About Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring combines natural looking designs with a tough, durable finish and can be used in almost any area of the home. Laminate floors also offer realistic designs and can replicate the characteristics of the popular handscraped hardwood floors.
Laminate flooring is a multi-layer synthetic flooring product, fused together with a lamination process. Laminate flooring simulates wood (or stone, in some cases) with a photographic applique layer under a clear protective layer. The inner core layer is usually composed of melamine resin and fiber board materials. There is sometimes a glue backing for ease of installation. It has the advantages that it is durable, as compared with carpet, and attractive, at a lower cost as compared to natural floor materials.
Laminate flooring is a hybrid. It looks like hardwood but it’s not. Yet it’s not vinyl tiling and it’s not engineered flooring. Some people love laminate flooring because it’s easy to install–you can install several hundred square feet in a weekend. It’s easy to clean, too. Laminate flooring is often known by its brand name, Pergo. Yet there are plenty of other manufacturers: Dupont, Mannington, Armstrong, and more. Laminate flooring is mainly manufactured by companies that make synthetic floor coverings.
With the look of wood but with an improved wear performance, getting all the beauty and elegance of hardwoods, laminate flooring is both durable and easy to maintain. It’s machine-made construction makes it very hard to stain, warp or buckle and the Aluminum Oxide coated surface gives it a high degree of scratch resistance that is perfectly suited to heavy foot traffic. Unlike hardwood, laminate floors have water resistant cores and wax impregnated edges making them resistant to topical water spills. This allows for installation in kitchens and bathrooms.
The allure of laminate flooring is not only in it’s representation of real hardwood and it’s incredible durability, but also in the ease with which these floors are installed and maintained. The introduction of glueless laminates has revolutionized flooring, opening the door to the DIY market and the weekend enthusiast. No prior experience, specialized knowledge or tools are required. Simply place on the floor, cut the odd piece, click, and your floors are ready to be walked on.
Afford-A-Floor provides laminate flooring from the following manufacturers: AJ Trading, Armstrong, Greenfield, Kaindl, Lamett, Mannington, Quick Step, Shaw, Wilson Art and more. Our laminate collections in New Jersey are the best combination of quality and value in a wide range of colors, styles and designs. Our in-house installers have years of experience in dealing with laminate flooring and are bonded, licensed and insured.
Care For Your Laminate Floors
Unlike hardwood, laminate floors will not stain, fade, dent and are far more scratch and water resistant. Entry level laminate wood flooring is designed for light traffic areas and come with warranties ranging from 10 to 15 years. Most people set their expectations too high and expect that entry level floors will perform under heavy traffic conditions and still look good for the duration of the warranty. This is however not the case, as an entry level floor subject to high traffic will start to show wear and tear within three to five years.
It is important to keep laminate clean, as dust, dirt and sand particles may scratch the decorative surface over time in high-traffic areas. It is also important to keep laminate relatively dry, since sitting water/moisture can cause the planks to swell, warp, etc, though some brands are equipped with water-resistant coatings. Water spills aren’t a problem if they’re wiped up quickly, and not allowed to sit for a prolonged period of time. Adhesive felt pads are often placed on the feet of furniture on laminate floors to prevent scratching. Glueless laminate floors may gradually become separated, creating visible gaps between planks. It is important to “tap” the planks back together using the appropriate tool as you notice the gaps, otherwise dirt will fill the gaps making it difficult to close them later.
Laminate Floors are Durable
Laminate flooring is highly stain resistant and requires very little routine care and maintenance. Simply sweep the floor daily with a soft bristled brush and damp mop as required. As a precautionary measure, place foot mats at external doorways, thus preventing the tracking in of dirt, in addition to using furniture pads under the feet of furniture in order to prevent scuffing and scratching.
Laminate flooring is available in a plethora of styles and designs. Each wood species displays its own unique characteristics, each lending itself to a different design aspect. Choose the grainy appearance of Oak to add charm to any rustic interior, or utilize the grain-less consistent landscape of Maple to bring continuity to modern decor. Remember to use light colors to visually expand a room, while adding dark color for a more intimate feel.
Unlike hardwood, laminate floors will not stain, fade, dent and are far more scratch and water resistant. Entry level laminate wood flooring is designed for light traffic areas and come with warranties ranging from 10 to 15 years. Most people set their expectations too high and expect that entry level floors will perform under heavy traffic conditions and still look good for the duration of the warranty. This is however not the case, as an entry level floor subject to high traffic will start to show wear and tear within three to five years.
Remarkable realism and flexible performance: Luxury Vinyl Tile and Plank.
Resilient flooring that offers the performance and durability needed for today’s high-traffic commercial applications. A balanced collection of visuals in wood and natural materials that can be transformed into countless designs – achieving remarkable realism by combining the latest advances in technology, imaging, texturing and finishing. All to create easy installation, design flexibility and the most authentic resilient products ever developed. Even more importantly, it contains increasingly high percentages of recycled content, because we have invested heavily in the creation of technologically advanced, innovative takeback programs. Vinyl is a material that many manufacturers will not touch or even talk about, but the simple truth is that vinyl can be recycled forever, and there is no better way to dispose of it than by recycling it into new products.