This style of floor is made up of several layers. The topmost layer is the overlay, and it's made of tough material that is impervious to almost all types of damage: stains, scratches, water, and so forth.
The succeeding layer on the other hand is made of paper only, and it's what gives the floor its unique appearance. It can make it look like authentic hardwood or other types of flooring.
The third layer is the core of flooring, and it's made from fiber board. It provides additional toughness. And finally, the last layer provides stability to the whole piece.
The process of making laminate hardwood flooring depends on what type of decorative paper is used. Some types use high-strength paper to increase its resistance to damage.
Classifications
Besides keeping an eye on what type of decorative paper is used, there are other properties that you should be aware of when shopping for laminate hardwood flooring. There are two primary types of laminate, and they're further divided into several categories.
Residential or Home Use
Type Twenty-One - This type of floor is most suitable for bedrooms and other parts of the house which are not frequently occupied by lots of people.
Type Twenty-Two - This type can handle the normal bustle of activities in living rooms and dining rooms.
Type Twenty-Three - Built extra tough, this type can be placed anywhere at home but will be put to better use in the kitchen and maybe the living room as well because these are the generally the busiest parts of a home.
Commercial or Business Use
Type Thirty-One - Laminate hardwood flooring under this category are ideal for places where the comings and goings of people is minimal such as hotels and conference centers.
Type Thirty-Two - Restaurants, offices, and reception rooms will benefit from this type of floor.
Type Thirty-Three - Government offices, public facilities, and other sites that are generally crowded will definitely need this type.
Buyers are often confused as to which flooring choices to make. Firstly, laminate hardwood flooring is also known as plastic laminate flooring. If you hear that term, that's exactly what you're looking for.
Don't confuse it with real wood flooring because the latter makes use of genuine wood for your flooring, which is not at all as tough as laminate hardwood flooring.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Buying Laminate Hardwood Flooring
PROS
This type of floor will give your house the classical appeal that real hardwood flooring provides without having to suffer the inherent disadvantages of real wood flooring such as its vulnerability to damage from moisture and temperature change.
It is easy to install compared to other types of hardwood flooring. If you have the basic tools and equipment and of course essential DIY skills, there's no reason for you to hire a professional to help you out. You can truly do it all by yourself, and you won't even have to spend a long time doing it.
CONS
Laminate hardwood flooring cannot be refinished like real hardwood flooring. If it does wear out, the whole flooring has to be replaced with a new one. The good news here however is that it takes a very long time to wear out, so by the time it does, you'll probably be in the mood for a change of flooring anyway.
Although it is certainly similar or exactly alike in terms of appearance with real hardwood flooring, the texture isn't quite the same. Then again, since it's only your shoes that will feel the difference, this is only a minor bleep in the larger picture.
Ultimately, laminate hardwood flooring is the best choice of flooring for most households and especially for those working with a tight budget because it's easy to clean, install, resistant to almost all types of damage, affordable, and with a wide variety of designs for you to choose from.
Laminate hardwood flooring is very versatile flooring that gives the appearance of having hardwood flooring without the expensive price tag. Although laminate flooring does look like hardwood, it is not made of solid wood. It is called engineered hardwood because it is made from several materials bonded together under extremely high pressure. It is easy to lay and care for and when you step on it, it is almost like you are floating. This is why laminate hardwood flooring is also called a floating floor.
You can learn how to lay laminate flooring very quickly. Once you see the first few planks of the flooring going together, you can complete the rest of the job on your own. You can install Quick Step laminate flooring on just about any room of your home. However, it is not recommended for use in bathrooms, mudrooms or any other room where there could be an excess of moisture. The extra water could damage the flooring meaning you would have to remove and replace one or two planks of the laminate flooring.
If you are looking at how easy it is to learn how to lay laminate flooring, you will also learn about the advantages of Quick Step laminate flooring. In contrast to solid hardwood, laminate hardwood flooring is about half the cost. It is easy to install and there is no finish or refinish to worry about. Installing laminate flooring doesn't need any nails, but you can choose to glue it to the subfloor. Another advantage of laminate flooring is that you can lay it down on virtually any type of surface, except, of course, carpet. It is suitable for installing on top of concrete, wood or vinyl. All you have to do is to make sure the floor underneath is level before you start to lay the planks.
When you ask the flooring retailer about how to lay laminate flooring, you will get several different instructions about how to prepare the floor beforehand. You do have to make sure the surfaces is free of any dust or small pieces of dirt that might work their way up through the laminate hardwood flooring. You also have to check to make sure the subfloor is soundproof and that it is level. Often people who have installed the Quick Step laminate flooring report that there are squeaks when they step on it. This is not the fault of the laminate flooring, but because the floor under it was not properly levelled before they started to lay the planks.
You do have to take extra care when you install laminate hardwood flooring over radiant heating. You have to read both the instructions for how to lay laminate flooring and the instructions regarding the radiant heat before you start. When you plan to lay laminate hardwood flooring in your home, you don't have to open the packages until you are ready to start.
Both Lee Dobbins & Peter Crump are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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