Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring is a viable solution for using in new construction or in renovations. Floating floors with real wood surfaces, or wood, stone or tile patterns, have benefits not found in other flooring products.

As a verb it means to bond together in layers, while as a noun, it refers to a material that is produced by bonding together layers of material. For flooring, “laminate” is a family of products in which a finish material is fused to a substrate. Laminates can resemble many things, including wood, stone (like marble, slate, or flagstone), tile, or a solid surface of color (though that’s usually saved for countertops).


You may be wondering why you would choose a laminate over a wood, tile or stone floor. There are lots of reasons!

  • Cost.
  • Environmental concerns.
  • Health issues.
  • Speed of installation.

There are some reasons to not choose a laminate floor too.

  • Durability.
  • Maintenance.
  • Noise.

Before we delve into the pros and cons, let’s understand better what laminate flooring is and a quick review of its history.
Laminate flooring is typically made with an interlocking tongue-and-groove system that sometimes clicks together and sometimes glues together. It can be pre-finished at the factory or finished after installation. It can be installed on any surface and in any room of your house, including wet rooms like the kitchen and bath. Laminate flooring consists of four main laminated components. First, the decorative surface — wood grain or stone look — made of resin is based melamine or a thin slice of wood. In the middle is a moisture-, heat- and dent-resistant core. On the underside is a balanced backing that adds support. The top is a clear, wear-resistant finish, often of aluminum oxide, which provides the protection and stain resistance.
Laminate flooring has a hardness factor, assigned by independent testing labs, reported on an AC scale. The AC rating considers resistance to staining and cigarette burns, impact, abrasion, and thickness swelling along plank edges. You want either AC-3 or AC-4; AC-3 is made for heavy residential and light commercial use. AC-4, which is 60% heavier than AC-3, is rated for heavier commercial use but is also fine in homes.
Pergo, a Swedish flooring company, developed the idea of a laminate floor out of their laminate countertop business, in 1977, introduced it to Europe in 1984 where it has grown in popularity ever since. It was introduced in 1994 to the U.S. where it spread quickly. Now there are numerous companies manufacturing laminate flooring, though Pergo has become the household word for the product.
Durability is one reason to not choose a laminate floor. Laminate flooring is tough, but by its nature of being made of thin layers it’s not as durable as wood, tile or stone flooring. It can’t be refinished when it gets scratched and the scratches can’t be easily camouflaged. When a laminate plank is damaged it’s challenging to repair it, though with the repair kits you can get from the manufacturer it can be patched. In some cases, you can take the floor up and replace the damaged plank.
The cost of installed laminate flooring can be cheaper than wood floors, making it one good reason to consider. Speed of installation from start to finish is faster than wood floors. It’s because it comes pre-finished, removing the additional step of coating the surface with a protective seal, and because it isn’t nailed down. It can be noisy to walk on, sounding a bit hollow.
Environmental concerns are worth evaluating as well. Trees, though a renewable resource, are very slow growing, and using them for floors consumes quite a bit of natural resource. Laminate floors, on the other hand, use manufactured materials (often from scraps of wood, cardboard, or paper) which are more abundant, being gentler on the environment.
Health issues are still another consideration in purchasing laminate flooring. Some laminate floors are off-gassed at the factory, saving your home or office from the health-challenging fumes. The quality of laminate flooring varies, along with the contents. Some products are made with more urea-formaldehyde and high volatile organic compounds (VOC) ingredients while others are made with low VOC ingredients. If the off-gassing is handled at the factory, you are in better shape.
Is laminate for you? I enjoyed my laminate flooring, laid in the entry, kitchen, and bathroom. The present owner of that house says the floor looks great more than 11 years later, even after being subjected to men wearing hiking boots, to dogs racing through the house, and all kinds of weather conditions, showing that it can definitely be a durable surface despite its reputation as being fragile.

81 thoughts on “Laminate Flooring”

  1. Hi Lisa,
    I don’t think that having a dark laminate will help hide scratches and related problems. I have a brother-in-law who has vinyl plank flooring throughout his home and he loves it – but of course, he doesn’t have the high level of traffic that your floors have. I do know that his flooring is the same vinyl plank flooring that WalMart has in their ‘remodeled’ stores and you know it has to take a beating!

    Reply
  2. exactly how loud is laminated floors
    i can not make up my mind laminated or hardwood floors. please help me to make the right choice

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  3. HI
    i forgot to mention this is new construction.
    and is there different quality of laminated floors. if there is can i use the highend of laminated floors and it still be cheaper than hardwood flooring
    help
    evelyn

    Reply
  4. Hi Evelyn,
    How “loud” laminate flooring is would be rather subjective. There are different qualities of laminate flooring. Keep in mind the old adage “you get what you pay for” and that should serve you well when picking out your flooring. Laminate flooring is 25% cheaper than hardwood so you could afford the higher end laminate and still be paying less than if you purchased hardwood.

