How to Choose a Pattern of Laminate Flooring

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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The choices in laminate flooring patterns are astounding. Here are some pointers for helping you make a final selection.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Laminate Floorings

Step1

Have an overall look in mind - light, dark, medium, oak, pine, solid red, stone, etc. - before you shop. Make this choice based on the decorating mood you want to set: light and airy, warm and cozy, energetic and playful, formal and elegant, rustic and casual, whatever.

Step2

Consider that wood and stone laminates, though closely resembling the real thing, are man-made and usually should not butt up against the genuine article, because the artificial material will look less desirable. For example, don't install a faux-marble (or oak-look) laminate floor in the family room that meets up with a genuine marble (or oak floor) in the entryway.

Step3

Remember that patterns with graining or other types of shading will not show soil as quickly as solids. Very dark patterns (which also will darken the room) and very light ones also will cry out for cleaning more quickly.

Step4

Note that a laminate floor with a light texture - mimicking stone or wood, for instance - will look more like the real material and be less slippery when damp.

Step5

Be attuned to optical illusions and choose accordingly. A long strip pattern in flooring, when run with the length of a long, narrow room, will exaggerate the bowling-alley effect; in a square room, the long strips will give the room a rectangular feel.

Step6

Bear in mind that laminate flooring will last for many years, so you probably should avoid anything trendy or with such a strong pattern that it will be difficult to, say, replace the wallpaper, draperies or other furnishings. Charcoal-gray wood grains, florals and bleached parquet, for example, may not offer the long-term versatility of more classic patterns, such as natural oak or maple, taupe faux ceramic-tile and tan stone.