How To Select Laminate Wood Flooring
Peter J. Mason

Laminate wood flooring is a fairly new alternative in home
flooring options. It is made to resemble natural hardwood
floors. The quality has improved in recent years and today’s
materials are very durable and beautiful. It can be difficult
to tell them apart from real hardwood. Most major manufacturers
make these floors including Armstrong laminate flooring,
Mannington flooring, Shaw laminate flooring and Bruce flooring.


Selecting Laminate Wood Flooring

You have a wide variety of choices in both style and color for
laminate floors. Styles are available that mimic natural
hardwood or ceramic tile. Wood styles come in every tone from
very light to darker tones. Choose darker tones for a formal
environment. Keep in mind that dark colors tend to make a room
look smaller, while lighter colors make the space appear
larger.

Laminate flooring can be found in most flooring stores and home
improvement centers. Discount flooring can be found in stores or
on the internet. Once you have decided on the color and style of
the floor material you want, you can start shopping around for
the best price. If you are doing a very small room, look for
left over materials. Sometimes these are available in smaller
amounts at an affordable price.

Installing the Floor

Laminates are not attached to the floor below. These are also
called floating floors. The slats have tongue and groove
designs. Slats are attached by slipping the tongue inside the
groove. They are held in place with special adhesives that are
made for laminate flooring.

These floors can be installed right over your old wood, tile or
vinyl flooring. You will need to remove carpeting and padding
prior to installation. Once removed, make sure the concrete or
wood subfloor is level before you start the installation.

You can hire a professional to install the floor for you, or
you can do the job yourself. Installation is fairly simple and
an average size room can be finished over a weekend. For larger
areas, you may want to save the job for when you take some
vacation time. Your floor will cost more if you opt for
professional installation. However, if you aren’t handy around
the house or don’t have the time, you may find this extra
expense worth the money.

Read the instructions from the manufacturer before cleaning
your new floor. To remove dirt and debris, use a broom or
vacuum. If the floor becomes very dirty, you can clean it with
a slightly damp mop. Other than this, very little care is
needed. Due to the laminate finish, the floor won’t need any
waxing.

Use only very little water. Excessive water can damage the
laminate coating on the surface of the floor. Soaking the floor
can damage the paper backing. Moisture can get trapped under the
laminate and damage the floor or cause the growth of mold, which
is not healthy. For this reason, these floors aren’t the best
choice for use in a bathroom. Moisture tends to build up in
this room and will damage the floor over the long term.

About The Author: Peter J. Mason publishes very often to
http://www.inside-woodworking.com  an online internet site. The
author is featuring laminate flooring and articles on woodworking.



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