Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring is made from synthetic materials that are made to look like real wood or other types of flooring. Originally from Europe, laminate flooring has become popular in North America due to it’s durability, easy of installation, cost and look and feel. For consumers who want the look and cleanliness of hardwood floors but are unable to either afford real wood or want to deal with the upkeep, laminate flooring is the answer.

Laminate flooring can make kitchen and bathroom floors look like real wood but able to widthstand moisture, stains, burns and is extremely scratch resistant. Additionally, if a piece of laminate flooring is damaged, it can easily be replaced without tearing up the entire floor.

Laminate Floor Installation
Laminate floors are installed by floating the planks over most surfaces. These surfaces include plywood, oriented strand board, concrete slabs and some existing floor coverings. The planks and tiles have tongue and groove edges that lock them together. Laminate floors are never secured directly to the sub floor. Most laminate floors are snapped together and not glued. Not only does this allow for easy installation and repair but it allows the owner to take the floor with them when they move. Another advantage of laminate flooring is that it can be installed on damp areas where hardwood would not be recommended.

Laminate Floor Cleaning
Although laminate flooring is durable, doesn’t fade, stain or dent, they still require general maintenance to keep them looking new. Basic daily cleaning requires vacuuming, sweeping and dusting as you would do any type of flooring. To keep your laminate flooring looking great, you need to follow the manufacturer’s maintenance and cleaning schedules.

Buying Laminate Flooring
When buying laminate flooring, you need to consider several factors. Those are brand, look and feel, features and warrantee. Although Pergo is probably the most well known brand, there are other brands that offer very close to wood looking floors including Wilsonart and Armstrong. If reputation is important to you then you want to look for a well known brand. You should also look at each brand’s line of laminate flooring to find the one that appeals to you in terms of look and feel. Some brands claim to be more durable while others look more like real wood. You need to determine which of these factors mean more to your particular needs. Formica, for example claims to be water resistant by having a display with a jar of water inverted on the laminate flooring plank. Most manufactures come with a warrantee. Make sure you understand the maintenance requirements associated with the warrantee before you decide which one is better.

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