Laminate Flooring Lifespan
You need to think how long the laminate flooring will last. You should also consider how the floor will hold up in a certain environment. While it is designed to last for a long time, laminate floors are still considered as a temporary product. It will wear down over time, especially when you place it in high traffic areas. The wear layer will fade after a couple of years, and you need to replace the flooring. However, the best thing about laminate flooring is that it is easier to remove compared to mortared tiles or nailed down floors. With a this floor, you just need to pull a little. The subfloor will be left undamaged and can still be reused.
Cost Of Laminate Floors
Laminate flooring made mostly from composite wood pressed together at high temperatures. It’s considerably more affordable than natural timber, which can be quite expensive depending on how exotic the tree is.
For example, the most affordable available right here from Carpet Call is $26 per square meter, compared to $50-$150 per square meter for solid hardwood floors.
What Makes A High-Quality Laminate?
Quality laminate made using a relatively time-consuming process. Involving multiple layers of timber, wax and sealant to ensure the finished product is strong and attractive. When reputable manufacturers design laminates to mimic the unique characteristics of timber, they take time to ensure the patterns are natural and organic. And don’t look like they’ve come straight from a production line.
These subtle differences, features and colors of natural timber products reflected in quality laminates. Making it easy to mistake them for traditional floorboards.
On the other hand, low-quality flooring often displays repeating patterns and fake-looking colors, cheapening the feel of your room. Low-quality flooring can also contain harmful substances used in the manufacturing process that can irritate asthma sufferers and lower indoor air quality.
What To Look For To Ensure You’re Getting A Good Quality Product
- If there is an opportunity to see a large area of floor installed up floor, such as in a showroom, you can check the alignment of the boards and look for gaps or uneven edges.
- Good-quality laminate floorboards should lock together and create a flat surface, if the edges seem rough or uneven it may cause installation issues, then look for a precision-machined edge.
- Take a look at the thickness of the laminate. Since thin laminates can cause joint issues if the substrate is imperfect, so look for sheets that are 8mm or more in thickness.
- Laminate is the best performers in a high sun environment, a cheaper laminate will fade quicker over time.
- High quality laminate floor looks and feels just like the real thing. Up to 7 print colors are used in the manufacture process and the very best laminates actually use a digital printing technology to further enhance the realism.
- Inspect the bevel edges on your laminate. Quality laminates generally have smaller micro bevels, where the foil of the laminate is actually pressed all the way into the grove. This makes them more resistant to water, lots easier to keep clean and less likely to damage. Laminates with no bevel, or painted bevels are more susceptible to water entry.
