Manufacturers
Balterio | Quick-Step | Mohawk | Shaw
Buying Tips for Laminate Flooring
The new generation of laminate floors have new finishes, different construction and new types of backing. They are designed for better wear, clearer pattern definition, and easier to maintain and install. Manufacturers have gone primarily to cushioned products with wider widths to reduce the number of seams. New innovations in backing have made the today’s cushion laminate floors more resistant to rips, tears and back staining. Most residential sheet flooring offer no-wax performance and a wide variety of colors and patterns–more than any other flooring product and generally speaking, cushion laminate flooring is the most economical of all flooring choices.
Some products are designed to help you reduce subfloor preparation costs
Next to ceramic tile, laminate flooring installation demands properly prepared subflooring. Most cushion laminate products are thin and when they are installed with a full spread of adhesive over a poorly prepared subfloor, irregularities can telegraph through. New products designed for perimeter or loose lay installation will greatly reduce the effects of subfloor irregularities while lowering subfloor preparation costs. In fact, many of these products can be installed over you existing flooring.
Luxury Laminate Products
Manufacturer’s have raised laminate flooring to a whole new level when it comes to luxury laminate product offerings. New technologies have led to greater realism in design and structures every bit as rugged as older inlaid products, and all of this without giving up the easy no-wax maintenance that is desired.
Special considerations when choosing sheet laminate flooring
Beware of asphalt driveways as asphalt can react to certain conditions and transfer into the laminate resulting in permanent staining. Be careful when moving or dragging heavy objects across the cushioned flooring as it often results in permanent damage to the surface.