Laminate Flooring: A Great Alternative to Real Wood Flooring

If you’re a homeowner who wants the look of a hardwood floor without all the expenses and maintenance, consider laminate flooring. It looks great, stands up to wear and tear, and won’t break the bank. But before you decide on laminate, here are answers to some questions you may have:

What Is Laminate Flooring?

Laminate wood flooring is a synthetic flooring product which consists of several “glued” together layers. The five layers are:

• The top, transparent, protective wear layer makes the flooring highly resistant to scratches and dents.
• Decorative layer: a highly detailed and realistic-looking image of anything from wood to marble to stone.
• High-density, fiberboard core gives the flooring stability, impact resistance, and durability.
• The layer of melamine resin adds more structural stability and moisture resistance.
• Underlayment (may or may not be built into the flooring product): helps compensate for minor imperfections in sub-flooring, reduces noise when the floor is walked on, and softens impacts. Underlayment may also have a moisture barrier on one side.

What Are My Laminate Options?

There are numerous options in laminate: plank thickness, plank width, wear resistance, patterns, colors, and textures. In fact, you have more options with laminates than you do with hardwoods, because you can purchase laminate flooring that looks like concrete, slate, tile, or stone, as well as, wood varieties like hickory, cherry, maple, oak, and pine. Laminate wood flooring has an almost limitless design potential to create rooms with beauty, sophistication, and long-term durability.

Is Laminate Flooring Easy to Install?

Laminate flooring is easy to install. No glue or fastening to the sub-floor is required. The planks use a lock and click installation method which allows it to “float” above the sub-floor. Your floors will then easily expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity. Laminates can be placed on top of an existing flooring material, like ceramic, vinyl, concrete, or plywood, provided it is clean and level. This makes preparation for installation less time-consuming for a professional flooring installer, which will also save you money and have you enjoying your floors more quickly.

How Do I Care for Laminate Flooring?

Once installed, there are some simple steps to keep it clean and beautiful:

• Sweep or dust your floor at least once a week to reduce scratches.
• Use only wet cleaners specifically designed for laminate or hardwood flooring.
• Clean up liquid spills and tracked-in dirt quickly to prevent floor damage.
• Use area rugs in high-traffic areas to reduce wear.
• Put protective pads under heavy furniture.
• Keep your pets’ nails trimmed to minimize scratching.

A great alternative to real wood flooring in Frisco, TX is laminate wood flooring. To find out more about laminates or other wood flooring options, call Wood Floors of Dallas, stop by our showroom, or fill out our contact form!