Laminate: selection and design features

With any repair, a difficult question arises – how to finish the floor? There is a wide variety of different floor coverings now. One of these coatings is laminate. This material has become very popular lately. Let’s talk a little more about this coverage.

Laminate flooring has become popular primarily because of its availability and ease of installation. Installing this flooring does not require any special skills or abilities. There is no need to pre-process or prepare the floor, the laminate has a so-called sliding installation, that is, there is no need to fasten it to the subfloor, it is enough to connect the parts together.

Laminate is the “youngest” floor covering that has appeared quite recently. However, it is already firmly entrenched in the construction market and occupies 10% of all types of floors. The first laminate flooring appeared in Sweden in the mid-eighties of the last century.

Now let’s say a few words about the construction of this material. Laminate is sheets from 7 to 11 millimeters thick, about 120 millimeters long and about 20 millimeters wide. These dimensions can of course vary depending on the type of laminate. These sheets have spikes and grooves at the edges so that they can be fastened to each other..

The big advantage and advantage of the laminated coating is that you can choose almost any texture and color. Laminate can imitate almost any type of wood, while sometimes possessing properties no worse than those of real parquet.

Here is an overview of laminate flooring. I hope they will help you make the right choice and make a quality repair..

How to choose a laminate

Many of those who decided to make a renovation chose laminate over all other flooring. There are some
rules, guided by which it is necessary to choose this material. Let’s talk a little more about these rules..

First of all, the laminate must be chosen based on the room in which you plan to cover the floor with it. The more actively the flooring is loaded, the more durable you need to choose it. Strength is divided into classes. The higher the class, the more resistant the laminate is to abrasion. For example, let’s say that if you decide to choose a laminate for the office, then you need to take class 31-33, if for a bedroom – class 21-22. Nothing prevents you from taking the coating with a “margin”, but keep in mind that the stronger the laminate, the more expensive it is. Besides, it won’t take long to change it.
and not difficult, so it is hardly advisable to buy an overly durable laminate.

Another criterion is the water resistance of the laminate. This material is extremely sensitive to moisture. In principle, the laminate board itself is well protected from water, but the joints and joints are the most sensitive places. If moisture gets there, the flooring becomes unusable. Manufacturers try to protect their products from water. But when choosing, keep in mind that a laminate with good moisture resistance is expensive..

If you want the laminate flooring to be practically silent when walking and not to knock on the concrete base, then you need to purchase a coating with a polyethylene backing. It will make the laminate virtually silent and provide additional sound insulation. In addition, a room with such a coating will be somewhat warmer than in the rest, thanks to additional thermal insulation..

Another sign that distinguishes laminate flooring is the way the boards are connected. There are two main connection options: locking and adhesive. With the latter method, a special glue is used, which also additionally protects the connections from moisture. With the prefabricated version, the boards are connected using locks, that is, spikes and grooves. This option is easy to assemble and disassemble, and if necessary, you can replace the damaged part. But this option, other things being equal, will cost more..

These are, perhaps, the main criteria by which you need to choose a laminate. I hope this article will help you when choosing a floor covering and it will serve you for a long time.