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I can't say about the IKEA floor but I have heard that Pergo is not all it's cracked up to be, it's a laminate type of system and it seems it delaminates under certain conditions or something along those lines.

My old place had Pergo brand laminate flooring. It extremely durable and a breeze to take care of (just mop and go). Never had issues with delaminating, not even after accidentally overfilling a fish tank (whoops).

My current place has some knock-off brand laminate and the quality is far inferior. It was installed by the previous owner just prior to selling the place and within months, the edges began to delaminate. Now, I'm almost scared to mop the floor out of fear that the moisture will make it worse.

Just make sure you buy a reputable brand when purchasing laminate flooring. If/when i redo the flooring, I'll definitely purchase Pergo. That's just my two cents.

Moisture is a real killer. Whatever you use should have a moisture barrier.

Ambient humidity can condense underneath your flooring on the surface of the concrete. It's particularly true of converted garages and basements. I'm not sure how you'd go about bolting down the plywood, because the other areas will warp or bubble if you don't get to the root of the problem.

Consider that laying the pergo/balk might be be affected by this.

Ikea recommends:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50080570
- Recommended for all rooms in the home except high humidity areas.
- When laying floors, always use NIVÅ floor lining (sold separately).
- When laying floors on concrete, complement with SPÄRRA plastic sheeting.
- Can be laid on existing floors, except on thick wall-to-wall carpeting.

I'll add another two cents... Is there any way to seal the concrete? I know you can paint or epoxy it, which should pretty much seal it off. Either that, or is there some way to let the flooring float or leave gaps that could allow the moistiure to evaporate? I remember we put something down on our floors before we laid the laminate, but that's been 10 years now, and it was over plywood.

We installed Pergo in our house after ripping up old carpet, and had a handyman friend (who's done this before) install it. Within a year (maybe less) several boards have chipped at the edges, taking bits of the laminate with it and exposing the pressboard underneath. Not sure what IKEA's product is like, but i'd say Pergo isn't all its cracked up to be. Btw, we don't wet mop and live in NYC so i don't think moisture had anything to do with it.

Most likely the boards warped due to moisture. Concrete releases a moisture vapor and a moisture barrier will need to be installed - whether you decide to go with laminate or real hardwoods for the second try.
Depending on what he uses he studio for should help him decide what to go with. Laminates cannot be refinished and are not always as durable as they say. Hardwoods can last a lifetime if properly installed.

I've had Pergo in two houses and Ikea flooring in one.
The Pergo survived through 2 dogs (one not housebroken), and many gatherings of tons of people.

The Ikea flooring starting to bunch up by the front door where we entered with wet shoes after a rainy day.

I personally like Pergo as an environmentally friendly option to real wood. Also, many suppliers will give you an extra box of boards and if you do have a problem, they will come back and fix it. I have an extra box sitting in my shed now.

Wow, thanks everyone, this is going a long way towards a decision. It sounds like blocking the moisture is the biggest deal either way. Anyone know how real wood the Ikea wood floor is?

I was shopping laminate for my living room/dining room/kitchen. I found Pergo very "plasticy" to the touch. Lots of fake texture and the like. The Ikea brand had a much better feel to it. Ultimately though, I chose neither and went with Wilsonart. We've only had it for about a month, but I still love it.

We have "Kvist" in our house which is another real wood (bamboo) floor by Ikea. I´m in Europe so I don´t know whether it´s available in the US. We absolutely love it!! It´s easy to install and still looks great after one year, even in the kitchen which is a high traffic area in our house. We´d definitely choose it again.

If the pre-existing floor is even I think it will turn out OK. I´d still use a good insulation though.

The condo I bought has Pergo on concrete. I don't know what kind of barrier was put under it, but it has held up for the two years my two dogs and I have lived here. It is incredibly durable and holds up to lots of abuse. Dry paint comes right off it as well.

The only problem I have noticed is near the front door, in the foyer, the floor makes a sound when you walk on it. I don't know if moisture has caused it to start separating or what. The top still looks good.

My big dog hates the Pergo, because it is very slick and it is hard for him to get traction. He would have destroyed a real wood floor, however.

I moved from a 1840s house with the original wide-plank floors to one with Pergo floors. After a bout of resultant clinical depression, I began to discover Pergo virtues--which, in terms of personal aesthetic values, is an even worse condition. I, a mere 5'1", can move pianos with one hand, because things just slide over Pergo without leaving a trace. Cat and dog barf and poo can be wiped up without gagging (contrast digging in cracks between wide floorboards). Why does a flooring with such advantages have to be so patently fake?

Yes, moisture will make it curl, though--its Achilles heel....

PS

Yes, I'm 'puter illiterate, but I've never been able to figure out how to submit a Good Question from square A. Is there a link I'm missing? Can someone please help me out?

By "real wood", do you mean the IKEA is an engineered hardwood? I recently bought a house and installed Pergo brand flooring, but it's not laminate. It's engineered hardwood, meaning instead of a photo of wood on plastic as the top layer, it's a very thin slice of real wood veneer. The floors look awesome, but I can't yet comment on how well they wear since they've only been down for a week and a half so far.

Also, I got the Pergo ("Living Floors" or something like that) hardwood on Lumber Liquidators for $1.99/sq. ft.. I say go for the IKEA if it's "real" (engineered) hardwood. It just looks so much more natural than the original plastic/laminate Pergo.