Laminate Flooring Wood Replaces Hardwood Floors and Wall-to-Wall Carpeting

Laminate flooring wood seems to be replacing hardwood floors in many new homes, as well as older homes that are being remodelled. Furthermore, the idea of wall-to-wall carpeting is increasingly being replaced by laminate flooring wood as well. And there are good reasons for this. In our economy today, people are becoming more budget-conscious. Laminate flooring provides the quality that people still look for, but at much more affordable prices.

What are the alternatives that engineered flooring wood provide over hardwood or wall-to-wall carpeting? Let’s first look at the brief history of both these popular flooring materials.

Hardwood flooring has been a timeless choice for flooring. It has become a trademark of value and prestige for most homeowners. This is because hardwood flooring can actually increase the value of your house. But what many people may not know is that hardwood flooring is very difficult to maintain. It has to be regularly cleaned and polished in order to look good. Dust has to be kept away from it, because it can easily get scratched. They also dent and warp over time if subjected to too much moisture. This can lead to this annoying creaking sound when you walk around your house. Most of all, Wood is not a very good sound insulator. So for the price of hardwood flooring, you’re not getting much in return.

So now the question is how is laminate flooring wood made and why is it so easy to install?   The top of the laminate flooring wood is usually veneered with a thin sheet of the fine wood; such as walnut or maple. There is also engineered flooring wood that is also made with some bamboo varieties, giving you a beautiful exotic look. Beneath the veneer, the laminate flooring wood is primarily laminated pieces of pine or particle board.  Some of the other exotic laminate flooring woods that can be found include other stores as well.

Installing laminate flooring wood can be done in two ways: floating and glue down. Floating laminate flooring wood is the easiest to install because there is no nailing or gluing that is required. The best way to install laminate flooring wood in the floating pattern is to first lay down a vapour barrier. This vapour barrier can either be plastic or thin polystyrene sheeting. The polystyrene sheeting can also serve as an insulation barrier which can help you keep that needed heat in the house during those cold winter months. Once the polystyrene sheeting has been laid, you need to take the panels of the engineered wood panels and position them together. The engineered wood panels are typically three to four inches wide and up to three feet long. The engineered wood panels are tongued on one end and grooved on the other end, so it is basically like putting a jig saw puzzle together. All the pieces are made to easily fit together and with the tongue and grooved sides, the panels can fit tightly together and you can have a gorgeous floor.

If you feel that your laminate flooring wood panels may come apart, you can also glue them down. There are all kinds of different ways you can glue your laminate flooring wood down:

  • Peel and press is a type of laminate flooring wood panel that has an adhesive on the back of the panel which is protected with a removable sheet of paper.  This is the easiest method of gluing down the laminate flooring wood panels. The important thing to remember about peal and press laminate and tile flooring is that the floor needs to be clean and free of dust before gluing down the panels or the linoleum tiles. When gluing them down, put some weight on the panels or tiles to allow for the adhesive to bond to the base floor.
  • Glue application is a more obsolete method of applying glue to the base floor and then placing the laminate flooring wood panels on top. This method is similar to gluing floor tile and much more difficult than the more common peel and press.

Once you have found the best laminate flooring at the lowest price, you can easily install it.  Whether you choose the floating panels or the peel and press, you can be assured that you will have a beautiful and long enduring floor. One that is contemporary and no longer antiquate or extravagant like hardwood flooring or carpeting. After all, a modern house needs modern materials to create a sleek and sophisticated style that will last long.