These days, it’s all about cutting costs without sacrificing aesthetics and function. This used to be a difficult thing to do, but the advent of new building materials have made marrying beauty and function without going over budget a pretty easy goal to reach.
Laminate Flooring: An Increasingly Popular Flooring Material for Modern Homes Laminate Flooring made its debut in the United States in the early 1990s, though it had been used in Europe for a decade longer. These early laminate floors were not quite as well made as the laminate flooring of today, and earned a reputation for being a cheap substitute for real hardwood floors. As technology improved, however, so did the quality of the laminate finish and the laminate floors of today can be particularly difficult to tell apart from the real thing with only a look.
Laminate Flooring is More Than a Substitute Laminate flooring has been successfully stepping out of the shadow of “real” flooring materials such as hardwood flooring or stone tile. This is because consumers are beginning to realize the advantages of using laminate flooring for their home or workplace. The selling point for laminate flooring is that it has the look and feel of a real hardwood, stone, or bamboo floor without the expense and other limitations that natural flooring materials have. Going beyond the looks and other advantages, many consumers look forward to using laminate flooring to add a modern touch to their properties.
The Benefits of a Laminate Floor As a building material, laminate flooring has a host of characteristics that the homeowner can benefit from when they install it in their property. The outright benefit that consumers will notice is how much money they save from choosing a laminate floor over any other flooring type. This is a flooring material that truly gives value for money. There is a host of other benefits from laminate flooring.
Laminate Flooring Benefits Defined: UV resistance protects the laminate floor from fading due to sun exposure. Laminate is also scratch and stain resistant. Some laminate flooring planks, known as glueless laminate flooring, are made to be installed by simply snapping two planks together. These will click into place, will little additional work. Laminate flooring doesn’t trap dirt, and spills can be cleaned simply by wiping them with a mop or sponge. This makes them a truly low maintenance flooring option. Manufacturers are simply confident of laminate flooring’s capabilities to withstand the abuses of everyday use and as a result offer impressive laminate flooring warranties. Will Laminate Flooring ever Actually Replace Hardwood Flooring? In a word, no. As impressive as the laminate flooring of today is, with all of its many benefits, there will always be a market for traditional hardwood flooring. Even though the look of laminate flooring is quite convincing, no manufactured material will ever be able to duplicate the feel or sound of real wood. But laminate flooring is giving hardwood a run for its money, especially as a feasible flooring choice for difficult economic times.
Laminate flooring is definitely worth serious consideration for your next flooring project, especially if you are looking for a durable, attractive material that offers a modern appearance. Their ease of maintenance, affordability, and versatility make laminate floors the next big thing in the flooring industry.
