Types of Laminate Flooring - Installation and Care Tips

Laminate flooring solutions are making it to the top of the list of designers, interior decorators, and owners alike. Durable and good-looking, they will make your head turn too!

Trying to choose the new flooring for the house or the workspace can be a tad difficult if you do not know what to choose, and where to buy from. At present, there are various types of floorings that are available in the market, though only very few suit the space that needs to be decorated. Be it an office space or a house, each space has its own flooring needs. 

For instance, even in the same house, if one is very conscious about the interior decor of the place, choosing a different type of flooring will help to maintain the integrity of the flooring, and thereby the whole space.

To put in simple words, it can be said that the type of flooring that is used in bathrooms or the kitchen cannot be used in bedrooms or the living room. While we are on this subject, let us see what the laminate flooring has to offer in terms of flooring and home decor. 

What are laminate floorings?

These types of floorings have various layers of synthetic flooring products that have been fused together with the help of lamination; they are called laminate floor tiles or laminate floorings. Having simple installation, this particular type of flooring has gained immense popularity in a short period of time and has been the choice of flooring for one and all - be it office space or a household. 

These types of floorings also have the ability to stimulate the look of an actual stone or wooden flooring with their layers of laminated flooring sheets. The inner sheets in these floor options are composed of fiber materials or resins that have the ability to withstand high wear and tear. 

Types of durable laminate floor tiles

The laminate floorings that are currently available in the market are available in various textures, shapes, colors, and patterns. These options help to bring out the decor of the place if installed at the right places, and in the right way. Interesting patterns can be incorporated into these laminated tiles by a simple process of lamination. All that manufacturers have to do is combine two different sheets with variations in their patterns and fuse them together and form a new laminated tile. 

There is no limit to the designs that can be incorporated into such tiles. Mention the type of design that you need in the laminate flooring and you can have it. The most common types of laminated tiles found in the market are, 

1. Stone patterned tiles 
2. Wood laminate floors 
3. Normal laminate floor tiles, and so forth. 

Installing the laminate floorings

These laminate floorings are completely easy to install and can be put together by simple DIY techniques or by following the instruction manual for installation. Professional help needs to be sought only if owners require no hiccups in installation, or if the place that needs the flooring requires a lot of pre-treatment for imparting good results. 

There are many variations when it comes to installing laminate flooring; these include:

Click type laminated tiles

These types of tiles have a socket and joint kind of setting at the edges. The tiles, regardless of their shape, can be placed in the formation next to the other, just by making sure that the joint sits perfectly into the socket. All one has to do is click the tiles in place to install them. This is less expensive and does not take up much time. 

Glue type laminate tiles

These types of laminate floorings need to be glued together and the end result is sturdy and durable laminate flooring. Compared to click type flooring, the installation of such floors takes time and is a bit expensive too. 

Pre-glued laminated tiles

These types of floors are glued prior to purchase but need to be moistened before installing them in the required place. Moistening these tiles activates the glue to show their action. 

Proper care for the laminated tiles

After installation of these tiles, the laminated flooring solutions need some regular care and maintenance to make sure that they have a longer lifetime. 

1. The laminated surfaces have to be cleaned regularly since the dust and other small particles on the floor can scratch the surface and leave marks. 
2. Since these floors have fibers and resins in them, they need to be kept dry; the flooring may swell in size if the water is allowed to sit on the surface for a long period of time. 
3. Dragging furniture pieces around can also leave scratch marks. To avoid that, soft adhesive pads can be placed on the legs of the furniture, thereby making the tip of their legs soft on the floors. 
4. If there are gaps in the flooring tiles, they need to be tapped back into place to avoid any kind of dust or small particles from moving within the gaps. 

Purchasing discount laminate flooring

These days, people have the liberty to purchase laminated flooring tiles directly from the manufacturers or online, wherein, wood laminate floorings can be purchased at a discounted price. 

In most cases, manufacturers offer attractive deals to help their customers purchase these laminated flooring without any fuss. When the warranty is considered, manufacturers generally provide different rates for office spaces and households. Usually, residential space owners have a bigger chance of getting a lifetime warranty on these laminated floorings. 

When purchased in bulk, further discounts can be obtained on their wholesale rates as well.

Way Forward

Laminate flooring has been the choice of flooring for households and office spaces for many decades. With loads of benefits that this type of flooring has in store, especially when compared to other flooring types, has put the flooring type on the front. 

Apart from the usual benefits, laminated floors and tiles are known for their safe, organic compositions that make them so desirable. All in all, laminated floorings are here to stay and continue to solve the flooring needs of most people. 

Go for it!

The Eternal Glamour of Hand-Scraped Hardwood

Hand-scraped hardwood flooring solutions look classy, authentic, subtle and standard. They are easy to clean and natural too. What else does one need?

