10 basic answers about laminate flooring
Is laminate flooring wood? No, not exactly. At least not in the same sense as solid hardwood or even engineered wood flooring. What is it then? It's a sandwich: a wood composite base topped with two or more layers of melamine-impregnated paper, which in turn is topped with a scratch-resistant "wear layer."
So there is some wood in it? Technically yes. But the finish layer--the layer that you see and that looks like wood--is not. It is a photograph of wood. Is laminate flooring durable? Yes. It's highly resistant to heel marks, dog claws, and almost anything that a child can do to it. Can laminate flooring be sanded? No. What happens when laminate flooring is extremely worn and scratched then? It gets replaced. One of the advantages of a floating floor is easy replacement. What's a floating floor? A floor whose individual pieces connect to each other. They are not nailed or glued to sub-floor.
re all laminate floors floating floors? Not necessarily. You can buy glue-down laminate flooring, which is a bit more stable than a floating laminate floor. Is laminate flooring easy to install? Yes. This is the greatest advantage of laminate flooring. An inexperienced do-it-yourselfer can install laminated flooring in a small room in one day. Is laminated flooring moisture-resistant? Yes, to some degree. One major manufacturer says that laminated flooring resists "topical" moisture, which means light moisture in kitchens and bathrooms. But not the heavy moisture you might find in a basement prone to flooring or in a children's bathroom.
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Cee Valdez writes about home renovation topics for
www.easyrenovate.com