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Laminate flooring, as the name suggests, is the type of flooring
that makes use of a laminate as the basic material. It is made up of
either a synthetic material (usually melamine resin) in isolation or
synthetic materials combined with natural and recycled ingredients.
After being made, the flooring is covered with an attached
decorative applique, which also includes an aluminum oxide finish.
The flooring has a dense inner core, outside which layers of another
material are either glued-on or fused together. Though it is not
made of the same, laminate flooring can easily be prepared to look
like natural products, such as wood and marble or some other stone. |
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Benefits of Laminate Flooring
Laminate is considered one of the best alternatives for
flooring, mainly because of its numerous advantages.
- When compared to wood or natural stone floors, laminate
flooring comes across as quite reasonable, in terms of cost. At
the same time, you can install it on your own also, making the
cost go down further.
- High-quality laminate flooring is quite resistant to stains
as well as the routine wear and tear, like fading, especially
when compared to wood and natural stone flooring.
- Laminate flooring looks extremely appealing and imparts a
unique look to your home decor.
- This type of flooring is quite durable, apart from being
water-resistant. This means that you can easily use it in the
kitchen and bathroom, without any hesitation.
- When compared to other hardwood floors, the laminate ones
prove to be quite dent-resistant. This makes them perfect for
rooms that are prone to heavy traffic, such as drawing room.
- When it comes to designing, laminate flooring offers a
number of options to choose from, thus giving you a great
variety.
- In comparison to proper wood floors, laminate flooring is
quite low-maintenance, in terms of efforts as well as cost.
- Quite unlike the natural wood flooring, a laminate one will
not need regular waxing, oiling or staining.
Caring For Laminate Floors
- Clean your laminate floor on a daily basis, as dust, dirt
and sand particles tend to scratch its surface easily,
especially in high-traffic areas.
- Try to keep your laminate floor from getting wet as much as
possible. Water can make the planks swell, warp and get damaged.
Spilling water is no problem, as long as you clean it up
immediately and don't let the water stay. These days, you can
get water-resistant coatings on your laminate flooring as well,
solving this problem to quite an extent.
- While placing furniture on laminate floors, it is advisable
to place adhesive felt pads under the legs/base. This will help
prevent unnecessary scratching.
- In case you have glue-less laminate floors, they might
become separated with time. In this case, it is necessary to
"tap" the planks back together, as soon as you can.
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