Why laminate

The inability to sand and refinish is a major disadvantage of laminate flooring. If laminate flooring is heavily worn, deep scratched, or grooved, it cannot be sanded or refinished like solid hardwood —it must be replaced. Laminate flooring can faithfully reproduce the look of wood, stone, and other natural materials —at least at a distance. Unlike real hardwood, which comes with many imperfect pieces that need to be discarded or trimmed, there are no defects in laminate flooring.

Every board is of consistent quality and appearance. Deep embossing adds to the illusion of wood grain, as well.

However, laminate flooring's similarity to real wood or stone disappears when you look closely at the planks. Laminate flooring is by no means identical in appearance to real wood, partly because of pattern repetition. For most brands, five to 10 differently patterned boards are manufactured, while cheaper products may only have three different board patterns. If the installation is not done strategically, you can end up with identical boards next to one another.

Laminate flooring is not a material that will add long-term real estate value to your home, although it can be a good way to quickly and inexpensively renovate a shabby floor. If you want to get top sale value for your home, hardwood and engineered wood flooring give you better value. Laminate is very quick and easy to install; you can lay down hundreds of square feet in one weekend.

Older types of laminate flooring required you to glue pieces to each other, but virtually all of today's laminate flooring use a modified tongue-and-groove system best described as "click-and-lock" or "fold-lock," in which the planks are joined in interlocking fashion, edge-to-edge and end-to-end.

Since the planks are constructed with a particleboard core, it's easy to cut them to fit with miter saws. Laminate flooring is typically installed as a " floating floor "—the planks are interlocking at the edges, forming a solid mat that simply lies on the underlayment, without any glue-down required.

Installation is a simple matter of laying a foam underlayment, then joining rows of planks edge-to-edge across the floor. A professional crew can lay down a room in an hour or so, and a DIYer can do it in an afternoon.

While there are dozens of laminate floor brands, the best products come from a relatively small number of manufacturers:. While laminate flooring can feel hard underfoot, most installations include a resilient foam underlayment that gives the flooring a slightly springy feeling.

The underlayment also eliminates the hollow sound and feel that sometimes occurs with laminate flooring. Traditionally, laminate flooring has been very slippery. You can get longer warranties, all the way up to lifetime warranty coverage. With this much protection on your next investment, you are covered from manufacturer defects of the products. We understand that there is a lot to choose from when it comes to the various types of laminate flooring.

Contact us today to speak with one of our flooring experts and learn more. Comparing Laminate Flooring vs. Price of Laminate Flooring. Durability of Laminate Flooring. Durability Testing. Appearance of Laminate Flooring. Ease of Installation. You're now signed up to receive updates from Shaw. And whether you're looking to gather information, select a new style or care for the floors in your home, we look forward to helping you along the way.

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