Hardwood flooring certainly offers some pretty convincing advantages as a choice for your flooring material. If you missed Part 1 of our comparison between hardwood floors and laminate flooring, please take a moment to check that out. You should know the whole story before making your flooring decision.
Laminate Flooring Laminate flooring is a great material and here we will discuss all of the amazing benefits of this material. It is always a tough call when attempting to choose between laminate and hardwood. Each flooring material has pros and cons. Although laminate is limited in some areas, there are other points of interest in which it performs as well as, if not better than wood flooring.
Laminate Flooring is More Versatile in Higher Humidity and Below Grade As for standing up to moisture, laminate flooring can withstand even higher moisture environments because it is water-resistant. Hardwood flooring is affected by changes is moisture and humidity, and is not recommended to be installed in bathrooms, kitchens, or any other areas where moisture is expected such as basements. It is important to note, however, that while laminate flooring tolerates moisture well, it is not impervious to it. Exercise common sense when dealing with spills and do not allow liquids to stand for long periods of time; doing so could damage the finish layer.
Laminate Can be Installed by the Relatively Inexperienced Installing hardwood flooring can be pretty difficult and is not recommended to be done by people who are inexperienced. As such, it tends to be an expensive project. Laminate flooring, on the other hand, is very easy to install and geared toward do-it-yourselfers who are bent on installing their own flooring. Glueless laminate flooring requires only basic carpentry skills. If you lack the time or know-how to install laminate flooring yourself, you can still save money. A laminate flooring installation is much easier than wood, and therefore less expensive to contract. Laminate Flooring is More Visually Versatile Without Practical Limitations With laminate flooring, you can choose a color or pattern of a softer type of surface – like American cherry, or alder – and not have to worry about denting it or managing the limitations of the “species” of your choice. This can be a great advantage if you want a certain color or pattern, but don’t want to have to worry about how the floor will look over a longer period.
Laminate flooring also affords you to create the look of exotic hardwood flooring without the exotic price tag. Additionally, laminate flooring offers other finishes that are designed to mimic in appearance that of natural stone tile and bamboo flooring. By using laminate throughout the home, you can achieve many different looks with only one flooring material.
Laminate Flooring is Rated for the Convenience of the Buying Public Laminate flooring from reputable sources is rated by international standards by means of an AC (abrasion class) rating. This means that you know how much foot traffic your choice in laminate flooring is designed to take. You don’t need to know anything about species and how hard they are. The AC rating tells you exactly where the floor of your choice is meant to be installed.
Laminate floors present a very customer-focused product, meant to present a look and a function you can count on, plus at pricing that gets you the effect you want for less. Now that you know the advantages and drawbacks to both wood flooring and laminate flooring, you can make a good decision for your homes based on the needs you anticipate.
Don’t Forget to Read Differences Between Laminate and Hardwood: Part 1 Visit a Los Angeles Flooring Showroom Today.
