Laminate Flooring - Floor City USA
Why has laminate flooring been such a hit?
Laminate flooring products have definitely stayed up with other flooring products with regards to the technological advances, the looks, durability, affordability and ease of installation. And, it's not unusual to find laminate floors with warranties that surpass other flooring selections. Boasting some of the toughest finishes in the business, laminate floors have proven themselves in the flooring industry as products that significantly resist scratching, denting, and even burns.
We have many, many choices of laminate flooring that when placed side-by-side with real wood, most people would not be able to differentiate between the two. You can get wood-look laminate floors that are:
- Distressed Laminate Floor
- Handscraped Laminate Floor
- Beveled Laminate Floor
- No Bevel Laminate Floor
- Large Plank Laminate Floor
- Smooth Laminate Floor
- Piano/Glossy/Matte Finish Laminate Floor
- Whitewashed Laminate Floor
- Many more
Many laminate floors are stylishly designed with the look of just about any wood imaginable. Yet other laminates are designed to provide the look of stone, tile, and even bamboo.
Laminate Flooring Benefits
There are many benefits to having laminate flooring installed in your home or business: Laminate flooring is a floating floor. That is, the flooring is not attached to the subfloor. It employs a "locking" system that keeps the planks connected. There is no glue. It's a relatively easy floor to install; it doesn't require much prep work, and is ready to walk on as soon as it's installed. The one requirement is that you have an underlayment--primarily to keep moisture from reaching the high-density fiberboard. An underlayment may be nothing more than just a moisture barrier. However, most people will install a sound-deadening pad and moisture barrier in one. The pad helps to eliminate the "hollow" sound a floating floor can produce. Keep in mind, however, that the thicker the laminate, the more solid it will feel under foot.
Laminate flooring in wet areas
Laminate floor products are fine for most areas. However, you do run a risk putting it in the kitchen where the ice maker's water line could break or in the bathroom where the the toilet could overflow. It's this "standing water" that causes the damage. The body of the laminate floor, the high-density fiberboard (HDF), absorbs the water, becomes saturated and swells. Many of the higher end laminate flooring offer greater protection from moisture/water by impregnating the HDF with water repellent products or by applying a moisture sealant to all sides of the HDF.
As an interesting side note: Floor City USA conducted an in-house experiment with a customer to test the water resistency of an in-stock laminate. A piece of laminate flooring was placed in a plasic bowl and submerged in water for 30 minutes. Afterwards, we looked at the laminate floor and compared it to the original. The test piece DID NOT sustain any apparent damage nor did it exhibit any indication of having been submerged in water (no swelling). Surprisingly, the piece still functioned properly and even locked in place.
Now, this does not mean that had it been submerged another 30 minutes that we wouldn't have encountered a different outcome. If exposed to standing water long enough, the HDF will deteriorate, rendering the product unusable. Without the standing water issue, it's actually difficult to ruin laminate. Everyday spills rarely cause damage. The key is to immediately wipe them up.
