Unlike the conventional way of nailing or gluing flooring material to the subfloor, a floating floor uses a technique that allows individual boards and planks to lock together. They are not attached to the subfloor. The concept is similar to that of a Jigsaw Puzzle, where various pieces have to be fitted together.
Laminate is considered one of the toughest materials in the flooring industry. In the past, there was one standard thickness for laminate boards. However you’ll see a wide array of options today ranging from 6mm all the way to 12mm. To the untrained eye, it’s hard to imagine just how a few millimeters can make a difference. Does it really matter if you skip out on as little as 5mm?
One of the first questions that you need to ask yourself when it comes to choosing new flooring for your home is whether you’d like walking on hard or soft flooring? This can depend on the function of the room, what your priorities are (i.e. comfort versus durability) and what look you are trying to achieve.
The type of flooring you are laying laminate over is very important, as not every surface is made equal. As a rule of thumb, if your existing flooring is level and smooth, laminate can easily be laid over top. This rules out brick, carpet and natural stone floors.
When correctly installed and properly looked after, laminate floors greatly enhance the look and feel of a room and can last for many years. However, even the strongest and most hard wearing materials can get worn and damaged over time. High traffic as well as pressure can cause wear and heat and moisture can create damage.
Have you heard that old joke, what does a Mexican put under his carpet? Underlay, underlay! But seriously, underlay is a vital part of any type of flooring, especially for laminate due to its composition. Choosing suitable underlay for your flooring project is important to make sure that your laminate will last for years to come.
When looking to purchase laminate flooring, it is crucial to know beforehand how it will perform under specific traffic conditions over the long haul. Laminate AC ratings have been put in place to protect consumers by giving them a guide to get their money's worth.
Everyone loves a hardwood floor, but many of them are not solid wood all the way through. Rather, they are laminate – an engineered wood flooring solution that is stronger, more versatile, more hygienic and more cost-effective than solid wood. Increasingly popular and suitable for DIY installation, laminate floors are often the perfect solution.
Even the most experienced buyer can be confused by the different processes, systems and AC ratings when looking at buying laminate flooring. Both hardwood and laminate flooring look quite similar in the end, but the installation processes of the two differ quite substantially.
Installing laminate flooring yourself is not always as difficult as it looks. If you have some experience with DIY, the right equipment and the time to do the job, there’s no reason why you can’t install your own laminate flooring. Here’s our ultimate guide to installing laminate flooring yourself.
** minimum purchase of $1000
