How to choose the right laminate flooring - 5 tips

What laminate flooring is better to choose - this is a question that worries many people who are planning to repair. After all, the right answer to it, will allow you to buy and lay a truly high-quality floor, which will serve the owner for years, without losing its physical and aesthetic qualities. But what is laminate flooring?

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Laminate (laminated parquet) is a technological material on a wood base, designed for installation as a floor covering. It consists of several layers covered with a special laminate layer that provides protection of the coating from moisture, wear and tear and mechanical damage. ilkjhgTaking into account the variety of types of laminate flooring, the characteristics of the materials under consideration, operating conditions and personal preferences, we will give 5 tips on how to choose the right laminate for floor repair, as well as tell you a lot of other useful information.

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Tip 1.  Carpet pad for laminate flooring

Make sure to use a special carpet pad for laminate flooring made of cork, polystyrene foam or air-bubble film. The thickness of the substrate should be no less than 2-3 and no more than 5 mm - this will eliminate minor defects of the base, creating a perfectly flat surface for laying the board.  In addition to eliminating irregularities, the carpet pad serves as a damping layer between the floor and the board, has a waterproofing function and distributes the dynamic load over the entire area, preventing the destruction of the lamella locks.

The carpet pad also provides additional thermal insulation and soundproofing of the room - this means that after the turnkey repair of the apartment or self-laying, you will hear less from the neighbors below, as well as reduce heat loss of the room.

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Tip 2.  What class to choose laminate

Modern laminate flooring comes in two main classes: household and industrial.  Each class has its own features and advantages, which should be taken into account before choosing a laminate flooring in an apartment.

Let's take a closer look:

1. Household class - an inexpensive solution designed for use in housing conditions. It has less wear resistance than industrial analogs, the average service life is 5-7 years. They have class markings 21, 22 and 23. Laminate household class is used in the implementation of budget repair of apartments in Kiev;

2. Industrial class - has increased wear resistance. The average service life of such laminate is 8-10 years. He received a class marking 31, 32, 33 and 34. The main place of operation are considered to be rooms with medium and high traffic: classrooms, conference rooms, offices, etc.  Due to its increased wear resistance, it is often used in residential areas.

If you don't know which laminate class to choose - study the technical documentation of the models in question or consult a specialist.  We recommend choosing a laminate with a margin of wear resistance, even when installing in a bedroom or living room.

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Tip 3.  Material of laminate production

The production of modern laminate involves the use of a multi-component composition, the basis of which are wooden fibers and paper compressed under the press. They are impregnated with special resins that provide very high strength of the product, many times exceeding even the strongest wood species, such as oak and ash.

The multilayer structure of laminate looks like this:

● Lower stabilizing layer;

● Supporting board;

● Decorative paper (film);

● Upper protective layer.

The production technology and chemical composition of 2 outwardly identical laminate strips may differ significantly, so their price may also differ, sometimes by 1.5 and even 2 times. It is important to know how to choose a laminate by quality, not only by class.

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Tip 4.  Water resistant laminate and water protection

Water resistant laminate is one of the most popular alternatives to tile or tiles. It is typically used in kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, and rooms with regularly or periodically high humidity. The feature is an advanced rubberized lock design, as well as a modern composite material that protects the surface of the board from chipping and moisture penetration.

Plastic base perfectly protects the internal components of the board from water penetration, preventing its damage and deformation. But even moisture-resistant coating does not have 100% protection - the dangerous places are the joints, through which water can slowly seep to the substrate, where it will have a destructive effect on the entire board. Therefore, be sure to use moisture-resistant laminate in the kitchen, bathrooms and other rooms with high humidity, but if water gets on the floor - you need to remove it as quickly as possible.

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Tip 5.  Correlation of the color and nature of the color of the laminate with the design solution of the room

The color scheme of the laminate directly affects whether the interior of the room will be harmonious.  In addition to the class of the material, its wear resistance, as well as moisture permeability, increased attention should be paid to the color and nature of the coloring of the board. If the walls are neutral colors - you can create an accent with a saturated color of the floor covering.

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Important advice! If the room is decorated in cold tones, do not use contrasting solutions, choose a board with a cold tone.

● Neutral solutions - beech, birch, pine;

● Contrasting tones - red, alder, pear, cherry;

● Light tones - bleached oak, maple, gray;

● Dark tones - wenge (various shades).

We recommend to choose the color in accordance with the interior design in a particular room. Optimally - to order the interior design of the apartment from professionals.  After consulting with a specialist, you will always get an answer about what color of laminate to choose for a particular room.

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