Laminate flooring permits you to have your cake and eat it too. When you want the look of a gorgeous tile or hardwood floor, but do not want the upkeep or expense, laminate flooring may be precisely what you need.

Laminate flooring is made up of a balancing layer, fiberboard layer, and a variety of sealants and thin layers of fibrous material like paper. An image of a stone tile or a particular grain of hardwood is imprinted on one of the layers, to give the look of the real thing. The top layer is a protective sheet that prevents wear and tear, so your floors always look brand new. It's as if you have a giant laminated photograph of natural flooring mounted on your floor.

As soon as you've decided to go with laminate flooring in your home, you may think the hard decisions are over. Nevertheless, the array of options available can be overwhelming. Here are 5 things to look at when buying laminate flooring:

1. Laminate Floor Design
If you can dream it, you can get it on your floor. Fantasizing about that beautiful tile floor you saw when on vacation in Italy? You can have a similar look at home. Want to get the look of your grandmother's wood floors? You can do that too.

As soon as you have chosen your design, you will want to find a manufacturer that offers numerous different "photographs" of the same floor. In a natural floor, no two planks or tiles would be alike, and you want the same effect for your laminate floor. The more variations available for your product design, the more apt you are to fool your neighbors!

Another factor in picking authentic-looking laminate flooring is to find a item that is "embossed in register," which basically implies the surface lines of the laminate adhere to the image design. If your product does not have this feature, the surface lines will stand out against the design - a dead giveaway.

2. Live With Your Laminate
For as little as $5, most manufacturers will permit you to purchase a sample plank or tile to test out in your own home. You can select a sample online and usually receive a sample, product catalog and often even a certificate or mail-in-rebate toward your final purchase. Line up your samples in the rooms in which you plan to install laminate flooring and live with them for awhile. How do the samples look with your furnishings and wall color? Do you like the same sample when the light modifications at various times of the day?

3. High-Pressure Laminate v.s. Direct-Pressure Laminate
The difference between High-Pressure Laminate (HPL) and Direct-Pressure Laminate (DPL) is essentially in the layers. The more layers you have, the better. More layers provide you with far more protection from the elements - and the children! In general, HPL has a minimum of five layers and DPL has only 3 layers. HPL will be a lot more costly, but if you are installing it in high-traffic areas, it will be worth the cost.

One of the main methods to tell if a floor is laminate or natural is in the sound it makes when you walk on it. Obviously HPL would be your option if noise is a factor for you, because more layers can help to muffle the sound. You can also get laminate flooring with sound barrier layers added in to the item.

4. Laminate Floor Installation
Laminate flooring is an exceptional option for do-it-yourself types, because it is fairly simple to install. You can even purchase a product with glue already on the edges simply wet them down to activate the glue. With the purchase of an installation kit ($25-$500), you can install your laminate floor yourself. Expect to lay between 100 and 300 feet per day, depending on the kind of item and how numerous buddies you have!

3 Kinds of Laminate Floor Installation

When selecting the installation for your laminate floor , it all comes down to the glue. You can get a glue laminate, which requires the application of glue to each piece before you lay it down. As stated above, pre-glued laminate is merely moistened prior to you fit the pieces together. A third option is a glue-less laminate with a system that snaps the tongue and groove together, locking the floor into place. Glue laminates take longer to install, and you will have to wait longer to walk on them once installed.

5. Manufacturer's Reputation
To make certain your product meets industry standards, make sure they are manufactured by renowned and reputable manufacturer's. Never forget to check customer feedback.
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