Laminate flooring can be a beautiful addition to your home! It’s durable, easy to clean, and easy on your wallet. Like every type of flooring, it has its advantages and its disadvantages. Take a look at the 5 things you may not have known about Laminate flooring!
1. Laminate and water do not mix!
When laminate flooring is installed properly, a little water on the surface is not a problem. There is a water-resistant layer along the top of laminate that is easy to clean with a dry mop or vacuum. For those extra sticky situations, you can use a mild soap and a bit of water to clean it. Water becomes a problem when puddles of water are left on the surface of laminate. This can cause warping and swelling and your laminate could end up looking terrible! If installed improperly there’s more chance for water to get in between boards which can be a major issue.
Laminate is not a great choice for places with a lot of moisture. This includes bathrooms, laundry rooms, and rooms with drains. If you’re not sure whether laminate is right for you, please feel free to contact us through www.nexstepconstruction.com. We can help clear up any confusion!
2. Laminate has 5 Abrasion Class Ratings.
When deciding on what laminate to put in your space think of how many people will be using the space? Will there be chairs scraping the floor? This will help you when deciding what abrasion rating to get. An abrasion rating is used to understand how durable a laminate board is.
The Abrasion Class Ratings start from 1 to 5. 1 is a low abrasion class rating, and is used for closets or low traffic residential areas. This would be for closets, guest rooms, storage rooms and other rooms that aren’t used very often.
An Abrasion Class Rating of 3 is good for any area of the home and some commercial settings. High traffic areas like hallways, living rooms, and business lobbies would be a good place to put his type of laminate flooring.
Laminate with an Abrasion Class Rating of 5 is used in very high traffic, commercial buildings. This is public buildings like department stores, art galleries, showrooms, etc.
3. Laminate flooring is great for people with pets!
Laminate flooring is great for people with pets because it is a very durable and easy to clean type of flooring. It is also scratch resistant and easy to replace if needed. Unlike carpets that are glued down and take a lot of work to remove, most laminates click in to place, or are glued to each other, and aren’t glued to the ground.
4. Some laminates are textured!
There are textured laminates so that they not only look like hard wood, they feel like hardwood as well! There is a huge variety of colours, textures, and types of laminate flooring. You can now get slip resistant laminate and laminate that has a stone effect. There are so many options to choose from.
5. You cannot refinish laminate.
Here is the good news: “Unlike wood, which can dent, laminate flooring is almost impervious to dents and scratches. Laminate flooring has a ‘wear layer’ that protects the photographic layer underneath. Some manufacturers, DuPont in particular, give very generous 10+ year warranties on the wear layer.” (https://www.thespruce.com/laminate-flooring-pros-and-cons-1821644)
If your laminate gets badly damaged, you cannot sand it down and then refinish it. Underneath the top layer of laminate is completely different material. If you damage that top layer your only option is to replace it.
Look at home renovation magazines or search online photos for inspiration on what you want for your renovation, before you reach out to contractors. Do you want a more modern looking kitchen or a more traditional look? What colour schemes were you thinking? For example, in your bathroom, what kind of layout would you like? What kind of flooring? Do you want a stand-up shower, a bath tub with shower head, or the more traditional bathtub with legs? Keep a collection of photos so that you can share them with your contractor/designer. Communication is key in any renovation. The more information you can give your contractors/designers, the better they can understand what it is you want. Be wary that things like space and budget can limit what you can do with your renovation. Contractors and Designers can walk you through costs, what will work, and what won’t work in the space you have, so you get the most out of your renovation. When you meet with a designer/contractor they’ll ask you many questions about what you want, so if you aren’t sure going into the meeting, they can help you solidify some ideas.
What is your budget for the renovation? Keep in mind that sometimes fees will pop up such as hidden repairs your house needs. You never know what you’re going to find behind walls, under floors, etc. Take twenty percent from your budget away for extra costs and you’ll save yourself a lot of stress if an extra cost shows up. Then consider what you need, what you want most, and what you can do without. Talk to your contractor, or supply stores about pricing when it comes to the type of flooring, or the fixtures that you want. What can you afford based on your budget? This will help you narrow down all the ideas you’ve collected. Also keep in mind the overall value of your home. Putting extra money in to appliances, or fixtures such as cabinets, shelves, fireplaces, etc., may appeal to a wider range of people when selling your home in the future. Instead of putting extra money into unique trim or painting techniques on your walls. Some people may enjoy it, but others may not appreciate your unique choices.
Also keep in mind that, with some things, you don’t want to go with the cheaper option. For example, flooring and carpet in areas of your home that get walked a lot should be a higher quality material to endure that heavy traffic. If you go with a cheaper material you’re looking at having to replace or repair in a few years.
It’s fine to plan out renovation timelines and estimated completion dates so you can plan your life around the renovations. Just keep in mind that, unfortunately, things happen when you least expect them. Perhaps carpet is removed to be replaced with flooring and mold is found underneath. Or the wood underneath has a rot issue and needs to be replaced. Perhaps the cabinets for your kitchen are suddenly on back order or that flooring you wanted is now discontinued. If you prepare for these mishaps and have a flexible timeline, you’ll save a lot of stress. Have the renovation start a few months earlier than when you wanted it to start or prepare for a few months after it is supposed to finish. Don’t plan a dinner party in your new renovated kitchen when the renovation is supposed to be completed a week before. Chances are something will cause the completion date to be extended.
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