Are Laminate Floors A Great Alternative For Wood?

In recent years, laminate has become an increasingly popular flooring choice that is quickly catching up with the consistent popularity of authentic hardwood. It looks like wood, even feels like wood, is generally cheaper to buy and install, and is much easier to clean. While hardwood itself is extremely desirable, the steep price tag and associated maintenance costs are driving people toward laminate flooring, especially given the current state of the economy.

Laminate Floors Are Innovative Design

Because of the way in which laminate floors are manufactured, they tend to be extremely resilient to scratches, spills, and scuffs. Laminate floors are essentially comprised of four main parts. A photographic appliqué layer (usually of wood or stone) is strategically placed underneath a clear protective layer that acts as a shield to the floor design. The inner core of laminate is generally an amalgamation of melamine resin and fiberboard materials. Since melamine contains approximately 66 percent nitrogen by mass, these floors are extremely fire retardant, adding an element of safety to your home. The balancing element, inner core, pattern, and protective wear layer are combined at high pressure and temperature, normally at 600 pounds per square inch and 400 F, respectively. After these laminate sheets are pressed, they are cooled to ensure a full cure and prevent surface imperfections, creating aesthetically pleasing laminate floor planks ready for installation.

Why are Laminate Floors Cheap?

When laminate flooring was invented by Perstorp in the 1970s, only a few select brands were passable as authentic hardwood; many other manufacturers who jumped on the laminate bandwagon were producing inferior products that were obviously cheaply made. Technological advancements since then have drastically improved the appearance of laminate floors. However, there are dubious manufacturers out there who sacrifice quality for low cost and high volume. It is important to be cautious when choosing laminate floors; all too often, deals that seem too good to be true generally are.

Due to the relative ease of manufacture and increased consumer demand for laminate products, this, unfortunately, has concerning implications in the floor covering industry. An unspoken price war is waging between manufacturers, and some companies have to meet very low consumer price demands in order to stay competitive. This, in turn, results in some manufacturers cutting corners on quality in order to meet their bottom line.

Choose The Better Quality Wisely!

The good-quality laminate normally costs between $1 and $4 per square foot. It is always advisable to check consumer reviews of specific flooring products before you purchase them for installation. Things to watch out for in laminate floors are extremely hollow sound, too much give, excessive ridging and peaking where planks are joined, and floating floors that do not click in properly. These are all signs of cheap laminate; of course, even the best quality laminate has its drawbacks just like any other type of flooring, but any defect or flaw that affects the structural integrity of the flooring is a definite danger sign.