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Bring new life and energy into your home just by changing your flooring. Look down and take a moment to evaluate the condition and look of your floors. Your floor is the foundation for all of the other decorative elements in your home and if your floors are not in good shape, nothing in your home will look its best.
Laminate flooring is a very popular choice for homeowners who want the look of hardwood or ceramic flooring without having to spend a lot of money. People also prefer laminate because it does not take them as much effort to maintain the floors relative to some other choices. However, possibly the biggest advantage most people experience with laminate floors is that they are easy to install.
Manufacturers use an interlocking system for laminate floors, and that means that the floor tiles or planks attach to one another. In contrast, you attach ceramic tiles and many hardwoods to a subfloor. Laminate uses a tongue and groove system to make it simpler to install. Homeowners can install their new laminate flooring over almost any type of floor that they may currently have in their homes. The only requirement is that they use an underlayment. Underlayment is a soft material that you lay down underneath the laminate planks or tiles. In addition to moisture control, the purpose of the underlayment is to provide a cushion between the laminate flooring and what lies beneath it. Underlayment is also useful for controlling sound. Since the floor is essentially floating, there is a chance that walking on it will produce a hollow sound. Using underlayment solves that problem.
Before you can install any laminate flooring in your home, you must let it acclimate for 48 hours in the same room where you will install the flooring. Be sure to remove any plastic wrap from around the flooring so that the air can reach the planks. Try to purchase an additional 10% more flooring than you expect to use for your flooring, to account for measurement or cutting errors. Work at your own pace and soon you will enhance the look and feel of your home.
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Are laminate and bamboo flooring comparable?
Bamboo floor is not the same as Wilsonart Laminate because laminate is an artificial product and bamboo flooring is a natural product. However, Wilsonart Laminate makes a laminate flooring in Hawaaian Bamboo pattern. For more information visit http://www.hgtvpro.com/hpro/np_supplyhouse/article/0,,HPRO_22396_4854856,00.html.
What types of flooring does Armstrong make?
Armstrong flooring makes many different types of flooring with different subsections in each. 6 types of flooring Armstrong makes are vinyl, hardwood, laminate, linoleum, vinyl tile and luxury vinyl.
Who invented laminate flooring?
Day by day homeowners are turning to hardwood floors for their House. Hardwood flooring usually in three varieties: strip, plank, and parquet. These floors can be durable if you maintain them well. Hardwood flooring is costly when compared to others, but it’s still the most popular. Hardwood Flooring Types Waterproof Flooring Solid Wood Flooring Engineered Wood Flooring Bamboo Flooring Wide Plank Flooring Distressed Hardwood Flooring
Is laminate flooring better with or with out backing?
It really makes no difference, except that some form of underlayment or backing is necessary to a successful installation. The existence of a backing already applied to the laminate makes no difference as to the quality of the flooring. But floors installed with no backing or foam or felt underlayment are prone to cracking and splitting, and are very noisy underfoot.
What options are available for installing laminate wood flooring?
Laminate flooring has quite a few advantages over traditional hardwood. Firstly, laminate floors aren't prone to decay and wear at nearly the same rate. They're much easier to install, and use pre cut boards that snap together easily. This makes them a great solution for do it yourself enthusiasts.
Can you lay carpet on laminate flooring?
yes you can it makes no difference {edit:} IF you are gluing the carpet to the laminate. But if you plan to install tack strip and stretch the carpet, you risk the tension of the carpet pulling up laminate boards at the edges.
The company Flooring Liquidators can provide laminate flooring made out of several different woods what are they?
Flooring Liquidators offers laminate flooring made out of various woods such as oak, maple, hickory, and cherry. Each wood type provides a different aesthetic and durability, allowing customers to choose the best option for their needs and preferences.
What makes the best wood flooring?
Aged Woods reclaimed wood flooring is one of the best flooring. It is carefully re-milled from recycled wood from old weathered and distressed barnwood. Hard woods such are aged oak, Steamed Beech, European Oak Prime American White Oak Prime American Ash Beech Black Walnut Canadian Maple Cherry Many people now use engineered flooring where only a 5 millimeter laminate of hard wood is faced on to 10 millimeter marine ply boards which are water resistant and harder than the MDF used in European laminate flooring sections
Can you install a ceramic floor over an existing laminate floor?
