Hardwood floors are all the rage now. Hardwood floors are warm and stylish, providing an elegant look combined with timeless beauty. If you have recently shopped for hardwood flooring, you have probably been overwhelmed with the selection available as well as the pricing. Installing new floors is not cheap, but done right, the results are beautiful and will last for years. When shopping for hardwood floor, there are three broad categories to choose from: solid hardwood, manufactured hardwood, and laminate. While many people choose solid and manufactured hardwood floors, you should consider laminate flooring because of the advantages listed below.
1. Cost
While all flooring costs different amounts depending on the thickness and quality of the materials, laminate generally costs a quarter to as much as half the price of solid or manufactured hardwood. Laminate flooring is made by compressing wood scraps with a resin. They resemble real wood floods to the extent that many times the casual observer cannot tell the difference. If you can get the same look for less money, choosing this type of flooring makes a great amount of sense.
2. Keeps Its Color
When exposed to direct sunlight for a long period of time, solid hardwood floors can fade because of the damage that they incur from the sun. Laminate, on the other hand, are almost always fade resistant because of the resin used in their manufacture.
3. Installation
Laminate flooring is easy to install. Most planks are held into place with a tongue and groove system, making that makes laying a floor quick and simple. Solid and manufactured hardwood floors often have to be nailed or glued into place, which can make installation tricky for amateurs.
4. Durability
The resin used in the manufacture of laminate flooring gives it durability that is vastly superior over real wood floors. Laminate floors are scratch resistant and resistant to staining. They also do not require sanding and refinishing after a number of years.
5. Resistance to Cuts and Impacts
Laminate is also resistant to cuts and impacts. Should something heavy fall on a real wood floor, it could leave a nasty mark. With a laminate floor, because it is so durable, an impact scar would be minimal if any were to occur.
6. Low Maintenance
Laminate flooring only needs a brief wipe with a damp towel to be cleaned. You never have to sand and never have to stain a laminate floor.
8. Can Be Placed Anywhere
Installing real hardwood floors can be difficult depending on where it is to be placed. While installation over plywood is easy, installing real wood over a concrete slab can be difficult and time consuming. However, with laminate, your options are endless. Laminate floors can be installed over any surface with equal ease.
9. Easy Removal
Instead of being stuck to the slab or sub-flooring with nails, laminate sits on top of the existing floor, making it easy to replace on short notice. The planks can be taken apart easily, leaving you with a clean surface on which to place the new floor.
10. Environmentally Friendly
Laminate is made of scrap pieces of hardwood that are held in place by a resin when compressed under high pressure. Because the manufacture of laminate floors makes use of what would normally be thrown out, it is very environmentally friendly when compared to real wood flooring that requires trees to be cut into individual planks.
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