There are many reasons that more and more people are choosing laminate flooring for their homes. Apart from aesthetic appeal, laminate flooring is hygienic, easy to clean, tough and durable against most dents and scratches. When choosing laminate flooring what exactly should you be looking out for?
Design
One great benefit of laminate flooring is that the number of different designs is almost infinite. Oak and walnut are the most commonly chosen and can look every bit as good as genuine wood flooring at only a fraction of the price. There are many shades of many different types of wood which will bring a unique feel to different rooms. Websites such as Floorsave showcase the many different types and designs in which to choose.
Thickness
Laminate flooring comes in different thicknesses. The benefits of having thicker laminate flooring are better soundproofing and more resistance to bending. This is particularly important if you have existing uneven flooring in your home.
AC rating
The AC rating relates to your floor’s ability to withstand wear and tear; the higher the rating, the tougher the flooring. AC1 is designed for light pedestrian use such as a bedroom whereas AC5 is designed for high volume commercial use such as a shopping centre. The strength comes from the amount of aluminium oxide in the flooring, large amounts of which can compromise the realistic wooden effect.
Texture
Just as wood comes in many different textures, so does laminate flooring. Embossed is not specific to the décor but instead a more general wooden look whereas an embossed in register (EIR) better simulates the look of real wood with added depth specific to the décor of the flooring. You can also find hand scraped laminate flooring which is designed to look like hand scraped wooden flooring. High gloss is another popular choice as it in particularly tough and at the same time very reflective.
As there are so many different choices and a plethora of decisions to make when choosing laminate flooring, much of the decision will depend on personal taste as much as functionality in a domestic setting. Modern laminate flooring is simple and easy to fit and should last over twenty years with normal use although some flooring will come with a guarantee of up to thirty years.
Disclosure: This is a guest post brought to you in association with Floorsave. Please see my PR and Disclosure page for more details.
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