There's no doubt about it, the traditional look of beautiful hardwood floors is timeless and its luxurious beauty has given a sense of comfort and elegance to homes around the world for generations, but hardwood floors are expensive, not very hard-wearing and need a good bit of regular maintenance. Even with the most recent technological advancements in treating hardwood surfaces we have not been able to solve such issues as scratching, fading, denting and staining. This problem has lead to the development of laminate flooring with the look and appeal of hardwood floors without the problems of maintenance.
The laminate flooring industry has grown nearly twenty percent a year for over two decades now and is the fastest growing segment of the flooring industry. The popular appeal of laminate flooring is due to not only the way it looks like real hardwood, but also because of the durability and easy care that lends will to the busy lifestyles of today.
Laminate floors do not stain, fade or dent like hardwood and are much more resistant to scratches and water. Some laminate flooring companies offer warranties on their products of up to fifteen years. If you are using an entry level laminate you need to set realistic expectations of no more than five years if you install it in high traffic areas. To determine what grade of laminate flooring you should buy consider the area you are going to install it and whether or not you plan to stay there. If you plan on moving soon you shouldn't spend a lot of money on a high grade floor because people usually replace flooring when they buy a home anyway.
When choosing a laminate floor pay particular attention to the thickness as a thicker flooring is much less likely to buckle and will sound like hardwood when walking on it. A good quality floor system will also be treated to be water resistant and will not swell easily due to excessive moisture. If you are placing laminate flooring in a bathroom or kitchen area be sure that the flooring has Paraffin Wax in the joints to repel water and keep any spills from getting to the core of the flooring.
Many of the laminate flooring systems of today come with built in locking designs so that the floor can be put down with no glue or nails! The introduction of these systems have made it so easy that even a novice can install a floor with just simple hand tools and save tons of money in labor by not having to hire a contractor.
If you are planning on a total make-over for your house and in the process changing its flooring, you can have a lot of options to choose from. You can completely change the material of your existing tile or you may just change the color of your tiles only. But then, you might think of trying bamboo flooring instead. Bamboo floors are so far the highly recommended material in today’s home furnishing industry. They are created out of a bamboo plant and the product has originated from some parts of Asia, but most often, they come from China. “Moso" is the common specie of bamboo that is used for flooring.
Bamboo floorings are of different forms and depending on its variety will be the corresponding bamboo flooring prices. Each of the bamboo flooring varies in terms of its manufacturing process. Aside from this, they may also differ primarily on where and how it is being marketed. Bamboo flooring prices is totally dependent on its origin, as well as the quality of the bamboo itself.
In the Southeast Asia, the bamboo flooring comes from thin bamboo stems which are cut into a flat form. The bamboos are cut as flat as possible and they are cut into uniform lengths. This type of bamboo flooring can be used as is, with its natural color, or it may also be stained, dyed or varnished. The bamboo flooring of this type is usually nailed to bigger bamboo stems or to wooden beams, resulting in more spaces in between the bamboo flooring. This is recommended for use on stilted houses, for a better circulation of air, especially for warm summers.
In the North America, a different processing technique is used for bamboo flooring. This is to complement the weather of the countries in this part also. The manufactured products are highly processed. The bamboo stems used comes from bigger bamboo stems. They are split into uniform width and lengths, and then they are flattened. Further processing is done, by drying it and then laminating it with the use of layers of glue in high pressure.
From the process itself, you will now have an idea how much the bamboo flooring prices will be. The longer and finer the processing will be, the higher will be its price range, notwithstanding the quality of the product, too.
Bamboo floorings are also available depending on its grain orientation. The pieces of woods may be either in horizontal or in vertical. Horizontal bamboo flooring contains slats that are horizontally arranged on its widest edge. They are then joined on its sides with adjoining pieces with the aid of a laminate system coupled with a high pressure. The finished look of the bamboo flooring is one where the bamboo nodes are not that visible.
For bamboo flooring with vertical grain orientation, each piece is laminated side to side on its narrowest edge. The overall effect of this type is a uniform look right to the surface of the finished bamboo flooring.
Bamboo flooring prices will again depend on its installation procedure. Installing locking bamboo flooring is easier since each piece has an interlocking joint that can simply be fixed in place. If installation is fast and easy, then there is no need for a highly equipped installer. The bamboo flooring prices will then be lower.
Both Gregg Hall & Vikram Kuamr 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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