What is Laminate Flooring?
Discover the wonders of laminate and what it can do for your home
Laura Neumann
February 26, 2018
Laminate flooring consists of four layers combined to create one extremely hard surface:
1. The bottom layer is reinforced with melamine to provide structure and water resistance.
2. The second layer is the core layer: fiberboard. This is a super dense core board that helps provide impact resistance and stability to the laminate.
3. The third layer is the decorative layer, the aesthetic part of the flooring — it’s typically a highly detailed photo of the desired material you want to mimic.
4. The top layer is the wear layer and finishes the laminate off. This is a clear finish that’s reinforced with aluminum oxide to provide hardness, as well as stain and moisture resistance.
Visually, laminate can imitate any surface — wood, brick, tile, stone and more. A high-quality photograph of a real material is used as the decorative layer. More recently, advanced embossing has been used to add a realistic texture on the flooring. Read on to learn more about what laminate flooring is and why it might be perfect for your home.
1. The bottom layer is reinforced with melamine to provide structure and water resistance.
2. The second layer is the core layer: fiberboard. This is a super dense core board that helps provide impact resistance and stability to the laminate.
3. The third layer is the decorative layer, the aesthetic part of the flooring — it’s typically a highly detailed photo of the desired material you want to mimic.
4. The top layer is the wear layer and finishes the laminate off. This is a clear finish that’s reinforced with aluminum oxide to provide hardness, as well as stain and moisture resistance.
Visually, laminate can imitate any surface — wood, brick, tile, stone and more. A high-quality photograph of a real material is used as the decorative layer. More recently, advanced embossing has been used to add a realistic texture on the flooring. Read on to learn more about what laminate flooring is and why it might be perfect for your home.
What are the benefits of laminate flooring?
- Water resistant
- Scratch resistant
- Stain resistant
- Flexible and durable — good for kitchens and bathrooms
- Easy to clean
- Easy to install
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What should I consider before buying laminate flooring?
While there are quite a few benefits to using laminate flooring in your home, you should be aware of a few things. Since it’s made up of four layers, fluid can seep in between those layers, which causes the fibers to absorb water and swell. This tends to happen with poorly produced and cheap laminate flooring, so it’s always a good idea to wipe spills up immediately and never leave standing water on your laminate. You also cannot sand or refinish laminate, so replacement is the only solution to damaged flooring or a change in design tastes.
Although it’s inexpensive, it’s important to be careful about the quality of the laminate flooring you’re purchasing. Some of the really inexpensive flooring can skimp on the production process, making a poorly put-together product. Ask about warranties that come with the floor. If you plan on installing it yourself (a relatively simple process with laminate), check the warranty to make sure it won’t be affected by anything you do.
Although it’s inexpensive, it’s important to be careful about the quality of the laminate flooring you’re purchasing. Some of the really inexpensive flooring can skimp on the production process, making a poorly put-together product. Ask about warranties that come with the floor. If you plan on installing it yourself (a relatively simple process with laminate), check the warranty to make sure it won’t be affected by anything you do.
Laminate vs. hardwood: What’s the difference?
While hardwood flooring is considered beautiful and luxurious, it’s often exceeds many homeowners’ budgets. That’s where laminate flooring comes in; it is a practical and affordable alternative that gives a very similar look. Even though you might hear it referred to as “laminate wood flooring”, laminate contains no actual wood, just an incredibly durable material made up of four pressure-fused layers (also different from engineered wood flooring, which contains a thin layer of wood veneer). Ultimately, laminate flooring offers the same beautiful look as hardwood without the high price tag and upkeep.
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Not sold on laminate flooring? Find other material options here.
Shop engineered wood flooring
Shop hardwood flooring
Shop vinyl flooring
Shop floor tiles
Shop carpet tiles
Shop laminate flooring on Houzz
Not sold on laminate flooring? Find other material options here.
Shop engineered wood flooring
Shop hardwood flooring
Shop vinyl flooring
Shop floor tiles
Shop carpet tiles