What Type Of Laminate Flooring Is Best?

What Type Of Laminate Flooring Is Best? Hardwood floors are considered the best for a home due to their classic and rich looks but due to their higher cost, it is not feasible for everyone to install hardwood floors in his home.

In this situation, laminate flooring is considered the best and inexpensive option for all. This type of flooring is available in a wide range of designs and colors to create a floor that looks like hardwood in a very cost-effective manner.

But to choose the best laminate flooring you will have to consider a few things including their different types.

Types of Laminate Flooring

Basically, there are two types of laminate flooring including plastic laminates and engineered wood laminate flooring.

Plastic Laminate flooring:

This type of laminate flooring that includes several layers of materials is completely made by men. The bottom layer of this flooring works as a barrier for moisture. Its core layer includes dent-resistant high-density fibreboard to work as its backbone.

Its top layer includes various types of photographic images and designs protected by a protective coat to make it scratch and fade resistant.

Engineered Wood laminate flooring:

This type of laminate flooring includes various layers of different types of materials pressed as one to make a kind of wooden plank. Its core and bottom layers may include 3-12 layers of plywood, fibreboard to hardwood that has not been finished.

Its top layer includes a thin layer of veneer to make it look like hardwood. It can be finished several times depending upon its thickness.

Though, laminate flooring looks like the flooring made of natural hardwood still choosing the best for your home is not an easy task. To choose the best laminate flooring for your home you will have to consider a few factors, along with the thickness and size of the planks, briefly discussed hereunder.

Things to consider while choosing the best laminate flooring

Location:

You can use laminate flooring in your bathrooms and kitchen because of its resistance to moisture and water. If you like you can also install laminate flooring on your walls to give them a unique look.

Based on the location where you want to install, laminate flooring can be categorized into direct pressure flooring and high-pressure flooring.

Direct pressure laminate flooring is made of four layers including stabilizing, core, decorative and protective layers. It can be the best option for your home.

High-pressure laminate flooring includes an additional fifth layer made of resin-treated Kraft paper to give it strength and stiffness as well as suitable for use at commercial sites. This laminate flooring is harder and more resistant to heat, moisture, scratches, and dents than DPL flooring.

Purpose:

Laminate flooring can be suitable for your entire home including bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, basements, kitchen, and bathrooms as it is resistant to scratches, dents, wear, and moisture.

You can install flooring with traditional hardwood looks at a very low cost by installing laminate flooring of your choice.

Rating of abrasion criteria:

It helps in knowing the durability of your laminate flooring. This rating is measured on a 1-5 scale. For residential use, laminate flooring with AC3 or AC4 is considered the best.

Flooring with AC3 can be suitable for busy areas like lobby and kitchen whereas AC4 can be good for bathrooms etc. However, laminate flooring with AC1 and AC2 can be good for areas with low to moderate footfall.

Thickness:

The thickness of laminate floors can vary from 7mm to 12mm to cover unevenness in your subfloor you should use thicker laminate floors as they will be more resistant to bends and curves. They will also absorb more noise than thinner flooring.

Size of planks:

Most of the planks of laminate flooring measure 4 feet in length but their width can vary from 3” to 7”. It can be more challenging for you to install wider planks than narrower ones. Narrow planks can easily adjust unevenness in the subfloor, meet ends, and stay flush with each other than wider planks.

Finish/texture:

If you want to install a floor that looks like real hardwood then engineered hardwood laminate flooring can be the best for you as its top layer includes the grain and texture of hardwood. But if you want creative flooring in your home then plastic laminate flooring with a variety of finishes like cherry, walnut, oak, and maple, etc. can be the right choice for you.

What Type Of Laminate Flooring Is Best? – Conclusion

Thus by considering the tips discussed in this write-up you can easily choose the best laminate flooring for your home. A thick direct pressure laminate flooring with 3-4 AC rating, narrow planks, and suitable texture can be the right one for your home.