There was a time when carpets used to adorn all kinds of homes. People used to cover their floors by using either wall to wall carpeting, or vinyl, plastic and ceramic tiles. The same good old days are back now with the comeback of wooden floors. If you are also thinking to join this movement, why not try hardwood flooring?

What is Hardwood Flooring?

This is a type of wooden floor that is created by professional craftsmen who carve and design wood in such a way that it looks aged and distressed. They will either gauge or scrape the wooden material with wire or brush, thus transforming brand new wood to give off an old, antique look.

These hand-scraped hardwood floors can also be created by using different colors, preferably stain colors, so that a complete old-fashioned look comes to the fore. Some professionals use sand for creating uneven patterns on the hardwood. The level of skill is such that these craftsmen can transform wood into centuries-old stuff as well. But for that, you need to pick the right people also.

Why go for hardwood flooring?

Hardwood flooring is natural. Usually, they are more than helpful in giving any commercial or living space a classy look. Another reason to use wooden floors is that wood is highly energy efficient. In fact, wood helps to distribute heat throughout any room evenly and thus helps in avoiding the installation of any unnecessary ducts, vents, and registers. Here, the catch is to use high-quality wood only, else the hardwood floors may fail to give off the desired appeal.

Also, wooden flooring does not cause any kind of allergies. So, if you have a toddler who crawls around the house or an animal that has fur and dander to shed, wooden floors will be the perfect answer.

Advantages of hand-scraped hardwood flooring

Durable

Since the wood is tampered to create an aged look, you do not need to panic every time your baby throws around the toys or scratches the floor with them, as such actions will only add to the grandeur of the floor.

Customized beauty

There is always an option to alter the design of the floor according to your custom needs. For example, if one desires to make the wood look centuries old, all he needs to do is add more and more marks on the travel paths.

Easy maintenance

Of course, maintaining hand scraped hardwood is not as easy as you thought but is much less stressful when compared to carpets. These floors should be vacuumed at least once a week. This helps in cleaning off the dust and dirt to perfection. If you feel that some areas are comparatively dirtier, you need to vacuum them a little more than the rest of the floor areas.

Also, if there is any spill, be it food, beverage or any other thing, wipe it off immediately. Use an absorbent towel and then rinse the area before the marks settle in. Wipe till the spill is entirely removed. Wet spills may damage the wood so be careful with these. Also, the floors must be cleaned on a regular basis. Use water, liquid dish soap, and distilled white vinegar to clean the hand-scraped hardwood floors. Wipe using smooth but firm strokes.

Some other things to know

1. Your wooden floor is organic. It can breathe, expand, as well as move. So it is not recommended but paramount that the best quality wood is used.
2. There is a myth that wooden floors cannot be installed over concrete floors. High-quality hand scraped wooden floor busts this myth. Just use the best quality wood, keep the concrete dry, and use a vapor barrier between the wood and concrete; and you are all set to go.
3. Wide planks of wood flooring are made from old trees. The planks are manufactured from the central portion of the trunk. Then, these planks are kept under controlled climate so that the moisture is removed. This process can last up to 12 months. Thereafter, kiln drying is done, and craftsman checks if the hand scraped hardwood flooring has turned out to be perfect or not.
4. If you are a nature lover and can’t see so many trees being cut down, you always have the option to go for already existing antique wooden pieces of flooring.
5. Hand scraped wooden floors don’t need to be replaced for decades. However, you must choose the best quality wood only.
6. If your kids or pets end up making scratch marks, and you are very adamant not to see them, just calm down. You can repair such marks yourself. Just use the same color stain marker or repair kit, which is easily available with your local flooring distributors.

Where to buy?

There are many online stores where one can get discount hand scraped hardwood floors. You can also check in your locality. The main goal is to find genuine and highly skilled craftsmen for doing the task well. These artisans should be able to tell the best quality wood from the average quality ones. They should be highly skilled so that they can make just the perfect design for their customers.

Way Forward

Hand-scraped hardwood flooring is the best option for you if you love original and natural products. Give it a shot because you will not be disappointed. In the case of any doubts, ask your local shop owner or the one you have decided to freeze your purchases from. Lastly, hardwood wood flooring has been around for quite some time. Just find the skilled professionals and get it installed. Then, sit back and relax as the hardwood will last for many decades if maintained carefully and diligently. Keep your floors clean and they will give off the classiest look possible.

Things To Know About Vinyl Flooring

Yes, vinyl mainly wins over other forms of flooring because of multiple factors such as strict standards and quality control measures that are put into use while manufacturing.

Known that materials such as wood, stone and ceramic might have a bit more aesthetic value than vinyl, one simply cannot ignore the fact that they are costly and slap high maintenance tasks on the customer. 

