Laminate Flooring Reviewed & Rated

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Laminate Flooring...

Hello, my name is Alex.
We have floors in every room of our house or workplace yet people seem to spend very little time considering the best options for flooring. There are so many choices of tile, wood and laminate flooring so which one is right for you?

That's why we've created this website. Hopefully you find the information on this site useful so please explore.

 
     
 
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There are both advantages and disadvantages when comparing laminate flooring with hardwood flooring. Both of these materials are excellent for any home, however they are also very different. First, let's examine wood floors and why you might want them in your home. Wood floors are classic, traditional, beautiful and with the right maintenance, can last a lifetime. The problem is that wood flooring requires buffing and refinishing to maintain its beauty.

On the other hand, laminate flooring does not require this kind of maintenance. And, when compared with how difficult it is to install wood floors, laminate definitely comes out on top. The majority of laminate floor choices can be snapped together like puzzle pieces, without the need for glue or nails. Even if you're not handy with tools you can lay one of these floors in a matter of hours. And, you can walk on your new floors immediately after they are put down, you don't have to wait. These floors are durable, and are coated with space age crystal clear finishes for strength and shine.

You'll be amazed at how authentic these floors appear when made to look like wood, stone and other flooring materials. Some laminate is textured and even sounds like the actual material it looks like when walked upon. And with a good installation job, no one but you will realize your floor is laminate, it might for example look identical to exotic teak or sophisticated mahogany.

There are just so many different choices. Whether you like wood, stone, cork, bamboo or some other material, your floor can look exactly as you like. Many flooring choices are made to appear seamless. Some are tiles, some are strips and some are planks. What you should choose depends upon your particular household needs.


 
 
 
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Get the Laminate Flooring Installation that will Accent your Home

Deciding to put in new floors can be a big decision, especially when you factor in budget and installation costs. There are great, stylish options though that you can easily do yourself, so your laminate flooring installation doesn't have to exceed your budget. There are also many different looks you can go for with various options in tiles and boards. For a great hardwood look, in rich, deep tones but without the hardwood price, you can opt for bamboo laminate. For cheaper options that are available in many different shades, from almost white to dark hues, you can go with maple, pine or oak, and if you are aiming for classier, more luxurious look, you can with slate laminate. There are so many options to choose from that you can redecorate virtually any room. Also, even if you are an amateur handyman, the glueless type of laminate boards allow you to complete a room in less than a day without any mess or cleanup. Follow these guidelines to choose the best option for your home.

Installing Laminate

Before you install any flooring, you need to buy underlayment that goes down on the subfloor first. This will prevent damage to your flooring, add sound reduction and level out your area. You can choose from foam, cork or combination underlays that include moisture barriers. Laying it down is not very complicated, but be sure to overlap layers and stick them together to avoid cracks. Once the underlay is installed, you are ready to begin.

1. Measure your space and lay down your boards to see how many you will need and which ones will need to be cut. It is best to start from the wall opposite your door and work your way backwards.

2. Use 1/4 spacers to secure that room between the edge boards and the wall. This will allow space for the wood to expand in warmer weather without damage.

3. Click your boards into place with the tongue and groove mechanism. This will lock them into place and will be as stable as if you'd applied glue.

4. Continue through the room, and then replace the moldings and baseboards when complete.

When you are connecting your boards, you can choose the design you want to create by positioning each board either in a line or slightly angled. The richness of the wood and the design you create will result in a very stylish flooring. If you have improvements to make and don't want to waste a lot of

 
     
 
 

 

     
 
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What is Laminate Flooring?

Laminate flooring is a type of multi-layered, completely synthetic product that is fused together during production with a lamination process to make it more durable and clean. Most of the time, laminate is fashioned to imitate wood flooring, often making it indistinguishable from actual wood. In some cases, laminate can also replicate stone. Laminate flooring utilizes a photographic layer that is under a clear protective layer. The photographic layer simulates a type of medium that buyers want their floorings to look like and the protective layer makes sure that photographic layer is not scratched or damaged in any way.

The inner core of the laminate floor usually includes a type of fiber board that is fused with a type of melamine resin material for insulation as well as durability and longevity. There is also often a layer of glue or some manner of adhesive on the back of the panels for easy installation. It is also advisable that home owners install some sort of padding below the laminate panels to insure no damage is possible to the underneath.

The primary advantage to laminate is that it is cheaper than natural flooring materials and easier to clean than carpet, but it still maintains the aesthetic appeal that more expensive or high maintenance materials do.

