Laminate flooring manufacturers use sophisticated, computerized technology to create realistic designs that are well protected by a tough outer coating that is imprevious to most stains, spills, burns and extremely scratch-resistant. These floors come in both planks and tiles and can be floated over most substrates including concrete slabs and existing floor coverings.
Laminate flooring textures offer the realism of hardwood graining and natural tile etching. You can choose from natural colors, dark wood grains as well as warm or cool color tones to compliment any room decor. Many hardwood plank designs are offered, including rare, exotic wood species. Stone and tile patterns will give you the elegant look of tile, but without the concerns about grout cleaning or cracking tile.
Laminate floors are never secured directly to the subfloor, instead they are floated over the subfloor. This allows laminate flooring to be used over a wide variety of subfloors, including wooden subfloors, existing floors and even concrete slabs.
Laminate flooring comes in several different forms:
Glueless laminate flooring
No mess, glueless installation makes these floors quick and easy-to-install. They come in a variety of ceramic and wood designs and colorations, as well as some manufacturers offer a real, hardwood veneer instead of a printed layer. These floors come in both planks and squares. An thin, plastic underlayment is needed to seal out moisture from below.
Note: Most laminate floors require a plastic underlay sheet (4 mil poly) be installed directly underneath the laminate planks or tiles. This helps the floor float freely over the subfloor. Another option is to add a vapor barrier or noise reduction underlay before installing the laminate flooring. |
Laminate flooring with attached underlay
These floors come with several different types of tongue and grooved locking systems and an attached underlayment to reduce noise levels.
Glued laminate flooring
These are the orginal laminate floors that do require a special formulated glue to be applied to the tongue and grooved areas for each plank. Once the glue is dried the planks are almost impossible to pull apart. These floors are offered in both planks and squares.
Pre-glued laminate flooring
No mess, because the glue is already applied to the tongue and grooves which makes these floors quick and easy-to-install. An thin, plastic underlayment is needed to seal out moisture and prevent the glue from sticking to the substrate.