Waterproof Laminate Flooring: Leicester Flooring vs. Home Depot

Home Depot sells waterproof laminate flooring. So does Leicester Flooring. The difference is in what comes with it: product expertise, American-made brands, non-commission guidance, and a lifetime installation warranty you won’t find at any big-box store.

• Leicester Flooring carries American-made waterproof laminate from Shaw, Mohawk, Mannington, Pergo, and Karastan.
• Our non-commission sales team gives honest recommendations based on your home, not on margin targets.
• We back all installation with an exclusive lifetime warranty. Home Depot subcontracts installation with no lifetime coverage.
• 50 years serving Western NC families from our Asheville and Hendersonville showrooms.

Why People Search for Waterproof Laminate at Home Depot

Home Depot is many homeowners’ default starting point for flooring research. It’s familiar, accessible, and you can walk in any day of the week to see samples on a rack. For a lot of purchases, that convenience factor is enough.

But flooring is one of the most significant investments you’ll make in your home. The floor you choose will be underfoot for 20 years or more. The installation quality will determine whether that floor performs as designed or starts showing problems in three years. And the brand you select will affect how the floor holds up to your household’s specific demands.

For all of those reasons, how you buy waterproof laminate flooring matters as much as what you buy. This guide walks through exactly what Home Depot offers and what Leicester Flooring offers, so you can make that comparison clearly.

What Home Depot Offers for Waterproof Laminate Flooring

Home Depot carries waterproof laminate from a range of brands at various price points. Their in-store displays show samples, and their website allows you to filter by waterproof features, thickness, and AC rating. For someone who knows exactly what they want and plans to install it themselves, the experience is adequate.

The limitations show up in three areas: product origin, sales guidance, and installation.

Product Selection at Home Depot

Home Depot carries a mix of domestic and imported flooring brands. Some products on their shelves are American-made. Many are not. If where your floor was manufactured matters to you, you have to dig into each product individually to find out, and the information isn’t always prominent.

The brand range at Home Depot includes some quality names but also includes budget import products that can look similar on a sample rack but differ considerably in real-world performance. Without guidance from someone who knows the difference, it’s easy to make a choice you’ll regret.

Sales Guidance at Home Depot

Home Depot flooring staff are generally helpful at pointing you to the right aisle. But they’re covering a large store with many departments, and their product knowledge varies significantly by location and individual. They’re also working in a commission environment at most locations, which can influence recommendations.

When you need to understand the difference between an AC3 and AC4 wear layer, why sealed edges matter more than waterproof cores for some applications, or which product holds up best in a Western NC kitchen with high humidity, you want someone who does nothing but flooring and has done it for 50 years.

Installation Through Home Depot

Home Depot offers installation services but subcontracts the work to third-party installers. The quality of those installers varies, and Home Depot does not provide a lifetime installation warranty. If problems arise from improper installation, the path to resolution is often complicated.

According to the National Floor Covering Association, improper installation is the leading cause of premature laminate floor failure, accounting for over 60% of warranty claims (NFCA, 2023).

What Leicester Flooring Offers

Leicester Flooring has been a family-owned business in Western NC since 1971. We were founded by J.B. and Alma Snelson and are now led by their son Brad. Three generations of relationships with the Asheville and Hendersonville communities, and 50 years of experience helping homeowners make smart flooring decisions.

American-Made Products Only

Every product in our showrooms is made in the United States. This isn’t a selective claim, it’s a company-wide policy. We believe in American manufacturing, American quality standards, and the accountability that comes from buying from companies whose factories you could visit if you wanted to.

The brands we carry for waterproof laminate include Shaw (Dalton, GA), Mohawk (Calhoun, GA), Mannington (High Point, NC), Pergo, and Karastan. All American. All held to standards that imported products often don’t meet.

Non-Commission Sales Staff

Our sales team is paid a salary. Nobody in our showroom earns more by steering you toward a higher-margin product. When you ask which waterproof laminate is best for your kitchen, the answer you get is the honest one based on your actual situation.

