What are laminate floors?
Laminate flooring has been a popular alternative to solid hardwood flooring for a couple of decades now. The main reason for its popularity is its inexpensive price. Laminate flooring was created to give the same visuals as hardwood but at a much lower price. In 1977 when it was first created, they did not have a lot of fans. Only people who wanted something cheap and easy to install would use them. However, things have changed recently. Nowadays, laminate flooring has improved in looks and quality. Over time it has overcome its disadvantages and improved to the point that it has close competition with solid hardwood. Even some high-end houses might now choose laminate flooring over all the floor coverings available. The great looks combined with other advantages are so valuable that cannot be ignored.
What is laminate flooring made of?
Laminate flooring is a multi-layer flooring that uses laminating process to fuse all the layers. This amazing multi-layer system is what makes laminate floorings so great. It allows them to have durability, inexpensive price, and great looks at the same time. Here is an overview of layers commonly used in laminate flooring:
1. Top layer
The top layer of laminate flooring is something that invisible. It is important because it is exposed to the exposure to the environment. A more detailed explanation of this layer will be later discussed in the following.
2. Decor
This layer is what gives the laminate its great looks. It is simply an image of the desired visuals for the laminate. It could be like wood or stone, depending on the desired outcome. This layer is one key factor to look at when trying to choose laminate flooring. More expensive laminae have a more realistic and stylish décor layer. In some cases, the desired pattern is printed straight onto the board for a better finish.
3. Core
The core is the thickest layer of laminate flooring. It is made out of wood-based fiber. This fiber is high-density and compressed together, which is called high-density fiberboard or HDF. This is the layer that adds strength and durability to the whole structure. It prevents moisture from seeping through the structure.
Another role that this layer carries is the click system. As you might know, laminate flooring is known as an easy-to-install flooring covering. You can even install them yourself without the help of any labor. This is all made possible by the click system, which means you can simply click all the different parts of your laminate flooring together using the click system that is designed into the core layer.
4. Carrier
Carrier is the bottom layer of laminate flooring. This layer is made out of plastic materials such as melamine. This is the layer between the core and the floor. It has the role of stopping any moisture from getting in from the bottom of the structure. without this layer, the floor would start warping quickly.
What is the top layer of laminate flooring?
As mentioned above, the very top layer of laminate flooring is very important. It is what is put on the decor layer to enhance the properties of this flooring. Here are two main responsibilities that the top layer of laminate flooring holds.
Durability
It is easy to imagine what would the outcome be if laminate flooring didn’t have this layer and the décor layer the top layer. Stepping on a high-quality image is probably not the best thing if you want to have long-lasting flooring.
This layer is made from aluminum oxide and melamine. Melamine is used to protect your laminate from heat and stains. Aluminum oxide is what adds strength to this layer. These two compounds combine to assure you the best experience and durability with your laminate flooring.
Design
Although décor is the main layer when comes to design, the top layer or wear layer is also important. The top layer enhances the look of the décor layer by making to overall look more natural and shinier. In some laminates, the top layer is thicker than the others. This makes them shinier and glossier.
Laminate flooring pros and cons
Just like any other type of flooring out there, laminate flooring has some disadvantages next to its benefits. However, the advantages certainly overbalance the downsides. That is why it has become such a popular product in the industry.
Benefits
Laminate floorings have a lot of benefits. These benefits are valuable and worth considering when trying to decide between all your options.
1. DIY
DIY stands for the phrase “do it yourself”. It means that you can do everything yourself when you decide to use laminate flooring for your house. You can go purchase them from the store and bring them to your house since they are relatively light. You can install them in your house by yourself using the simple click system that the laminate components have and just like that, you are ready to use them. Laminate floorings are generally very easy to install. It is safe to say they are somehow consumer-friendly. Because you don’t need to pay additional labor cost for installing your laminate flooring. You can simply do it yourself.
2. Easy to clean
One of the main advantages of laminate flooring compared to solid hardwood is its maintenance. These floorings are so much easier to clean and take care of than hardwood flooring. Thanks to the perfect top layer structure of laminate floorings, your floor does not catch stains that often; and if it ever gets dirty, you do not have to put much effort to clean your floors.
3. Scratch-resistance
Again, another benefit of the top layer of laminate floorings. They do not get scratched easily. Since sharp objects might very well come in contact with your flowing, this feature of laminate floorings makes them maintain their new look for much longer, compared to the alternatives like hardwood.
This is especially beneficial for households with children or pets. Because pets and children will eventually do something that might ruin your flooring. An option like laminate flooring that has better strength and durability is probably a great choice for these families.
4. Inexpensive price
Arguably the most important and popular feature of laminate floorings is their price. Compared to other types of floorings, laminates are so much cheaper. Stone and hardwood are the two high-end options in the industry. Laminate flooring can look almost the same as stone and wood and is far less expensive along with its other upsides. Laminate flooring comes in different variations with different prices and they can certainly meet any budget.
Drawbacks
Along with their unbeatable advantages, laminate floorings have some cons that could ruin the deal in some parts of a house.
1. Moisture damage
Even with all the improvement that Laminate floorings have had over the recent years, they are still a bit susceptible to moisture. The core, carrier, and top layer have been optimized to minimize the damage from moisture as much as possible. However, they are not 100% effective in keeping the moisture away. After the moisture gets into the structure of laminate floors, it can chip and lose its original appearance. It is worth mentioning that hardwood flooring is even worth it when it comes to dealing with moisture.
2. Not the best for bathrooms
As mentioned above, laminate floorings are not the best option for places with high moisture. This makes them unsuitable for places such as bathrooms and laundry rooms. For these rooms, you should consider the alternatives that have higher moisture-resistance.
3. Fake looks
This downside is only for laminate floorings that have less quality and price tag. At lower prices, the décor layer uses images with lower qualities. This will make your entire flooring look like fake wood instead of that natural look.
To prevent this from happening, you can use some higher quality laminate products, which have a high-quality décor layer. High-end laminate floorings can look very much identical to hardwood flooring.
4. Hard to repair
Laminate floorings can’t be sanded or refinished like hardwood floorings. This means if there is an issue with your laminate, you can only replace that plank.
Since laminate floorings are relatively inexpensive and easy to install, changing them is not that inconvenient either. However, for those who want to sand their floorings regularly to get a better finish, laminate is not a suitable option.
Conclusion
If you consider everything, laminate floorings are one of the best flooring options out there. You can get durability, inexpensive price, and great designs all at the same time. However, laminate flooring can be an unsuitable option in some situations. For example, in places with high moisture. Over the recent years, laminate floorings have improved to be one of the top options in the industry. In the past laminate flooring was only used for cheap houses. Since they have been first created in 1977, industries have been trying to optimize the product and solve all its issues. As the result, we have now a product in the flooring industry, which is pretty much perfect. Nowadays there is a wide variety of laminate floorings available. You can even find some high-quality laminate floorings in high-end houses.
Because of so many options, choosing a suitable laminate flooring might seem challenging for you. Feel free to contact us here at Stonehard for a professional consultant. Here in Sydney, Australia, we pride ourselves on providing the best products and services for our customers. For more information about laminate floorings, feel free to contact us.
For more information, you can see this video about laminate flooring on youtube.