Installing Laminate Flooring Over Damaged Floor.?

The pitted concrete should not matter since tack strips are out on the perimeter anyway. If it was a high traffic spot I may fill them

1. Do I have to put plywood down on wooden sub-floor when installing laminate flooring?

no it would actually be better not to so the heights are the same in the transition. You will also be putting down the foam that will take care of any imperfections in the sub floor

2. With radiant floor heating, how much more heat would you get using ceramic tile over laminate flooring? Would the extra cost be worth it?

The thicker the floor, the longer it will take to heat up. Warm ceramic may feel warmer than laminate and may stay warmer longer. But cold ceramic stays cold longer. We recently installed a ceramic floor over cement board over plywood having the radian tubing embedded in it, over the subfloor, which has 4 inches of foamed insulation under it. This 350-sq-ft "radiator" of the new eat-in kitchen addition is more than sufficient to heat the entire 780 sq ft room -- as long as you do not expect it to warm up fifteen minutes after you switch it on.

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

To use the string method you need a length of strong string and a tool called a line level . The line level cost's under 5 bucks . What you do is anchor one end of the string to the wall at a specific height using whole numbers- [If you use 3' you can use a 4' level to insure that you have a perpendicular measurement to the floor ] hook the line level on the string and with the help of an assistant stretch the string to the opposite wall. When the string is level ,anchor it. You now have a level line across the room. Take your tape measure and measure the distance from the line to the floor along various points. Record on a piece of graph paper , change locations and repeat as needed. You will wind up with a topographical profile of your floor.

4. Laminate Flooring, how do I clean without leaving streaks.?

Laminate floors are very low maintenance. Ironically, if you use a lot of cleaning products on them, they will actually look worse...they will get smudges and streaks, like you are experiencing. And steam can absolutely ruin laminate floors. It can cause warping and even cause the veneer to peel right off. Having said this, exactly how do you maintain a laminate floor? Mostly just by vacuuming it. When you need more than a vacuuming, use a microfiber mop and plain old water. No cleanser, no vinegar, no nothing...just water. Let the mop do the work. Microfiber is fantastic at removing dirt and streaks and does not need a cleanser to help. In your case, I would definitely vacuum and then mop with a microfiber mop. Wet the mop and use it. No need to dry the floor, but also do not let water pool on the floor. You want a good damp mop, but not puddles of water. (Small streaks of water are ok.) If you do not already have a microfiber mop, you can buy them at Walmart, Target, Kmart, Home Depot, and even Dollar General. I've never used anything but a vacuum and a microfiber mop (plus water) on our laminate floors and they still look fantastic after all these years. Hope this helps. -

5. Has anyone bought/installed QUICKSTYLE Laminate flooring? Looking for comments. NOT the same as QUICKSTEP?

Quickstyle Laminate Flooring

6. How do I edge a curved sunken room with laminate flooring?

If I understand you correctly , the step down is curved. If this is the case, you can t with a laminate. Since it needs to float, you cant use any thing on the edges to cover the edges as well as protect and go over the laminate edge since you need something to cover open laminate edges to "hold" it down. Straight edges, they make special stairnosings to properly do this. There are rubber edge pcs they make you carpet and vinyls to do curves but wouldn t work and look right on laminate. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar ( with pictures if that helps) . I ve attended several installation seminars as well installed a few 100,000 s/f. GL