1. What is Laminate Flooring?
Laminate flooring is a multi-layer synthetic flooring product fused together with a lamination process. Laminate flooring can simulate tile or stone, but most commonly looks like wood. The layers are topped with a high-resolution photographic image of a natural wood floor. It's then finished with an extremely hard, clear coating made from special resin-coated cellulose to protect it from wear and tear.
2. What's the Difference Between Laminate and Hardwood Flooring?
Hardwood flooring is made from natural, durable woods, such as oak, maple or hickory. While laminate may closely resemble this hardwood flooring, it is actually composed of wood residues, such as sawdust, shavings and wood chips. This material is ground into a pulp to which a melamine-urea-formaldehyde resin is added. It is then dried and pressed into panels. While hardwood lasts longer than laminate, hardwood in not necessarily superior.
3. What are the Advantages of Laminate Flooring?
The most obvious advantage of laminate flooring over hardwood is the price. Laminate is typically half the cost of traditional hardwood flooring. Laminate is easier to install than solid hardwood and many people can even install it themselves. In many cases, laminate can be more resistant to stains, scratches, moisture and even general wear and tear than actual hardwood.
4. Where can Laminate Flooring be Installed?
Laminate flooring is extremely versatile and can be installed in almost every room of your home. Along with basements and living rooms, laminate flooring is recommended for areas that are regularly used by children and pets. Laminate can even be used on steps with special installation. While very versatile, laminate should only be used in climate controlled rooms that avoid extreme temperature swings and excessive humidity. You should also avoid areas prone to moisture, such as bathrooms, laundry rooms, saunas and enclosed porches.
5. Which Direction Should Laminate be Installed?
When choosing which direction to lay your new Madison laminate flooring, you should consider incoming light. Typically, it is best to install laminate flooring with the planks running parallel to light coming in windows or glass doors. The starting wall should be as long and straight as possible.
6. How Do You Clean Laminate Flooring?
Laminate flooring is pretty low maintenance. For the most part, you can keep it clean by simply dust mopping or vacuuming with a soft brush or wood floor accessory to remove dust, dirt or grit. A damp cloth can be used if needed, but be sure not to saturate it. Make sure to clean up an spills or water immediately, don't let excess liquid sit for an extended period of time. Don't use abrasive cleaners, or steel wool or other scouring pads that could harm and scratch the flooring.
Now that you know a little more about laminate flooring, you'll be able to make an informed decision when you visit our Madison flooring store. Floors for Less offers many different flooring options, including a variety of laminates. Stop by our showroom to take a look today!
