Laminate flooring is offered in a variety of colors, textures, and styles. It is one of the most affordable and versatile types of flooring for homes and commercial spaces, as it is designed to emulate the appearance of real wood, tile, or stone with vastly superior performance benefits.
Laminate Flooring Benefits
- Affordability – Laminate can provide you with the look of hardwood or tile at a fraction of the cost.
- Superior indoor air quality – Laminate also does not trap dirt, dust, or allergens, making it perfect for homes where this is a concern.
- Low-Maintenance – Laminate provides you with the appearance of hardwood without having to re-stain or re-finish the floor. Plus, it’s easier to keep clean than carpeting or tiled floors.
- Extremely durable – Laminate floors provide you with up to 5x more scratch resistance than hardwood. Perfect for busy households with kids and pets.
- Variety – If you’re looking for flooring that’s going to help your home stand out from the others in your neighborhood, laminate can help! With so many colors and styles to choose from, it’s easy to amplify your home décor with flooring.
- Easy to Install - "Click together" Styles/colors follow trends in natural hardwood
- Water resistant – Most laminate flooring is extremely water resistant. There’s no need to worry about spills, melting ice cubes, water dripping dogs and more which makes it great for kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, basements and mudrooms.
How Laminate is Constructed
Laminate floor construction consists of 4-5 layers. While a laminate floor may look very much like a solid wood floor or engineered wood floor, laminate floor construction is different. Perhaps the biggest difference in laminate floor construction is that what you are actually seeing with a laminate floor is not the natural wood grain it is a photograph that is printed on a paper-like product.
Protective Layer
The top, clear layer that aids in the resistance of stains, fading & scratches/dents
Design Layer
The design layer is a printed image of either wood or tile. This layer determines the look of the floor. Better quality design layers mean a more realistic look.
High Density Fiberboard Core
HDF, which is an engineered wood product, helps keep the laminate board stable, flat and moisture resistant.
Backing Layer
An added layer of moisture barrier that protects the floor from warping.
How to Clean and Maintain Laminate Floors
- Place floor mats at the entry points of the home to catch loose dirt
- Vacuum and sweep
- Damp mop regularly to remove dirt build up
- Plank replacement is possible by a trained installer
- Avoid steam cleaning. Instead, simply stick with a regular mop or swiffer
Note: Always refer the manufacturer's maintenance guidelines for the flooring you have chosen. It is important to follow their care instructions so as not to void any warranties.
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