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  5. Durability is one reason to not choose a laminate floor. Laminate flooring is tough, but by its nature of being made of thin layers it’s not as durable as wood, tile or stone flooring.
    What is the durability factor mentioned here? In terms of dent resistance and longevity, this seems to contradictory to info. from other sources including wikipedia (that states that “Laminate….is durable (about 20 times stronger than a kitchen countertop[1]) and is water-resistant, offering use in bathrooms and kitchens in addition to high traffic areas. Unlike most hardwoods, laminates are quite dent-resistant.”)
    Please clarify which is true?

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  6. Hi Sasha, I still stand by what I say in this article: “It can’t be refinished when it gets scratched and the scratches can’t be easily camouflaged. When a laminate plank is damaged it’s challenging to repair it, though with the repair kits you can get from the manufacturer it can be patched. In some cases, you can take the floor up and replace the damaged plank.” In addition, it does not have the hardness factor of some of your hardwood flooring choices.

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  7. When laminate flooring has buckled soon after installation do I need to remedy this? Or can I ignore w/o negative consequences?

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  8. Elfie,
    There are a variety of issues that would cause buckling. One is moisture, if that is the reason for the buckling you would want to deal with the excess moisture.
    Another cause could be the expansion gap is incorrect which would also cause the floor to buckle.
    I would contact your installer as it might fall under your warranty.

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  9. Not worried about staining with cat barf, worried about the moisture sitting on the laminate for 8 hours. Also, If we buy laminate one room at a time, will the next boxes “match” the first boxes? In other words, is there a “dye run” like carpet? Also (sorry) what will a 6 foot grand do to laminate? Thanks so much!
    Dona

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  10. Dona,
    Well the acid could eat away at the veneer are you noticing a difference on the floor? I have animals and have missed an accident over night and had not had a problem with stains or deterioration of the floor.
    I also have had heavy furniture on my laminate flooring which I used pads to displace the weight. I did not however have a beautiful 6 foot baby grand. I would think the wheels might be an issue although if you place a small piece of carpet or even cork the weight would be dispersed enough to forgo a dent.

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  11. We bought laminate with an underlay and we have been told by family members that we need to glue the laminate if using it in the kitchen. Is this true? And if so, do we use the underlay or what do we do???

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  12. Hi, we purchased laminate flooring and it has been stored in our garage through winter and summer on the concrete floor in the original packaging. We are planning to use this flooring in the next week or so. Should I be concerned about warping due to temperature changes? I’m not sure how durable this stuff is with regard to temperature change. Wouldn’t you know; we had 3 feet of snow during winter and temps over 100 this summer! Today I brought the flooring into the house per advise from an expert to acclimate before installation. Please advise.

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  13. Erika,
    With underlay you don’t need to glue to the floor but glue each piece of wood to the next. When I had my laminate flooring installed in my kitchen the installer chose to add a layer of wood glue between planks. The glue helped keep the moisture from getting down into the planks. I would also recommend a rug in water prone areas.

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  14. Must you always use underlayment? We’ll install on smooth tile and subfloor. Also, as you progress from room ro room, we are doing the entire house, must you use thresholds at each doorway?
    thanks
    Dona

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  15. Erika and Dona,
    I’m not sure if you “must” use underlay with laminate flooring, but I did when I installed Pergo back in ’93. My understanding is that it helped muffle sounds for rooms below and maybe acted as cushioning and “grease to help the floor move as a unit”.

    I was a novice back then and used the recommended styrofoam underlay Pergo suggested. Today I’d use a cork underlayment because I find it to be more environmentally friendly, and better for indoor air quality. Another reason I’d go that route is because I could hear the foam squeaking each time I stepped on the floor. I got used to it after awhile, but it wasn’t comfortable for me for several months. (your mileage may vary)

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  16. Ihave a friend who installed Pergo flooring in her kitchen and dining room around 2 yrs. ago. She has a large dog, and now has floors that have been ruined, are buckled, etc. from where the dog had accidents. What about pets and this type of problem. I am considering Pergo, and I have a maltese and one cat. Help!

    Reply
  17. Hi Pat,
    When I had my laminate flooring installed in my kitchen the installer chose to add a layer of wood glue between planks. The glue helped keep the moisture from getting down into the planks. So, I would suggest to have the floors glued to prevent the moisture damage if you feel accidents are probable. I would also recommend a rug in water prone areas.

    Reply

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