Laminate Flooring

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You want the look of hardwood but don’t want to make the investment. Get ready for a great solution. Laminate flooring is durable, scratch, stain, and fade resistant, easy to clean, hypoallergenic and perfect for households with pets and children.  There are all kinds of laminates, not only with different looks but different plank widths and colors that are built to withstand different degrees of traffic. Laminates can resemble stone or ceramic tile but are best known as substitutes for wood floors. The innovations in laminate keep on coming; new and better locking systems, embossing, new finishes and more.

A laminate floor is a high-tech floor made by fusing together several layers of materials into one board. The core layer or the center of the laminate floorboard is almost always made of high density fiberboard, but sometimes medium density fiberboard. This core, which supports the weight and stress of foot traffic, will affect how sturdy and stable your floor will be. Strength and stability is further ensured by the laminate’s bottom stabilizing layer. A decorative layer is fused on top of the core. The decorative layer is actually a picture of the floor that is printed on a type of “living paper”. A transparent wear layer is applied over the décor layer and is then treated with one or more coats of an aluminum oxide finish. This is what makes for the incredible wear resistance against scratches, burns, dents and stains that laminates are so famous for.