Laminate wood floors offer an economical flooring option for those who want to achieve the realistic appeal of real hardwood in extremely durable and attractive finish. Technically, laminated wood flooring is not made from authentic wood. They just have a real wood appearance with clear plastic covering and fiberboard backing. They are specifically designed to replicate the characteristics of the ever popular hardwood floorings.
3 types
Generally, laminated wood floors come in three different varieties – the glueless floating laminte floors, pre-factory glued floating laminates and the special glue laminates. Glue-less floating laminates do not require the use of glue, instead you just click or snap fit the planks together. Most of the available laminates today are of this type.
The pre-factory glued floating floor laminates make use of glues that were already applied during the manufacturing process. When installing them, all you have to do is moisten the plank’s tongue and place it to the adjacent plank. Some wood laminates are of this variety but are only very limited.
The special glue floor laminates requires special glue that must be applied on the plank’s tongue as well as the grooves. However, this type of laminates is rarely available in the market.
More about laminates
Most of the wood veneer laminate planks use the floating floor installation, which means that they rest on top of the subfloor. In short, they are never fastened or secured unto the substrate below but rather they are just placed on top of the substrate. They feature specially designed tongue-and-groove interlocking system to properly secure the planks together. The best thing about them is the fact that they are very easy to install since you wouldn’t need to glue, staple or nail the laminated planks. However, you still have to ascertain that they are fully leveled on the subfloor so that all the planks will be properly locked and secured together.
The laminating technology paved the way for a more cost-efficient, easy-to-install, and low maintenance flooring system. Wood laminate flooring can be installed anywhere within your home, even in wet areas. Moreover, they do not require wax or polish. They are also sunlight, impact, scratch and stain resistant. Most laminated flooring can be used over radiant heated concrete slabs. They are sold in a fraction of the cost of real hardwood flooring. Laminated wood veneers cost around $1 to $5 per square foot and $5 to $8 per square foot installed.
Their quality is guaranteed to last for 20 to 25 years but they can’t be refinished. In cases of damage, the individual board planks can sometimes be replaced, or you can avail of repair kits from some manufacturers. Have a functional and cost-efficient floor space for your family by using laminated wood flooring!
