If you’re looking for a durable and classy home flooring material with precise finishing, laminate flooring is an excellent choice. Moreover, this flooring type is a highly suitable option for bathrooms, kitchens, and all high-traffic areas due to its fade- and water-resistant properties. In this detailed post, we have given you a comprehensive discussion about how to choose laminate flooring.
A Complete Guide To Choosing Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring comprises pressed composite wood with an outer layer usually composed of either melamine, resin, plastic, or fiberboard. The outer insulated layer of this flooring makes it a water-resistant treatment, and it can give out any floor’s look. In addition, laminate floor tiles usually consist of four pressed layers: wear, decor, core, and backing layer. The outermost layer is a scratch- and stain-resistant wear layer that covers the decor or printed layer.
Patterns
Generally, there are four common patterns of laminate based on layout and plank thickness; traditional pattern, wide plank, narrow plank, and chevron pattern.
Traditional Pattern
This type of flooring usually reflects traditional or classic wooden flooring. In this pattern, the standard width and layout of wooden flooring are usually used.
Narrow Plank Flooring
This sort of pattern can be used for uneven floors and small rooms, as it effectively covers all the imperfections.
Wide Plank Flooring
The wide plank laminate is ideal for large areas and rooms, as this pattern gives off an elegant and luxurious look.
Chevron Pattern
This type of pattern, also known as the herringbone pattern, is an ideal option for large and luxurious areas.
Read Also: How To Install Laminate Flooring?
Laminate Flooring Features
- Laminate always comes at affordable prices in the market
- It’s a versatile flooring option for both Residential and Commercial places
- It gives an elegant and aesthetic appeal to your home floors
- It is manufactured with high-quality and durable materials
- This unique flooring requires easy maintenance
- It has remarkable fade, water, and stain-resistant features
- It’s excellent hypoallergenic and pet-friendly flooring
- Its installation is really easy and DIY-friendly
Also Read: benefits of laminate flooring
Factors To Be Considered While Choose Laminate Flooring
Thickness
It comes in a wide variety of thickness options, which are 6mm, 7mm, 8mm, 10mm, and 12mm. Moreover, the durability and insulation of this flooring also depend on the thickness, so choosing a suitable one is important.
Wear Layer Thickness
The outer layer of this flooring is the wear layer, which should be thicker to provide better scratch, wear, and tear resistance. In other words, the higher the layer thickness, the higher the durability and scratch resistance.
AC (Abrasion Criteria) Rating
The AC rating scale ranges from 1 to 5 digits to represent the degree of wear resistance.
| AC Rating | Activity Level: Degree of Wear Resistance & Durability |
| AC-1 | Suitable for low-traffic places due to low durability and wear resistance |
| AC-2 | It can be used for medium-traffic areas such as dining rooms and home offices. |
| AC-3 | Ideal for high-traffic areas such as kitchens, hallways, etc. |
| AC-4 | Suitable for both residential and commercial places due to standard rating |
| AC-5 | It is ideal for commercial and high-traffic places due to its high durability |
Width
Width is another important factor to be considered when choosing laminate flooring material type. Usually, laminate planks come in a width range of 5 inches to more than 7 inches.
Texture
While choosing, you can also opt for a customized textured material for flooring. This type of unique flooring offers you multiple texture options, such as smooth or satin, matte, hand-scraped, embossed, high-gloss, and natural wood.
Finish Type
The laminate offers you multiple finishing options, such as chestnut, cherry, hickory, oak, maple, walnut, and pine. You can choose laminate flooring in any finish type according to your style and preference, including stone and tile looks as well.
Color and Design
While choosing the perfect laminate flooring material, you should also take the color and design into account. You need to match the flooring’s color and design with your area theme to generate a harmonious and elegant look.
Read Also: Types of laminate flooring
Wear and Tear Resistance
This factor is of great importance to consider because your flooring material should be scratch-resistant. Always use the AC rating scale to check the degree of durability and resistance of home flooring.
Water Resistance
If you are going to renovate your kitchen, bathrooms, and hallway floors, it must be ensured that your chosen laminate flooring has high water and moisture resistance. Consideration of this feature prevents your floors from deteriorating early.
Underlayment
The underlayment is the foamy layer that should be embedded beneath the laminate layer for various vital functions, including noise reduction, cushioning, heat absorption, and moisture protection.
Installation Method
The laminate flooring offers multiple installation and repair options for DIY projects, such as click-and-lock, glued, and pre-glued types. In addition, you can also choose multiple methods to install laminating flooring products, such as angle/angle, angle tap, angle drop, and angle drop with a click.
To sum up!
It is concluded that choosing the perfect flooring requires a complete understanding of its patterns, functions, installation techniques, and features. If you are going to renovate your residential floors with laminate flooring, we have got you all the essential factors that need to be considered while choosing a suitable type.