Laminate Flooring and Pets

A major plus to installing or having laminate floor is how well it does with people that have pets. One of the main reasons people want wood floors is that it is easier to manage when there are pets running around. Hair dander, follicles, or even hair mixed with dust to make larger dust bunnies can be very difficult to get out of carpets; so many people wish that they had some sort of wood flooring to eliminate the problem that comes along with having carpet. With laminate floors, cleaning of pet residue is so much easier than it is with most other kinds of flooring. And it has an advantage over wood because wood can be very expensive and difficult to maintain or even install. And if a home owner pays someone to install it, it can be more expensive still. The high point of laminate is that it looks as good and is much easier to install. An additional plus is that laminate flooring is actually easier to maintain for those that have pets.

This is because wood floors do not usually have that protective layer that guards against scratching and chipping. Pet paws can do terrors on wood flooring, scratching and chipping it around corners; but this is not as much of a problem for laminate flooring. The protective layer ensures that potential damage caused by the paws of a pet is minimal if existent at all. If wood is damaged by a scratch or a chip, it can cost hundreds of dollars to repair. Sometimes, it means replacing the entire floor just for one scratch. But with laminates, scratches are much less of a problem.

Another fantastic advantage that laminate flooring has on wood flooring is the ease of maintenance that comes along with it. Unlike many brands and patterns of wood, laminate is remarkably easy to clean at the end of the day.

With wood flooring, hair follicles and other pet dander can get caught between the cracks, no matter how small they may be. Wood can easily be infiltrated by the leavings of your pet, especially if a pet leaves behind feces and cleaning is not done correctly. This can result in permanent bacterial residence in a particular part of the floor which can severely harm the sanitation of one's home. Laminate floors are great to have for pets because the gaps between the panels are smaller and more spaced out. Laminate flooring is absolutely great for pet


 
 
 
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A towering tree is not a surprising site. Trees were made to grow tall. Redwoods, particularly Coast Redwoods, can reach a height of up to 115.55 m. But what about grass? Well, there is actually a type of grass that can grow up to 10 stories tall. And that grass is bamboo.

But bamboo is not only known for its height. It is also a sort of a tree of life. Many Asian dishes are centered on the use succulent bamboo shoots. Traditional Indian medicine (ayurveda) employs bamboo stem concretion to cure respiratory illness. Ancient Chinese have been known to use bamboo paper to make paper and musical instruments.

However, the most significant use of bamboo is in construction. Bamboo is used by Asians to make roofs, walls, stairs, suspension bridges, and floors. As a flooring material, bamboo is seen as an elegant alternative for hardwood. Also, bamboo is favored by many homeowners because it can match the toughness of common wood flooring, like white oak and rock maple. What is more, bamboo is resistant to insects and moisture.

Yes, bamboo is indeed one of the best flooring materials out there. The only snag is that bamboo flooring may cost you. Bamboo, and particularly the variety used for flooring called 'moso', thrives only in tropical areas. There is no massive bamboo plantation in North America. So, bamboos that are used for flooring are usually imported from Asian countries, like China and the Philippines. So it is not really surprising that bamboo flooring may cost around $3 to $10 per square foot.

Enhancing your home's interior will require you to spend some money, but it does not necessarily mean that you should get an expensive flooring material that would add burden to your already tight budget. Fortunately, bamboo laminate flooring is available.

Advantages of Bamboo Laminate Flooring:

When it comes to cost, laminate bamboo flooring offers you a very viable alternative to your flooring issue. Bamboo laminate flooring is definitely cheaper from real bamboo flooring. In fact, you can even save more with bamboo laminate flooring because you can do the installation by yourself.

If you are worried that laminate bamboo flooring would not evoke the same exotic and elegant look that real bamboo flooring would make, then you are definitely wrong. Ever since the lamination process has begun in the 1970s, manufacturers have made bamboo lamination an art. Bamboo laminate floorings nowadays definitely look like the real thing and you will not hear your friends or family scoffing at your flooring-they would not know the difference.

One of the downside of bamboo flooring is that it is prone to abrasion. Over time, abrasion on the bamboo flooring would give it an ugly look. With bamboo laminate flooring, though, you would never get that-laminate is virtually resistant from abrasion.

And what about durability? Well, laminate manufacturers of use state-of-the-art materials and machines to ensure that your bamboo laminate flooring would be tough and last for a long time.

Adding a more elegant and exotic look to your interior does not necessarily mean that you should spend more than you can. Order bamboo laminate flooring and get that much sought after elegant and exotic interior for a lesser price.


 
     
     

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