Everyone loves the beautiful and timeless look of hardwood floors. Elegant yet simple noble wood is impressive. But take a closer look. Is that wood scratched and dented? Are those fading spots and marks you see there? Maybe that hardwood floor isn’t as nice as you originally thought.
If you like the timeless look and feel of hardwood floors but don’t want the scratches, dents, and discoloration marks that will come with it, laminate flooring is a good option for you. In addition to the fact that laminate is much more durable than traditional hardwood floors, it is also much cheaper.
What is a laminate floor?
Laminate flooring is a composite product that looks like a wood product; however, you can care for it as you would your laminate countertop. Laminate flooring is made of a high-density core with an image placed on the top layer and sealed with a laminate cladding. Laminate flooring has a water repellent placed over it and good quality flooring is infused with water repellent throughout the core.
What Kind of Laminate Flooring Should I Buy?
When choosing your laminate flooring, you will need to keep a few things in mind. The first thing to consider is where you are going to lay the flooring. Looking at a high traffic area that will get a lot of use? Alternatively, is the area you are covering a smaller, low-traffic area? If you’re looking to cover a low-traffic area, you can probably get away with a laminate floor that has a smaller core.
The core sizes of laminate flooring range from 6mm to 12mm. The thicker the core of the soil, the better the stability. Also, if you have a thicker core, it will resist wear better and is likely to last longer than a thinner core.
If you are thinking of moving to a different home in the next few years, you can also go for a lower quality laminate floor. Usually, when people buy a house, the apartment is the first thing they change, so there is no point in spending a lot of money on an apartment when moving house.
Most laminate floors come with warranties that start around ten years. Generally, the more expensive types of flooring will come with longer warranties. However, be sure to read your warranties very carefully, as some warranties may not cover the location of the floor in the kitchen or bathroom.
Can I do it myself?
One of the biggest attractions of laminate flooring is that most people can install it themselves. You can install most laminate siding over vinyl sheet, concrete slab, plywood, existing hardwood, or any other flat, level surface.
Glueless Pergo flooring is a very popular choice because it does not require glue to install properly or other special tools of any kind. Therefore, anyone can do it on their own without any special training. Even if you’ve never installed a flooring before, or don’t have much experience with home renovations, laminate flooring installs easily.
One of the biggest benefits of installing the flooring yourself is that you can save thousands of dollars in installation fees. Unlike hardwood floors that are already very expensive and must be professionally installed, laminate is quick and easy, even for beginners.
And in the kitchen?
Laminate flooring is a good choice for the kitchen and bathroom because it is water repellent. The core of the laminate flooring has been infused with water repellent to protect it from spills that occur every day. However, if you are considering installing your flooring in the kitchen or bathroom, you may want to purchase a flooring that has been infused with paraffin wax at the joints to further repel water and prevent swelling.
Unlike hardwood floors, laminate is a much better option for kitchens or bathrooms. Because we all know spills happen. Water and food spills can stain traditional hardwood floors, and with laminate, just wipe it up and it’ll take care of everything.
Choose the right floor
Laminate floors are available in many different styles, colors, and patterns. There is something for everyone, no matter what your style preference is. When you go shopping for laminate flooring, you will find many different brands such as Pergo, Armstrong, and Bruce. Since laminate was introduced in 1982, its market share has grown by leaps and bounds. You will be able to find laminates in many price ranges, so there is something for everyone and for all budgets.
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