Laminate Flooring Guide

Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring originated in Europe about two decades ago but now it has become one of the best selling flooring in the US. What is laminate floor? Laminate flooring is an intertwined wood flooring system, laid over the top of an existing floor.

Laminate flooring gives several benefits:

	Excellent durability
	Easily cleaned floor
	Better stain resistance
	Greater fade resistance
	Install over various types of sub-floors
	Easy to replace

You can get laminate flooring in wide ranging modes, colors and outlines. You can select from natural colors, dark wood grains or cool color shades to match your room decoration. The most commonly used designs have a wood grain texture.

Initially, wood laminate floor replicated the look and feel of hardwood, but now it comes in marble and slate patterns also. It is usually laid in rectangular eight inch boards, but some people prefer square tiles also.

Laminate floor consists of the following four major constituents:

• A wear-resistant ornamental exterior made of resin
• A moisture resistant wooden core
• A support layer bonded beneath the core
• A layer of aluminum oxide on the top

Laminate flooring is sold in the unit of square foot. It is slightly costlier than vinyl flooring. The unique characteristics of durability and stain-resistance have helped laminate flooring to make a name for itself.

The counter top technology and increased resin content in the wear sheet have led to the high popularity of laminate flooring. The resin filled wear layer becomes too difficult to be stained or scratched.

Laminate flooring is of different types:

• Glueless: These floors are available in a wide range of ceramic and wooden designs. They come in both planks and squares.
• Glued: These are the original laminate floors. They do not need any special glue for the tongue and grooved parts. They also come in both planks and squares.
• Pre-glued: In this, the tongues and grooves have already been treated with glue. They are very easy to install.
• Attached Underlay: These floors have various types of tongue and grooved locking systems.

Laminate flooring is never bonded directly to the sub-floor. They always float over the sub-floor. This allows laminate flooring to be laid anywhere in the house, over concrete slabs, wooden floors or any type of existing flooring. The magnificently rich texture has made this flooring a great alternative for most homes.