Pergo Max Flooring Review | Options & Prices | Home Flooring Pros
Pergo Max Report – In a Nutshell
Average Price Per Square Foot: $2.99 and $4.99
Pergo Max hardwood flooring is an engineered wood floor manufactured by the company more usually known for its laminate flooring. Pergo Max is a budget-friendly wood floor choice, retails at between $2.99 and $4.99 and is sold exclusively at Lowes. Choose between hickory, oak and maple floors.
Last Updated: June 12, 2023, by: Greca Fotopoulos
We continue our look at the most popular engineered hardwood flooring brands with our overview of Pergo Max hardwood.
NB: Pergo Max flooring has been discontinued. This line has been replaced by a new Pergo engineered wood flooring collection called Pergo Woodcraft also sold exclusively through Lowes.
WHAT IS PERGO MAX?
Pergo Max is an engineered hardwood flooring product that combines the look and beauty of solid hardwood with the durability and strength that Pergo is known for.
When tested against regular wood flooring, Pergo Max was shown to be up to five times more durable. Pergo Max features an engineered core layer for increased structural integrity topped with a layer of beautifully stained real hardwood.
The flooring is finished with a layer of Pergo’s UltraSheild Technology Finish.
STYLES AND OPTIONS
The Pergo Max collection features ten beautiful styles, including hickory, oak, and maple woods. There are deep, rich colors such as Chocolate Oak and Grimsley Hickory, medium tones like best-sellers Gunstock Oak and Handscraped Heritage Hickory, and light finishes including Avondale Hickory and Natural Maple.
All of the planks in the Pergo Max collection are either 5.36 inches or 6.18 inches wide, 3/8” thick, and feature varying lengths up for 48” for a truly custom appearance.
The styles feature various finishes, including matte, satin, and semi-gloss, and either handscraped or wire-brushed texture.
Pergo Max flooring is available at Lowe’s stores nationwide and other independent retailers.
PROS AND CONS
The advantages of Pergo Max flooring include:
- Wide range of beautiful, authentic hardwood floor styles
- Engineered core for strength and durability
- SecureLock joints for easy installation
The disadvantages of Pergo Max flooring include:
- Does not include an attached underlayment
- Not waterproof
- Reviewers reported scratches from pet nails
PRICING
Pergo Max is a budget friendly engineered hardwood option with prices starting at $2.99 per sq.ft and maxing out at around $4.99
You can see how competitively Pergo Max stacks up against other leading brands by taking a look at our price comparison table below.
| Brand | Solid Hardwood, per sq.ft. | Engineered Hardwood, per sq.ft. | |
| Bruce | $3.30 – $9.00 | Jasper | $1.50 – $5.00 |
| Blue Ridge | $3.50 – $5.50 | Pergo Max | $2.99 – $4.99 |
| LM Flooring | N/A | LM Flooring | $2.20 – $7.20 |
| Mohawk TecWood | $3.50 – $7.00 | Mohawk SolidWood | $4.50 – $8.50 |
| LifeCore | N/A | LifeCore | $4.00 – $7.00 |
| LifeCore | N/A | LifeCore | $4.00 – $7.00 |
| Mullican | $4.30 – $7.40 | Mullican | $4.20 – $5.60 |
| Somerset | $4.50 – $8.50 | Somerset | $6.00 – $8.50 |
| Johnson Hardwood | $4.40 – $8.99 | Johnson Hardwood | $7.99 – $8.99 |
| Kahrs | N/A | Kahrs Hardwood | $6.00 – $14.00 |
| DuChateau Hardwood | N/A | DuChateau Hardwood | $10.00 – $16.00 |
| Anderson Tuftex | $8.00 – $12.00 | Anderson Tuftex | $12.00 – $14.00 |
INSTALLATION
Pergo Max is manufactured with patented SecureLock joints making installation easy for homeowners and professionals alike. Make sure to acclimate the cartons of flooring to the temperature and humidity of the room for at least 48 hours prior to installation.
WHERE CAN I INSTALL PERGO MAX?
As an engineered hardwood, Pergo Max more flexible than hardwood floors in terms of where it can be installed. It can be installed on, above, or below grade, and on top of any structurally sound subfloor that is clean, flat, and dry.
Concrete or plywood subfloors are the most common, but Pergo’s website provides detailed recommendations for installing Pergo Max on top of several different types of subfloors. This product should not be installed in bathrooms or other high-moisture areas.
INSTALLATION METHODS
Pergo Max can be installed either as a floating floor or glued down onto the subfloor. It does not include an attached underlayment, which is required prior to installation of a floating floor. The company recommends Pergo Gold Premium underlayment for moisture protection and sound insulation.
