustainability, and promotes a “closed-loop, circular design” in its manufacturing that goes well beyond the kind of promises and certifications seen in U.S. brands.
Tarkett does all that American companies do in using recycled materials and seeking certification for indoor clean air standards. However, the company seems to dedicate much more to the project of sustainability (they even have a VP for environment).
Tarkett’s statement is that they are committed to “good materials, resource stewardship, people-friendly spaces and reuse.” They do this through eco design and manufacturing, by building flooring with recycled and recyclable content, and then collect old flooring to repurpose into new flooring.
This may all be good public relations and nothing more, but outside evaluators certify Tarkett’s significant commitment and when you click on products, you can actually see pdfs of the chain of custody of materials.
Availabilty
Tarkett is available at big box and hardware store chains like Menards and Home Depot. While those stores may not carry the whole variety of the company’s offering in-stock, you can order more specific colors and styles from U.S. retailers
What does Tarkett Laminate Cost?
Now that you’ve read up on how fancy and European the Tarkett line is, you’re probably ready for the price to be huge.
The reality is, however, our research run in 2018 revealed very comparable prices to other brands (like Armstrong and Mohawk), at least on the more basic and traditional looks in flooring. Menards had both Mohwak and Tarkett choices between $20 and $60 per carton.
That said, Tarkett is not a bargain option.
What do people think: Review roundup
The reviews I found on Tarkett were mostly positive. The industry (installer/distributor) reviews were uniformly positive, while the consumer reviews were more mixed, but still good.
Consumers seemed to have two repeated issues with the laminate flooring they purchased: installation if doing it yourself, and cleaning.
Some folks thought the flooring was too hard to snap together for your average do-it-yourselfer. I will say though, that others thought the negative reviews must have been people who would have had a hard time with any flooring. It did seem that the newer versions are harder to get together than the older versions. More than one consumer was a repeat customer, and reported having no problem in the previous installation, but a big problem with the new flooring.
Overall, it seems that Tarkett may be harder to snap together than some other brands, which is something to keep in mind if you are planning on installing yourself. You may want to watch a few YouTube videos to get some tips.
The other issue, cleaning, came up more than once, with consumers reporting that a hard-to-remove film developed after a while. Again, this was an issue that appeared more than once, but not consistently. Tarkett has a number of products for cleaning, and some consumers have made helpful videos with cleaning tips.
Our Conclusions
Overall, Tarkett laminate seems to be a good option for folks more interested in ecological and environmental sustainability as well as upscale, European finishes and colors.
Tarkett, a German company with a worldwide presence and significant base in the United States, is widely available at major home improvement retailers and smaller specialty stores. It offers a very wide range of color choices, finishes and unique features that you don’t find in other brands.
Tarkett is also certified to be a “Cradle to Cradle” operation that reuses and recycles materials while making sustainable use of resources. This will be a draw for some environmentally conscious consumers.
While the style and environmental awareness will attract some, the price and difficulty in self-installation will drive others away. Those consumers who are looking to save the most money on cost of the flooring and on not paying for installation may be better served to look at other choices.
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