What Is It?
Laminate flooring is made from several layers of thinly cut pieces of wood that are glued together with the grains running parallel to each other, then a sheet of paper with a photographic image of wood grain is placed on top, then finally covered by a final sheet of laminating plastic. These “hardwood facsimiles” looks just like the real thing which is why it has become very popular with homeowners.
Benefits
There are many benefits that the typical homeowners can get from laminate timber flooring. One is since it is only made to look like hardwood and does not really contain any hardwood at all, laminate timber flooring is very affordable. You can get the same kind of look and feel of real hardwood floors at just a fraction of the price.
Another reason for the popularity of laminate flooring materials is that they are very easy to install. If you have some experience in carpentry, then you can make a weekend project out of installing laminate flooring, you do not even have to use a saw to cut it to size, just a good utility knife will do the job, and you just glue down the pieces on the substrate.
Disadvantages
Though it may seem like laminate wood flooring is a great option for when you want to change the look and feel of the floor of your home, but it does have some drawbacks. One is that laminate floors do not last as long as real hardwood, or even engineered wood floors do. When they are in a heavy traffic area, the outer protective layer of laminate will get worn down, this means the printed wood grain would start fading after a couple of years has passed.
Another disadvantage of laminate timber is that if it gets scratched or damaged, you cannot sand it down to remove the visible marks. Remember that the top layer is just a photograph, it is not even real veneer, so sanding it would only lead to making the damage worse. If any of the laminate floorboards get damaged, you need to replace them outright; fortunately, this type of flooring is inexpensive.
Should You Use Laminate Wood Flooring?
If you do not have that large of a budget for real hardwood floors, then laminates are perfect for your needs. They look just like the real thing that most people cannot even tell the difference between them and real wood, and if you have some basic knowledge of carpentry, you can even install them yourself and save even more money. But the problem is that most homeowners are not skilled enough to install laminated flooring properly. If you want your floors to look really great, then you should leave it to professionals like us.
We have years of experience in installing different kinds of wood flooring, even laminate timber floors. We have installed flooring from homes all over Sydney, Wollongong, Parramatta, Wetherill, Central Coast, and other cities in Australia, and we are proud to say that all our customers were extremely happy with our work. So visit our website and leave us a message, we will be more than happy to be of help.
If you want to learn what is laminate timber flooring, then this article is perfect for you. If you are looking for an inexpensive alternative to hardwood flooring, then you should try using laminate timber instead.