Learning Everything There is to Love about Laminate Floors
While there are dozens of flooring options to choose from today, it may seem at times that certain types of flooring specialize in only one or two worthy features. Some are extremely durable but also pretty difficult to install. Some feel great underfoot but are hard to keep clean. Others are economically priced but do not offer a wide range of styles, and a few kinds are environmentally friendly but not family friendly. In these flooring situations, it seems that you have to choose your preferred characteristic and settle on the rest.
However, there is a flooring alternative that does not place homeowners in such a compromising position. This flooring material is both durable and stylish while still being easy to afford, easy to install, easy to clean, and easy on the environment. It may sound too good to be true, but this is the reality of laminate flooring. The winning qualities of laminate flooring designate it as an outstanding flooring choice for any home, and Speedy Floor Removal is here to share more about these winning qualities of laminate flooring with you.
The Best Qualities of Laminate Flooring
Durability
With a core of high-density fiberboard, laminate floors are exceptionably durable and resistant to wear and tear. In fact, laminate floors are virtually immune to stains, spills, and scuffs, and they can actually be five times more scratch resistant than hardwood floors. Therefore, laminate floors can look just as elegant as hardwood without instilling nearly as much worry in homeowners. Laminate floors are even sealed with a tough melamine wear layer, so they can last longer than hardwood, vinyl, or carpet all while remaining impervious to cats, dogs, kids, and high heels. Additionally, most laminate flooring comes with extensive warranties that supply protection against fading and moisture damage. You can install laminate floors just about anywhere in your house: they work great in bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms, playrooms, and entryways. If you need a durable floor that does not demand much maintenance, laminate floors are the ideal choice that can handle all of your high-traffic areas.
Style
Laminate flooring comes in a significant variety of styles, colors, and patterns, so the design possibilities with laminate are practically limitless. Laminate stands as such a versatile flooring type because of its composition: laminate planks or tiles are made of layers of plywood or compressed fiber backing topped off with a photograph covered with a plastic coating. The fact that realistic photography is incorporated into this flooring means that laminate can be visually indistinguishable from real wood as well as stone, ceramic tile, and stained concrete. The technology of laminate flooring enables you to imitate most any kind of flooring in your home for a much lower price. Furthermore, the feel of laminate is a major plus: its soft, warm surface provides a corresponding experience underfoot to hardwood and an improved experience over ceramic or stone tile.
Price
Laminate is certainly one of the cheaper flooring options available today. With a lower price point than hardwood for an extremely similar look and feel, it affords considerable value to hardwood lovers. Laminate is also a particularly economical option when buyers consider its durability and longevity as well.
Installation
Most types of laminate flooring can be floated over the existing floor, which literally makes installation a snap. Without the use of glue, nails, or staples, floating floors involve individual planks that lock together with a tongue and groove system that joins securely while avoiding the need for attachment to the subfloor beneath. Tearing out old floors is unnecessary because laminate flooring can lie directly above dry concrete, wooden subfloors, and many other non-textile flooring types. A low clearance space height also enables laminate flooring to more easily enter older homes with thicker floors. The simplicity of installation that laminate flooring allows saves homeowners a lot of time and money and creates a flooring type that can be uninstalled and replaced in a quick and uncomplicated manner.
Maintenance
As laminate floors are so resistant to most kinds of damage, they are easy to clean and maintain. Laminate floors can be cleaned with a vacuum, a damp cloth, and most household cleaners. Removing stains is simple with laminate flooring: even heavy marks and stains wipe away with acetone or other solvents containing alcohol. Cleaning and keeping laminate is definitely not a hassle with its low maintenance material: the unique surface of laminate avoids the need for waxing or varnishing. With their hard, smooth exterior, laminate floors do not allow dust to accumulate the way that carpet fibers do, so they are actually a hypoallergenic flooring choice that is safe for people with allergies as they preserve healthy indoor air quality. In order to protect your laminate floors from dents and scratches, place felt protectors or nylon pads under your heavy furniture and replace hard plastic rollers with soft rubber rollers.
Resourcefulness
Finally, laminate flooring is environmentally friendly because it is made from recycled materials such as wood and wood byproducts and therefore does not require the harvesting of rare or endangered trees.
All About Floors: Speedy Floor Removal
With all of these attractive attributes, laminate flooring is the complete package in the field of flooring solutions. This sizable list of endless benefits should put laminate flooring high on your list of options for your next flooring project. Whenever you are ready to install new flooring in your home, contact Speedy Floor Removal. We can help you prepare your house for the incoming material with our floor removal and floor flattening services, and we can also assist you in locating exceptional flooring products at area flooring stores. There is so much to love about laminate, so start moving toward your perfect new floors today with Speedy Floor Removal!