Sheet vinyl flooring is slip-resistant and is relatively soft; it is not harmful from the customer’s point of view either. That is why; it is the most popular form of flooring in existence. In addition, this kind of flooring is comparatively modern in terms of patterns and textures, and can be installed in a very short span of time.

Vinyl Flooring Health Benfits

The strict standards enforced by the manufacturers of vinyl flooring ensure that it comes with several health benefits. These benefits mainly arise due to the fact that it is very easy to clean vinyl floors. Antimicrobial coatings and germ killers are also offered by manufacturers which easily boost the sales of this flooring type. One factor that plays down vinyl flooring’s hygiene card is that it generates gases that can be harmful to the lungs. Thus, it can spoil indoor air quality.

Structure of Vinyl

Vinyl flooring sheets consist of numerous layers, each of which have their own purpose. The base layer is fundamental and supports all other layers. On top of that is a fiber glass that holds the sheet straight and flattens the same. The pattern layer is responsible for offering color, texture and looks to the sheet. The wear layer and the top coat are just protective layers that add sheen to this flooring option.

Existence and History

Sheet vinyl came into existence in the mid-20th century and is one of the coveted types of vinyl that gets installed very fast. It is made up of a mix of quite a number of raw materials, each one of them, serving its own purpose.

1. Poly vinyl chloride is used for its rigid nature that toughens the sheet vinyl.
2. Foam gel is used for adding comfort and texture to the material and sometimes for insulation as well.
3. Urethane makes the vinyl durable and long lasting.
4. While sheet vinyl flooring installation is done, preferably by professionals, it can be permanently glued hard to the floor or can be loosely placed over the floor for gaining higher durability metrics.

Vinyl Composition Tile

Vinyl Composition Tile, popularly abbreviated in the flooring industry as VCT, is made up of vinyl and ground limestone. The specialty of this mixture is that it doesn’t exactly show itself off as a mixture that people usually expect it to be. 

The only way possible for the installation for VCT is gluing it down; this has to be done mandatorily by a professional. This is because these tiles are square-shaped and very tough in nature. Therefore, while installing, it should be noted that each tile is placed closely and perfectly in sync with its neighbors. Vinyl floor tiles are manufactured using a process similar to that of vinyl sheets. But in reality, vinyl tiles turn out to be way harder than other sheets.

How Vinyl Differs From Laminate Flooring

Vinyl flooring is often confused with laminate flooring as it cannot be distinguished and identified easily, which leads to people getting stuck between deciding as to which one of them is better. Although both vinyl and laminate flooring are durable and inexpensive, there are a lot of differences that might get overlooked by customers like you.

Here, thickness, materials, resistance to water and comfort level are different. Base materials make all the difference. We can begin with two simplifications:

Vinyl’s flooring is 100% plastic core and is super resistant to moisture. It can be designed to look like wood boards and can be joined with a ‘click’ which snaps two tiles together. Laminate flooring is not as moisture resistant as vinyl flooring; however, it can be installed in a DIY way. Laminate flooring wins over vinyl flooring in terms of looks and installation.

As far as costs are concerned, both vinyl and laminate floorings stand at the same level. Laminate floorings take an upper hand over vinyl floorings in terms of factors such as resale value and comfort.

Vinyl Plank Flooring

Plank wood flooring provides a fresh and unique look to the floor and is thus in demand for its aesthetic appeal. At the same time, over the years, the quality and appearance of vinyl planks has been improved phenomenally, and has thus led to the skyrocketing of resilient flooring’s popularity. 

This in turn has led to plank vinyl flooring’s growing demand in the industry. Beyond that, vinyl plank is less expensive than all other types of floor coverings - except for laminate floorings, as mentioned before. This is mainly due to the cheap availability of additional raw materials at an inexpensive rate.

Moreover, there are certain vinyl planks that appear in a rather distressed look, or are heavily antiqued. This is mainly for those who prefer their floors to look in such a way. Vinyl planks can be easily installed with a lock/click mechanism.

What to See while Choosing a Vinyl Floor

While choosing a vinyl floor, there are a lot of factors to be considered. Your choice of style is essential. There is a wide range of options available in the market that resembles stone and hardwood finish that can be very realistic. Texture, pattern, and finish are also very important factors as they contribute to the tactile, visual and aesthetic appeal of the floors, respectively.

1. Care should be taken as to how tough the selected vinyl planks are.
2. They should also stand up to spills and traffic.
3. Waxing and buffing should be avoided.
4. Vinyl can be installed on any flat surface which is dry and clean.
5. A plywood base is always recommended for better installation.

Last Word

DIY friendly in nature, Vinyl tiles can be readily installed with the help of spray adhesives, self sticking materials, or with other options. However, installation of these sheets is largely done by professionals. Thus, it is best to seek professional assistance in order to install the best vinyl flooring, appropriately.