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Home & Garden Articles
Laminate Flooring, Is It A Better Choice For You
Mon 13 Nov 2006 - 12:40
Laminate Flooring, Is It A Better Choice For You
By Munyaradzi Chinongoza
When thinking of what kind of floor to put on your home, there is a wide range of products to choose from. There is carpet and tile, hardwood and laminate, vinyl and bamboo, among others. Carpet will inevitably get stained, tile will get dingy - particularly in the grout lines, vinyl may get nicks that fill with dirt, bamboo is exotic and very expensive, hardwood is nice, but will show wear fast. But laminate is another creature all together.
Laminate is a good choice if you have small children or dogs, because it is very difficult to scratch. It is available in a variety of colors, finishes price ranges and textures. Yes, textures. Today laminate is not the fake-looking flooring that you may remember. You can get maple colored, oak or rich cherry finish on the flooring. It is textured to look more like the real thing without all the work. Another thing that has changed over recent years are the patterns available. You can get laminate that looks like wood, of course, or tile. The wood patterns will have 3 inches, 4 inches, 5 inches plank look for a varied appearance. The tile patterns can be 12 inches x12 inches tile or you can go for a slate look.
Maintaining laminate floors is very easy, which makes them ideal for busy parents or elderly people. Be sure that if water or other liquid is spilled, it is cleaned up quickly, but other than that, laminate flooring is relatively worry free. Follow the maintenance instructions that came with your floor. Use only a damp mop or suction only vacuum.
There is no need to wax the floor. May laminates will come with a 15 to 25 year warranty on the finish. Even with such a great warranty you will want to take precautions such as putting entry rugs down to take the brunt of grit coming from shoes. Put felt pads on the bottom of the furniture to prevent scratching from moving the chairs or table around during the course of the life of the flooring.
A couple of things to keep in mind, if you are looking to buy laminate flooring, are where you are going to install and how big the space is. It may not be a good idea, for example, to put the flooring in a kitchen or bathroom because of the higher probability of getting water spilled and being humid. Too much moisture will cause the floor to bubble and cup.
Also, if it is a large area you are looking at, check with the manufactures. There is a limit to the amount of square footage you will be able to install before other precautions are needed to prevent buckling.
All in all, laminate flooring is a good choice if you are looking for a low cost easy maintenance option in floor covering.
For more information on laminate flooring please visit my site at Laminate Flooring or you can get more information on Laminate Wood Flooring
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Munyaradzi_Chinongoza
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