Laminate flooring has become a popular choice for many homeowners due to its ability to closely emulate today’s most popular hard surfaces, especially hardwood planks and ceramic or stone tiles. Besides the great textures and designs, laminate flooring offers improved durability, easier maintenance and affordability compared to other types of hard surface floors. These floors are extremely resistant to wear, stains and sunlight fading. The beautifully rich textured finishes make these floors a great alternative for most areas in the home.
Having arrived from Europe over a decade ago, laminate flooring was inspired by countertop materials, only it’s at least 20 times stronger. With a direct pressure laminate surface it is virtually impossible for spills and scuffs to leave a mark. The clear surface layer protects the pattern underneath and is highly resistant to furniture denting, burns and scratches from pets. Maintenance is quick and easy, you can use a damp cloth to remove stuck on debris or spills, and sweep or vacuum for regular cleaning. Though you can use microfiber mop heads or reusable cleaning pads, it is not recommended that you use steam mops or oversaturated wet mops at any time. The surface is hygienic and is excellent for people suffering from allergies.
Laminate flooring is specially engineered with layered construction, and can be installed almost anywhere in the home, including over dry concrete slabs, wooden subfloors and many types of existing floor coverings. The low clearance space height means laminates are particularly suited for renovation and restoring old houses where floor thicknesses can be a problem.
Laminate flooring offers a wide selection of rich colors and designs in several different grades, including laminates with pre-attached underlayments to help deaden sound and keep the floor warmer and “embossed-in-register” designs in which the surface texture exactly matches the image texture for highly realistic look and feel of real hardwood, tile and stones styles.