Laminate Flooring - The Many Benefits

Laminate flooring is increasing in popularity very quickly, and with good reason. The benefits of laminate flooring are many.

Beauty of Laminate Flooring

Let's start with eye appeal. Laminate flooring is just plain beautiful. The look of a wood floor is one that has wide appeal, and adds a warm natural and welcoming look to a home.

Laminate flooring offers many choices in wood tone. Oak has been a very popular look, but there are many more to choose from. You can choose a Brazilian Cherry for a medium warm tone, or a Santos Mahogany for darker rosy tones, Mocha Oak for a darker rustic look, or Maple for it's pale beauty. These are just a few examples of the wide variety of choices that are available.

Laminate Flooring Cost and Durability

Laminate floors are not hardwood floors. Let's get that out of the way right up front.

Laminate flooring is the gift of technology. With all the advances made in manufacturing and processes, we are blessed with many types of flooring today that are far superior to flooring available in former years, and laminates are included in the list.

The advantage to laminate flooring is that it offers the beauty of wood, but without many of the drawbacks of hardwood floors. While hardwood floors are the Cadillac of flooring they don't come without their drawbacks, which is maintenance and cost.

Hardwood floor are just that. They are made of hardwood. They can be acquired factory finished, or they can be finished after installation. They are very pricey, and in almost all cases need to be professionally installed. They do require special care and maintenance.

Laminate floors on the other hand, are a creation. What you see when you look down at a laminate floor is actually a picture of wood. The very top layer is clear and gives the product durability. Under that is the picture of wood, and underlying that is medium density fiberboard for stability, and finally under that layer is backing that offers even more stability.

Though laminate flooring is new compared to hardwoods, linoleum, and tile which have been around from a hundred to several hundred years, laminates have been on the market and in homes for a long enough period of time to prove themselves, and they just get better all the time.

A laminate floor, properly cared for, will last and look beautiful for many years, and for much less money invested as compared with a hardwood floor.

Installing Laminate Flooring

Aside from the reduced cost of the product itself, laminates can be installed by the homeowner saving further money on the installation process. Most laminates today are glueless, tongue and groove installations and can be installed in a day or two depending on how much flooring is being installed.

Once the installation is finished, it is indeed finished. There is no need for a finishing process such as you might have with hardwood. The floor is ready to be walked on.

Laminate Flooring Ease of Care and Maintenance

Care of a laminate floor is pretty simple. Keep it clean. Really, that's it. As with any flooring material, dirt should be swept up on a regular basis with a soft broom or vacuum, and it can be damp mopped. Damp is a key word here. Don't overdo the water. Just a damp mop will do the job. Wipe up any spills as they occur, and placing mats in front of doors or sinks is a practical thing to do just as with any other flooring.

More information is available on laminate flooring as well as tips on tile floors