Is Laminate Right For Me?
You’re thinking about buying a laminate floor with the purpose of transforming a room or even your entire home, office or business and all you have to do now is decide if laminate is right for your demands. We prepared here a list of advantages and disadvantages of laminate to help you make up your mind.
Advantages of Laminate
The truth is that laminate looks good and is made to perfectly mimic the look of wood, stone or tile. It is made out of durable material and it resists scratches or stains. Another great thing is that laminates can be priced perfectly to suit your pocket.
Laminate Flooring is Durable. Laminate is robust and also more scratch-resistant or durable than hardwood, vinyl or carpet. It is also covered by a tough external layer and resin coating, which makes it perfect for homes with children and pets.
Easy To Install. Laminate is a lot easier to install than most of other floor types because the boards are designed to interlock making them easy to work with. Laminate flooring save installation time and cost since over two-thirds of laminate is glueless click. In conclusion, laminate flooring is so easy to install that most people can do it themselves.
An Economical Choice. Laminate flooring comes into a variety of forms or functions and it is a choice for every price range. Laminate flooring is less pricey than most flooring options available in the market.
Wide Choice of Quality. You can tailor your laminate flooring choice to your exact needs. If you confront with a high traffic situation like a retail store or another type of business, you can choose to spend more money on a thicker laminate with a higher AC Rating. But if you just want a nice living room floor without foot traffic close to a retail store, you don’t have to spend money on thickness or a higher AC Rating and you can concentrate on going after the look you want.
Wide Variety of Styles. Laminate flooring is commercialized in a wide variety of wood, stone and tile finishes, all available in different colors, surface treatments, thicknesses and plank styles.
Solid Warranties. Most laminate floors come with great warranties against wear, staining and fading. In conclusion, the manufacture is guaranteeing that their wear layer will stand up to years of use. You may even find some laminates with warranties against moisture, this meaning that their product is guaranteed to use in areas like basements and kitchens but bathrooms are usually out of the question.
Easy to Clean and Maintain. Laminate flooring’s moisture and stain resistant surface makes cleaning of spills easy. There are no special cleaners needed to keep a laminate floor in top shape.
Environmentally-Friendly. According to the North American Laminate Flooring Association, “Since it is made from paper, laminate’s manufacture does not involve the harvesting of hardwoods as does that of wood flooring. Unlike some carpet, laminate does not contain significant quantities of some elements that affect indoor air quality. And when a laminate floor is easily replaced, it can be destroyed with no danger to the environment.”
Hypoallergenic Qualities. Laminate flooring is a great choice since there are no places to trap dust and other particles that can cause allergies for some people. The underlayment provides a moisture barrier that not only protects the floor from damage and also protects from molds forming.
Disadvantages of Laminate
Not for Every Use. It is not recommended to install a laminate floor in areas where there is a great deal of moisture (example: outdoor). Laminate floor can be installed in your basement if you don’t install it in a laundry room or bathroom where accidents with water can occur. Check here for more where to install it dos and don’ts.
Laminates are moisture resistant but not waterproof. Once moisture finds its way along the edges, underneath the surface layer or into the locking system, warping and swelling can ruin your floor.
Wood Like But Not Real Wood. Laminates are not solid wood and in conclusion they will sound and feel differently from wood. If you want to go for the acoustics, laminate is probably not the right choice for you, unless you opt for a thick board such as 12mm or 14mm. Additionally, because laminates are floating rather than attached to the sub-floor as hardwood floors are, there will always be a slight gap between the laminate and the subfloor—even with the underlayment. That’s why laminates tend to sound different than wood. You can ask for thicker underlayment to minimize this effect but a laminate floor will never sound exactly the same as hardwood. Some people don’t mind at all whereas for others that is reason enough to bypass laminates altogether. You have to decide for yourself.
Where Can Laminate Floors Be Installed / Not Installed?
Laminate wood floors are extremely versatile flooring products. A laminate floor installation can be done in almost every room of your home, above or below ground, over wood or concrete. Most of the floor manufacturers market their laminate floors as an ‘install anywhere’ product.
You can even install laminate on stairs without underlayment but you’ll need to ensure it meets your local building code. Are you looking for a laminate that will be compatible with your radiant heated floors? It’s possible to find one but make sure it’s the right one—check with the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Don’t install laminates in bathrooms, laundry rooms, kitchens, saunas, enclosed porches, verandas or anywhere that may require wet mopping. Use common sense to keep laminates away from copious amounts of water.