| Consumers have been discovering that there are a | | | | which certainly beats having to wait for the glue to |
| lot of advantages to having laminate floors installed in | | | | dry on a hardwood floor. |
| their homes instead of the more traditional hardwood | | | | Another reason that it's faster to install laminate |
| flooring. For starters, laminate flooring is made of | | | | flooring than it is hardwoods is because laminate |
| anywhere from three to seven layers of materials | | | | planks are made somewhat wider than hardwood |
| making it very durable. One of the layers of the | | | | planks. This means that you'll have fewer boards to |
| laminate flooring controls the look of the floor. It is | | | | cut and install which will mean you can finish the |
| made by using photographic images that cause the | | | | process in a much shorter time. |
| floors to look like authentic hardwoods with grain, | | | | You'll like the awesome durability of laminate flooring. |
| color, and even knots. | | | | It is designed to be about fifteen times as strong as |
| Since laminate technology relies on photographic | | | | the best natural hardwood flooring. Because of its |
| images, many more designs can be used than are | | | | strength, it's much more difficult to damage a |
| available in solid hardwoods. Even when using a | | | | laminate floor, and it will stand up to high traffic much |
| standard wood image, such as an oak grain, the two | | | | better than the solid wood does. Many laminate |
| looks will be somewhat different. No two boards of | | | | flooring products come with a ten or fifteen year |
| solid hardwoods will ever be exactly the same due to | | | | warranty which is considerably longer than the |
| the natural graining and flaws in the wood, but the | | | | warranties offered for hardwoods. This shows that |
| patterns in laminates are repeated over and over. | | | | the manufacturers of laminates have more |
| Rather than being a disadvantage in laminate floors, | | | | confidence in the durability of their products, and you |
| this is actually a plus in that if you need to replace a | | | | can, too. This is good, because laminates cannot be |
| damaged plank in your laminate floor, it will be much | | | | sanded and refinished to renew their beauty like |
| easier to find a new one that will match your floor | | | | hardwoods can. |
| exactly. | | | | Another of the great qualities of laminate flooring is |
| One of the most appealing features of laminate | | | | that it can block the ultraviolet (UV) rays from the |
| floors is that they can be purchased about twenty | | | | sun and prevent them from fading the color of the |
| five percent cheaper than comparable hardwoods. | | | | floor. Hardwood floors can't boast this quality which is |
| What this means for you as the consumer is that | | | | another reason why they need a lot more |
| you can give your home the look you are trying to | | | | maintenance than laminates do. You won't need to |
| achieve without the high cost. | | | | refinish a laminate floor due to fading, even if you |
| Laminate flooring is glueless and made using a | | | | could, but you will have to take that into |
| tongue-and-groove design, so it is far easier to install | | | | consideration with a hardwood floor. |
| than hardwood flooring and can save you the cost of | | | | You'll enjoy the ease with which you can maintain |
| a professional installer. Laminate floors are called | | | | your laminate floors. Designed so that they don't trap |
| floating floors just for this very reason. Without | | | | any dirt, day-to-day care will only involve running over |
| having to use nails or glue to install your flooring | | | | the floors with a brush or dust mop. Spills can easily |
| makes it an easy task to do on your own, and you'll | | | | be wiped up with a sponge or paper towel and will |
| be able to accomplish the job quickly. Without the | | | | cause no damage to the floor. A lot more care is |
| mess of using glue, clean up is a breeze. After you | | | | required to keep hardwood floors looking their best. |
| install your floor you can start living on it immediately | | | | |