So many people today are choosing to install cork laminate flooring, bamboo laminate flooring or hardwood laminate flooring as part of their effort to renovate their house and give it a different feeling. You only need to start searching the web to get an idea of the increase in people searching for information about laminate flooring. So why is there such a high attraction to laminate? What is it about laminate flooring that is causing so many people to forego the more traditional flooring types of carpet, ceramic tiles and genuine hardwoods? Well the answers to these are many and I’ve listed what I see as the top twelve. Some of these are obvious given even a small amount of knowledge about laminate flooring whilst some are quite surprising but nonetheless important when considering your choice of flooring.
1. The first reason many people choose laminate flooring has to do with one of the main reasons why people renovate their houses at all. People renovate their houses to add value to their property and possibly the fourth easiest way of doing this is to renew your flooring. Just for interest sake, the easiest way to improve the value of your house is to paint the interior, the next easiest way is to tidy up the garden and the third way is to replace fixtures and fittings including door handles, light fittings, light switches, power points, tap ware etc. People add value to their property in all of these ways and whilst installing laminate flooring is possibly the fourth easiest, it provides the same amount of impact as painting the interior of your house. So why do people want to add value to their house? Usually it’s to use their property to give them money in the hand through one of two methods – either they want to sell it at a higher price or they want to draw down (increase the mortgage) on the increased equity in their house. In either case, to maximize the amount of money you end up with, you need to reduce the cost of your renovations and this leads us to the next point.
2. One of the exciting points about laminate flooring is that it usually costs less than other flooring types that give a comparable effect. For example, authentic hardwood floors like oak flooring cost an arm and a leg. Laminate flooring on the other hand can emulate just about any type of solid flooring at a fraction of the cost. The reason for this is that it is made from several layers of durable materials that are joined together to make an extremely strong final product. The top layer then has a photograph of the type of flooring that is being copied. With today’s technology, this top layer appears to be authentic.
3. Adding to the last point is the fact that bamboo hardwood laminate flooring is easily installed by the home handyman. Most hardwood laminate flooring comes with a tongue and groove system that allow the boards to be snapped together without the need for glue and come with clear installation instructions provided by the manufacturer. All you need are a few inexpensive tools that can easily be picked up from your local hardware store along with two or three days of your time and you will end up with new laminate flooring. The beauty of this is that you are able to cut your costs by eliminating the need to hire laminate flooring installation professionals.
4. The next reason many people are choosing bamboo hardwood laminate flooring is that it doesn’t date like other floor coverings. Many of you will remember the shag pile carpets of the 70’s, the slate tiles in the 80’s and terracotta tiles in the 90’s all of which are now somewhat passé. On the other hand, wood finishes in flooring never date particularly when hardwood laminate floorings are used. As a result, while ever your hardwood laminate flooring is kept in good condition, it will continue to add value to your house complimenting point one above.
5. As described in point two above, laminate flooring is made from several layers of plywood combined in such a way as to give an extremely strong product with a photographic top layer that gives it the characteristic wooden finish. Alternatively, engineered flooring can be used where the top layer is made from the genuine wood type that you are attempting to emulate. In the case of hardwoods, this often comes from reclaimed timber (timber taken from demolished buildings). In the case of cork or bamboo, it usually comes straight from the plantation. Whether using photographic or engineered laminate flooring, the range of styles and colours provided by this flexibility is huge and is really only limited to what is available in real hardwood timber, cork or bamboo. This is the fifth reason people are installing hardwood laminate flooring and leads us to the next point.
6. Because of the wide range of textures, colours and styles provided by hardwood laminate flooring, there is usually one type that can be found that will match the décor or interior design of your house. Whether your house has an antique feel in which case mahogany or oak hardwood laminate flooring may be suitable, or an asian theme where bamboo laminate flooring could be what matches, you will always be able to find laminate flooring that matches your interior.
7. The next reason people choose laminate flooring is because it gives them a choice of technologies. As stated before in point five, it is possible to get engineered laminate flooring with a top layer of genuine wood. Alternatively, people can choose to go with the photographic top layer which is usually a little less expensive. The advantage with engineered flooring is that you are guaranteed a genuine looking product because the top layer is completely genuine and it can be sanded back to some extent if it happens to get damaged or stained in the future and therefore returned to its original state. Also, if you are choosing engineered bamboo laminate flooring or cork laminate flooring, these materials have the environmental stamp of approval being easily replaced due to their fast growth in the case of bamboo and high yield in the case of cork.
Also buyers of laminate flooring can choose between laminate flooring that uses glue and laminate flooring that is glue free. The advantage of glue free laminate flooring is that it’s less messy when being installed, you don’t have to wait for the glue to dry and the floor can be taken back up in the future and moved elsewhere if so desired. The advantages of using glue is that the floor boards are solidly anchored to one another and hence there is no moving between the boards and therefore no squeeking as they are walked upon. This can be a problem with glue less laminate flooring. Also the glue makes it harder for liquids to penetrate to the lower layers of the laminate flooring reducing the possibility of warping of the laminate flooring boards.
8. Although some people like the idea of laminate flooring because of all the advantages that come with it, they still find it difficult to move from the more traditional carpet. They feel that carpet is far warmer and much nicer to walk upon bare footed, whilst hardwood laminate flooring is solid and can be cold in winter. The solution to this dilemma is simple though – simply drop a large size rug on the laminate flooring and you have the equivalent of carpet on the floor. In addition, because the rug is not fixed, you can change it from time to time to suit your taste. The rug can also be far more easily cleaned, even left in the sunshine to kill any dustmites or other bugs. Carpet on the other hand is a major breeding area for dust mites. And this brings us to the next point.
9. Laminate flooring is great for people with allergies as it simple does not allow the hiding places for dust mites and other bugs to breed. As mentioned above, this is a major problem associated with carpet. With laminate flooring, a simple sweep or vacuum will remove all dust whereas vacuuming carpet never removes all of the dirt.
10. Following on from the last point, laminate flooring is easy to clean. Usually a quick vacuum or sweep is enough to remove any dust or dirt that accumulates. But if the dirt is a little harder to remove, then a wipe over with a damp mop and a gentle cleanser will usually do the trick.
11. Because laminate flooring is easy to clean it is perfect for children and families. Children are renowned for walking dirt and mud through the house, so having a solid floor that’s easily cleaned is a perfect choice. It also a necessity with babies as vomit and poo is guaranteed to get on the floor at some point and it’s much easier to clean that off a solid floor than try and remove those stains from carpet.
12. Finally, hardwood laminate flooring is hard wearing. The reason for this was explained earlier and comes down to the manufacturing of laminate flooring that uses several layers with either a photo or genuine wood top layer. The strength of the final product results in a tough, strong, hard wearing laminate flooring that resists damage and scuffing.
So hopefully this has given you an ideas of the many reasons bamboo, cork or hardwood laminate flooring is being more widely chosen as the flooring of choice when people are looking at renewing their home.
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