How to Compare Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring has taken off across America. It requires little maintenance and care, and is cost effective when compared to real hardwood. While laminate flooring once looked a lot like tacky, fake wood, it now looks beautiful and elegant. In fact, laminate flooring is a selling point in real estate properties. Just like anything else, however, laminate flooring has a few bad eggs in the bunch. It is up to you to decide and which laminate flooring is right for you. This guide is designed to help you compare the many laminate flooring options. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Inspect the aesthetic quality of the laminate flooring. It is nearly impossible to tell the difference between a nice laminate floor and real hardwood. Lower quality laminate, however, has hardly any wood-like texture and looks completely fake. You want a laminate with a lot of wood-like grain.
-
2
Decide if you want to quickly and easily install your own laminate flooring. A quick snap, tongue and groove laminate flooring is easy to self-install. There are three main types of laminate floors. Two types require glue, while the snap in place type does not.
-
-
3
Check out the wear rating of each laminate floor brand. The wear rating always begins with "AC" After the "AC" there is a number. The higher the number, the more wear and tear the floor can take. If you have children or pets, a wear rating of AC3 is much better than AC1 or AC2.
-
4
Check the laminate core rating. The core of the laminate flooring should be heavy and dense. The tighter the fibers are together, the stronger and more waterproof the flooring. Typically, a dense laminate flooring will have a core rating of 850 kg per square foot or more.
-
5
Determine if the laminate can be used anywhere within the home. Most laminate floors can be placed anywhere, even in areas that accumulate moisture. There are a few, however, that are limited in their use. If you do purchase a laminate floor for a wet area, check and see if warranties are limited to dry use only.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
A benefit of laminate flooring is that you never need to wax or sand like you would a hardwood floor.
Laminate flooring is much more scratch resistant than real hardwood, but heavy dog claws can scratch the surface if you aren't careful.
