What is Laminate Flooring?
Laminate flooring is a type of multi-layered, completely synthetic product that is fused together during production with a lamination process to make it more durable and clean. Most of the time, laminate is fashioned to imitate wood flooring, often making it indistinguishable from actual wood. In some cases, laminate can also replicate stone. Laminate flooring utilizes a photographic layer that is under a clear protective layer. The photographic layer simulates a type of medium that buyers want their floorings to look like and the protective layer makes sure that photographic layer is not scratched or damaged in any way.
The inner core of the laminate floor usually includes a type of fiber board that is fused with a type of melamine resin material for insulation as well as durability and longevity. There is also often a layer of glue or some manner of adhesive on the back of the panels for easy installation. It is also advisable that home owners install some sort of padding below the laminate panels to insure no damage is possible to the underneath.
The primary advantage to laminate is that it is cheaper than natural flooring materials and easier to clean than carpet, but it still maintains the aesthetic appeal that more expensive or high maintenance materials do.
Laminate Flooring and Pets
A major plus to installing or having laminate floor is how well it does with people that have pets. One of the main reasons people want wood floors is that it is easier to manage when there are pets running around. Hair dander, follicles, or even hair mixed with dust to make larger dust bunnies can be very difficult to get out of carpets; so many people wish that they had some sort of wood flooring to eliminate the problem that comes along with having carpet. With laminate floors, cleaning of pet residue is so much easier than it is with most other kinds of flooring. And it has an advantage over wood because wood can be very expensive and difficult to maintain or even install. And if a home owner pays someone to install it, it can be more expensive still. The high point of laminate is that it looks as good and is much easier to install. An additional plus is that laminate flooring is actually easier to maintain for those that have pets.
This is because wood floors do not usually have that protective layer that guards against scratching and chipping. Pet paws can do terrors on wood flooring, scratching and chipping it around corners; but this is not as much of a problem for laminate flooring. The protective layer ensures that potential damage caused by the paws of a pet is minimal if existent at all. If wood is damaged by a scratch or a chip, it can cost hundreds of dollars to repair. Sometimes, it means replacing the entire floor just for one scratch. But with laminates, scratches are much less of a problem.
Another fantastic advantage that laminate flooring has on wood flooring is the ease of maintenance that comes along with it. Unlike many brands and patterns of wood, laminate is remarkably easy to clean at the end of the day.
With wood flooring, hair follicles and other pet dander can get caught between the cracks, no matter how small they may be. Wood can easily be infiltrated by the leavings of your pet, especially if a pet leaves behind feces and cleaning is not done correctly. This can result in permanent bacterial residence in a particular part of the floor which can severely harm the sanitation of one’s home. Laminate floors are great to have for pets because the gaps between the panels are smaller and more spaced out. Laminate flooring is absolutely great for pets.
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