That model is unusual in the flooring industry. Most retailers, including big-box stores, use commission-based compensation that creates an inherent conflict between what’s best for the salesperson and what’s best for you.

Expert Installation with a Lifetime Warranty

Our installers are employees with years of experience, many of whom have been with our company for a decade or more. They know our products, they know Western NC’s climate conditions and subfloor challenges, and they take pride in their work.

We back every installation with an exclusive lifetime warranty. If an installation issue develops at any point after your floor is laid, we make it right. No finger-pointing, no subcontractor runarounds, no warranty paperwork battles.

Free In-Home Measure

Before you buy anything, we come to your home to measure the space, assess the subfloor, and talk through your options in context. Schedule yours at leicesterflooringandcarpet.com/schedule-a-free-in-home-measure.

Side-by-Side Comparison

The Installation Factor: Why It Matters More Than You Think

Homeowners often focus almost entirely on selecting the right product and underestimate how much installation quality affects long-term performance. For waterproof laminate specifically, installation is where the waterproofing either works or fails in real-world conditions.

Sealed edges and a moisture-resistant core protect a plank from above. But if the planks are installed with gaps at transitions, if the subfloor has moisture issues that weren’t addressed, or if the expansion gaps aren’t set correctly, water finds its way in through those vulnerabilities.

Our installation team prepares your subfloor before a single plank goes down. They check for levelness, assess moisture, install the appropriate underlayment and vapor barrier, and ensure every transition is sealed properly. For more detail on what our installation process involves, visit our laminate installation page.

What About Price?

We don’t publish specific pricing here because every job is different based on square footage, subfloor conditions, product selection, and project complexity. What we can tell you is that the price difference between Leicester Flooring and a big-box store is often smaller than people expect, and in many cases our total installed cost is competitive.

More importantly, the right comparison isn’t just upfront cost. It’s total cost over the life of the floor. A floor that needs repair or replacement at year eight because of installation problems isn’t cheaper than a floor properly installed with a lifetime warranty that’s still performing at year twenty.

Contact us at leicesterflooringandcarpet.com/contact or call our Asheville location at (828) 348-4846 or Hendersonville at (828) 233-5973.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Leicester Flooring price-match Home Depot?

We’re competitive on pricing and happy to discuss a quote after your free in-home measure. We may not always match a big-box price on the product itself, but the total value including American-made products, expert installation, and a lifetime warranty typically compares favorably when you look at the full picture.

Can I buy flooring at Leicester Flooring and hire my own installer?

Yes, we sell flooring to customers who plan to handle installation themselves or through a contractor. We’ll walk you through proper installation requirements for the specific waterproof laminate you choose to ensure the product warranty stays intact.

Does Home Depot carry American-made waterproof laminate?

Some brands carried at Home Depot are American-made, but you’ll need to research each product individually. Their selection also includes imported products, and the origin isn’t always clearly labeled. At Leicester Flooring, every product we carry is American-made, no research required.

Is Leicester Flooring more expensive than Home Depot?

Not necessarily, and the lifetime installation warranty changes the value equation significantly. A flooring purchase isn’t just the material cost, it’s the installation, the long-term support, and the peace of mind that comes with a local company that will be here in 10 years if you need them. Contact us for a specific quote.

Where are Leicester Flooring showrooms located?

We have two showrooms in Western NC: Asheville at (828) 348-4846 and Hendersonville at (828) 233-5973. Browse our waterproof laminate selection online at leicesterflooringandcarpet.com/flooring/laminate/laminate-products.

Summary

Waterproof laminate flooring is available at Home Depot and at Leicester Flooring. The products aren’t identical, the sales experience isn’t comparable, and the installation coverage is worlds apart. For Western NC homeowners who want American-made floors, honest guidance, and installation they can trust, Leicester Flooring is the answer.

Visit our showrooms in Asheville or Hendersonville, or schedule your free in-home measure at leicesterflooringandcarpet.com/schedule-a-free-in-home-measure.