Laminate flooring resembles hardwood, but it is very distinct. The surface, which can be stamped or laminated with a veneer to resemble hardwood, is completed with a durable plastic coating that resists scratches better than most hardwood finishes; however, the core is vulnerable to water damage. You want to think about both of these characteristics before using laminates on your kitchen. However on most other counts, such as cost, ease-of-installation and appearance, laminates equivalent or exceed different types of flooring.

Laminate Plank Construction

Although the word “laminate” indicates a type of layered construction like plywood, laminate boards tend to be much like mixers which enclose a core of high-density fiberboard or, even in cheaper brands, inexpensive softwood. The bottom and top are sealed with impermeable plastic, which provide the planks some measure of moisture resistance. The planks are factory-finished with a baked polyurethane finish that resists scratching and repels spills, which makes the flooring a natural selection for a high-traffic area such as the kitchen. The planks aren’t indestructible, though. Water left standing on a laminate floor can seep through the cracks and into the fiberboard cores of the planks, effectively ruining them.

Easy to Install

Click-lock laminate floor boards revolutionized the flooring business when Pergo introduced them in the 1970s, and a click-lock laminate floor is still one of the simplest types of flooring to install. In a normal installation, you spread a moisture barrier on the subfloor and construct the laminate floor on top of it. You don’t need to manage messy glue or pneumatic nailing equipment, and you need only basic carpentry skills, such as familiarity with a circular saw and jigsaw. One of the obvious advantages of laminates over other flooring types is that you can install it directly over existing tiles, hardwood and vinyl.

Low Price and Variety of Styles

The average cost to install laminate flooring at 2014 was between $5.26 to $7.76 per square foot, which can be greater than the cost to install vinyl, but about 50 percent less than the expense to install prefinished hardwood. The installation procedure is more DIY-friendly than that for hardwood, however, and you’re able to realize significant savings from doing the work yourself. Since laminates are available in such a huge variety of styles and colors, you can match any kitchen decor scheme. You don’t need to limit yourself to timber patterns; some laminates resemble tiles or stone.

Easy Maintenance

Once your laminate floor is installed, then you won’t need to exert a lot of effort to maintain it. In most cases, all it requires is periodic scrubbing and sweeping. It is not a good idea to clean laminate flooring or utilize any sort of cleaning solution, because moisture can seep into the cores and swell the planks. Spills are simplest to eliminate if you wipe them up as soon as they occur. A rag moistened with nail polish remover or acetone will remove oil, paint, ink, tar and a number of other stains. Laminate floors generally don’t need waxing, buffing or polishing.

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