With a galaxy of flooring options, choosing the perfect option can ensure high durability, easy maintenance, and sustainability. In this galaxy of flooring materials, laminate synthetic flooring has grabbed users due to its novel composition and easy installation methods. In this article, Dubai Vinyl Flooring has tried to uncover the types of laminate flooring based on different robust factors. By analyzing each category of laminate flooring, you will get a holistic approach to choosing the best material.
Types of Laminate Flooring: A Clear Classification
Laminate flooring is fabricated with multiple compact layers (wear, core, back, and decor) that make the laminate tiles more durable and impact-resistant. The wear and back layers are designed with melamine, while the core layer is designed with hardwood material with a tongue and groove on either side. The wear layer is also covered with an acrylic sheet to make the laminate surface shiny and scratch-resistant. The decor layer of laminate planks exhibits the natural look of wood or stones that can enhance the flooring ambiance.
We have enlisted the laminate flooring types based on materials, surface type, installation type, and pattern.
Materials
Based on materials, we have classified the laminate into plastic and hardwood laminate planks.
1- Plastic
Plastic laminate planks are synthetic flooring that ensure waterproofness, dent or scratch resistance, and stain resistance. If you’re going to cover the high-traffic area with laminate material, you can use the plastic option because it shows high abrasion resistance. Moreover, the plastic laminate can’t be sanded like engineered wood.
2: Engineer Wood
For wood lovers, engineers have manufactured compact laminate flooring along with engineered wood layers. This laminate type is more costly as compared to plastic laminate due to the expensive hardwood. However, hardwood exhibits less durability against water and scratches as compared to the plastic laminate type.
Surface Type
Based on surface type, textured, distressed, and smooth are the basic types of laminate planks.
1: Textured L.F.
The textured surface of the laminate tiles is also known as embossed laminate due to its unique wooden texture.
2: Smooth L.F.
The smooth laminate surface offers easy cleaning due to its plain surface. However, it can’t mimic the natural wooden texture or appearance.
3: Distressed L.F.
To get an antique flooring appearance, hand-scraped or distressed laminate is a preferable option. This laminate type ensures long-lasting features at a very low cost as compared to other types.
Installation Type
If we consider the laminate installation technique for classifying the laminate strips, glueless click, glued, and pre-glued are the most common types.
1: Pre-Glued Flooring
This laminate floor type follows the peel-and-stick method of installation. These pre-glued tiles are fixed to the subfloor surface without applying glue or any other adhesive material.
2: Glued Flooring
In this type, glue or adhesive material is necessary for fixing the tiles to the subfloor surface. Although installing these tiles requires extra budget and time, they offer extra durability if properly placed.
3: Glue-less Click Flooring
These modern and popular laminate planks can be easily installed with a double-click method. For the easy installation of laminate flooring, there is no need to apply glue or any other adhesive material. For DIY projects, this type of laminate plank is highly suitable due to its easy installation.
Pattern
Laminate flooring has multiple types based on their unique laying patterns. We have discussed all these popular types individually.
1: Chevron
The Chevron or herringbone laminate pattern involves the fixing of tiles in a zig-zag manner on the subfloor at an angle of 45 degrees. This popular type of laminate flooring creates a unique and eye-catching ambiance on the floor surface.
2: Traditional
In this classical laminate type, tiles of standard size are fixed on the floor surface in a traditional design or pattern. Due to the old laying pattern, this type of flooring is not commonly used nowadays.
3: Thin Or Narrow Planks
If you want a decent floor look, you should try these thin laminate strips. These strips don’t exhibit a wood-like appearance due to their narrow texture and size. These types of laminate planks are an excellent option to utilize in small places such as kitchens and bathrooms.
4: Wide Laminate Planks
In this laminate type, wider or thicker planks are crafted to fix them in larger places. These types of planks are more durable and impact-resistant than narrow laminate strips.
Factors To Consider While Choosing The Best Types of Laminate Flooring
1. Wear Layer Thickness
The wear layer is crafted on the outside of laminate strips to make their outer surface more scratch-, stain-, and water-resistant. The high thickness of the wear layer ensures excellent floor durability.
2: Laminate Thickness
Laminate tiles are designed with variable thicknesses to cover specific floor requirements. The most common thickness options for laminate tiles are 12mm, 10mm, 8mm, 7mm, or 6mm. However, plank thickness plays a significant role in maintaining durability and insulation.
3: Laminate Texture
This type of flooring is also designed with multiple unique textures to make the floor surface more elegant and aesthetic. You can choose embossed, hand-scraped, satin, matte, natural wood, or high-glass textures to boost the ambiance of your floor.
4: Plank Width
The tiles of this flooring material are also available in a complete range of widths. Per your space requirements, you can opt for the 5 to more than 7-inch-wide tiles. To craft a decent floor look, always choose the tile with the perfect width.
5: Finish Type
To mimic the natural hardwood appearance on floor surfaces, laminate strips are designed with multiple finishing types, such as mahogany, cherry, oak, chestnut, maple, pine, or walnut. You can select any finish type for this flooring as per your desire and style.
6: Color and Design
Color and design are the major factors to consider while choosing a flooring material that can complement your interior and style. This type of flooring exhibits multiple eye-catching colors and designs to enhance the elegance and decency of the living area.
7: Wear and Tear Resistance
Wear and tear resistance is the most prominent factor to consider when selecting the perfect flooring material. Because the tiles’ durability and longevity are directly linked with wear and tear resistance, if the tile has high wear and tear resistance, it has excellent durability.
8: Underlayment
If you’re going to install laminate-type flooring, you should also consider the underlayment material. To enhance impact resistance, stability, and underfoot comfort, you can fix the foamy or rubber underlayment material before the installation of tiles.
9: Installation Method
For DIY lovers, laminate flooring offers a wide range of options for swift and easy installation. You can install these durable tiles with glue, click-and-lock, and the pre-glued technique. However, angle drop, angle tap, angle/angle, and angle drop with click are the most prominent techniques to install these tiles.
10- AC (Abrasion Criteria)
The AC rating scale consists of five digits to elaborate on the degree of durability and wear-and-tear resistance. You should also consider this scale before choosing any flooring type for both commercial and residential places.
Wrapping Up!
It is summed up with remarks that laminate flooring offers a broad range of options in material, surface design, installation, and pattern. For your better understanding, Dubai Vinyl Flooring has classified laminate tile flooring by considering different essential parameters. Furthermore, we have also given the best insights about choosing the right laminate flooring type. Our 10 enlisted factors will be highly beneficial in choosing the best laminate option based on your specific requirements and budget demands.