It depends on the condition, material and surface of the laminate. A linolium floor, for example, is soft composition with a textured surface. This makes a horrible foundation for ceramic tile, giving room to crack the grout between tiles. A hardwood-type laminate is smoother and harder which is a better foundation. That said, the best thing to do is rip the laminate out and start fresh.
Cleaning Your Laminate Floors?
Your laminate flooring makes a beautiful addition to your home and you need to maintain it in order to protect your investment. Clean your laminate flooring by using a dry mop, broom or vacuum cleaner to remove all the heavy dirt, dust and hair. Then use a steam mop or slightly damp cloth to clean and sanitize your floor and make it shine. Avoid using a traditional mop because this will leave too much water and cause your floor to swell and buckle. Avoid using any chemicals on your floor as this will destroy the floor's protective finish.
How to Care for Laminate Floors and Keep Them Looking Like New?
Wood flooring is a popular choice for today’s homeowners because it is easy to care for and looks great in just about any room. Yet the high cost of solid wood makes wood flooring prohibitively expensive for many people. That is why laminate floors that mimic the look of real wood are so popular. Laminate flooring is made of several different layers of paper and covered with a protective outer layer that looks just like a plank of wood. Though they are durable, this construction requires that homeowners take good care of their laminate floors lest they become damage beyond repair. Here is a simple guide for maintaining laminate flooring in the home or office.First, never use a wet mop to clean laminate. Laminate floors will absorb water if too much is applied, and the portion of a floor that absorbs water will be ruined. Simple sweeping and mopping with only a mop head that is slightly damp will prevent any problems from occurring.Second, make sure to clean up immediately any liquids spilt upon a laminate floor. Such liquids can seep in and warp or swell the laminate planks.Third, never drag furniture across a laminate floor. The legs of a table or chairs can scrape at the laminate, removing its protective outer layer and even scratching the floor. Wood floors can be sanded to remove scratches, but laminate floors cannot be fixed in this way.Fourth, protect laminate floors from accidental dragging of furniture through the use of felt furniture pads that are attached to the bottom of the furniture legs. These pads have a sticky back, which attaches them to the furniture in question, and a felt bottom that cushions the floor and protects it from the legs of table, chairs, and other furniture.Finally, use area rugs in high traffic areas. Dirt and other substances tracked onto laminate floors can end up scratching the laminate in the long run. Having area rugs or protective mats will prevent much of these scratching agents from getting onto the floor. Also, making people take off their shoes before entering the house can keep these scratchy substances at bay.
How to Choose Between a Hardwood and Laminate Floor?
When shopping for hardwood floors for your home, you’ll have to make a choice between installing a real hardwood floor or a laminate floor. It might seem like a cut and dry decision that choosing real hardwood is the better option, but owning a laminate floor has its merits. When you have to make the choice between a hardwood floor and a laminate floor, the deciding factor is always money. Hardwood floors cost much more than laminate floors, which makes laminate flooring a great option for people who are on a tight budget. In the past, laminate floors often looked cheap and inferior to real hardwood flooring, but with newer manufacturing techniques and increased consumer demand, it is often hard to tell the difference between a laminate floor and the real thing. The next issue that you need to think about when choosing between a laminate floor and hardwood is where you plan to install the floor. Real hardwood floors are not easy to install in every room. This is because real hardwood planks need to be glued to a subsurface or nailed into place. Doing so may be impractical and expensive. For example, if you have to install a hardwood floor over a cement slab, you will need to level the slab, sand it, and then apply glue, all labor intensive jobs that can cost a lot money. You also have to be careful about installing a real hardwood floor in places like the bathroom or kitchen where there the potential for a lot of exposure to moisture, which may cause the floor to warp or buckle. Instead, a laminate floor may be ideal. These floors are installed very easily without the need for glues or nails and can be placed over virtually any subsurface. Finally, you may want to consider the durability and ease of maintenance that a laminate floor has to offer. Laminate floors are resistant to scratching, fading, staining, and impacts that can damage the surface of real hardwood floors. On top of this, they are easy to clean, needing only a light vacuuming and mopping every now and then. Because of this, they are ideal flooring options for people who have kids or pets that may dirty the house a lot. If you’re making the decision between hardwood and laminate flooring, make sure you think about these things before making your purchase. Real hardwood floors are not suitable for every home and for every family. If yours is one of them, laminate flooring is a good choice.