Underlayment is not required when using a glue-down installation but is very important to choose an adhesive specifically for engineered hardwood flooring. Pergo recommends a premium grade urethane or acrylic adhesive.
There are several pros and cons to both methods of installing Pergo Max.
- The floating floor method can be much quicker, thanks to Pergo’s SecureLock joint locking system. The boards are manufactured with a tongue and groove design, so that the tongue of one board is inserted into the groove of an already installed plank.
- Floating floors can be installed over more types of flooring and are also much easier to remove if need be than glue-down floors.
- However, glue-down floors can sound and feel more solid underfoot.
- Floating floors can sometimes shift in heavily trafficked areas and may produce a hollow sound.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
While Pergo Max requires routine care to keep it looking beautiful, the cleaning and maintenance of these floors is overall very simple.
Regularly sweep dust and dirt particles with a dry broom or mop or use a hard floor vacuum with a soft bristle attachment if necessary. Make sure to remove water and spills right away with a clean, dry cloth or mop or a premium hardwood floor cleaner such as Bona.
DAMAGE PROTECTION
Pergo Max flooring is not waterproof!
Never pour liquids directly on Pergo Max flooring and never use a steam mop. As with any flooring, it is a good idea to use felt pads under furniture and entryway rugs to help prevent scratching and scuffing.
WARRANTIES
Pergo Max comes with a limited lifetime warranty on residential applications as well as a 6-month limited manufacturing warranty and a 5-year limited warranty on light commercial uses. More information is available on the company’s website.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
We installed this floor on the first floor of our home and nearly a year later, we love it! We get so many compliments. Joe, Florida
Overall, the installation was very easy. It looks and feels just like a solid wood floor. David, Maine
The durability is awesome, we have two large dogs and a cat. The dogs run all over the house, and this floor has held up better than our previous solid oak flooring. There are some minor scratches but these are rare. I would install this flooring again am so pleased with the purchase. Katy, Columbus OH
The overall look of Pergo Max is beautiful, but it hasn’t been very durable. I’ve been experiencing splintered boards at the joints, grooves that do not fit securely, and easy scratching. Scratches are impossible to cover with stain or a repair pen. Denise, NJ
Pergo Max has the look and quality that I wanted. We have three kids and a large dog and after a month, we love this flooring. The floor has held up beautifully, even with moving furniture, the kids spilling drinks, and the dog running around. We love the rustic farmhouse feel and the wide planks. The flooring is the perfect color and full of character. Mary, CA
During installation, I had a lot of trouble getting the floor to stay locked together. I thought this product would be thicker and some of the boxes contain a lot more short planks than longer ones. I have installed less expensive laminate that held together better than this. Ben, Denver
If you have a Pergo Max review we’d love to hear from you. Please leave your reviews in the comments section below.
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Pergo Portfolio Review | Pergo Extreme Review | Pergo TimberCraft Review | Pergo XP Review | Pergo Outlast Plus Review
About the Author: Greca Fotopoulos
Greca is the lead style writer at Home Flooring Pros (more), with a BA in Technical Art, she’s focused on flooring trends, flooring ideas, and flooring brand reviews.
“There’s nothing more satisfying than creating a home that you love. The hardest thing about this job is trying not to covet all the great floors I get to review; if I could remodel my home every month, I would!”
Currently have a fairly thin vinyl plank flooring. Can I put Pergo Max down without removing the vinyl?
The flooring has gaps on the lengthwise end that I can stick my fingernail in. It accumulates dirt and looks bad. I have the Pergola Max handscraped Heritage Hickory. Is this how it is supposed to be?
No not supposed to be but it floats, moves and doesn’t stay together on ends sometimes. I have a few same way. My error was not nailing it all down although says a pad and let float.
We installed Pergo in our basement two years ago and are very happy with the look and durability. This past winter we purchased Pergo Max for our main living area upstairs and are very disappointed in the durability. We thought paying a higher price for the Max would be worth it due to the higher traffic. Agree with a previous review above describing scratches and water damage from boots that can’t be camouflaged with filler or stain pencils on the dark color we loved when we purchased. Wish we had done better research and read reviews.
I wish had researched better my self. Just the wife & I live here 70yrs old. We or visitors never wear shoes on floor. All our furniture & chairs have pads & change regularly as build up takes off finish etc. We do not use a vacuum only soft broom & swifer. It is white underneath so any wear shows big on dark oak. This floor looks like hell. We have a brown marker pen laying in table within reach. Have most of floor covered with rugs. Tell all not to touch even if given to them free