It’s possible that if you only have light scratches, they may not have gone down through the wax floor coating to damage the hardwood under it. By looking carefully at the scratch you can determine if any of the lighter-colored wood is showing through. If it is, there’s a good chance that the flooring is scratched. If not, all you need to do is strip off the wax and reapply a fresh coat. Buff the floor well, and the scratches should disappear completely.

There are times when a scratch will penetrate down to the wood without actually scratching the wood itself. In these cases, it may be the stain and/or the varnish that have been scratched. By removing the wax coating and contacting the flooring manufacturer to obtain matching stain and varnish, you’ll be able to repair the scratch. You will follow a procedure that is similar to that used to finish the entire floor, but you’ll use a q-tip as your paintbrush. After repairing the stain and varnish, you can re-wax the floor and buff it back to a new-looking shine.

If the wood underneath has actually been scratched, the repair will be more difficult. You may want to try the repair yourself, but be aware that it is not an easy job. You will need to use an electric sander to sand the scratch out without doing further damage to the floor. If you don’t think you’re up to making a repair that’s this extensive, you will need to contact the manufacturer of the flooring and request a recommendation of someone you can get to do the repair for you.

For the sake of the budget, you may decide to give the project a try. What you’ll be doing is stripping down any boards that were damaged by the scratch to the bare wood. The wax coating will need to be removed first. Then, following manufacturer’s instructions, you’ll have to strip anything else that’s on the boards including coloring agents, varnish, and sealants.

A shallow scratch will be fairly easy to remove using an electric sander. All you’ll have to do is lightly sand the area immediately surrounding the scratch. However, if the scratch is deeper and you have to sand down farther to get rid of it, you’ll have to sand the entire board or boards in order to make the floor smooth and level again. Once the boards are prepared, you can reapply the stain, varnish, and the wax. The final step will be to buff the entire floor until it sparkles like new.

Do you want to find out more about installing laminate floors? Refinishing Hardwood also has information on cleaning hardwood floors.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_W_Smith

You might have wondered why more and more people have continued to install laminate flooring. This is primarily because it is the leading way of acquiring great floors which are very attractive and easy to maintain. They are made up of material that looks like natural wood. Laminate strips or boards are very synthetic and their major composition is is recycled material. It is very easy to install laminate flooring and all you have to do is find a good guide on the internet and follow every instruction. The first thing you think about are the tools that you require to make the process possible. Some of the tools include a rubber mallet, a laminate flooring pull bar, tape measure, coping saw, utility knife, hammer, nails, laminate flooring and an underlay pad.

To install laminate flooring, the first thing you need to do is to prepare the floor in which you plan to work on. You do this by removing any padding that may be present. Also if you have any old carpet, it is time to remove it. If you have ply wood sub flooring, you can repair it but if this does not apply to you, move on to the next thing. It is time to install your laminate floor and begin with installing the padding. The reason why this padding is vital is because it provides firmness so that on completion, the floor may be comfortable to stand on. Lay your strips carefully looking out for any hidden objects. You can use glue to reinforce the flooring but, there is a method that of laminate flooring that does not require glue and it is referred to as glue less laminate flooring.

Remembers that in order to move smoothly with the job, you need to start from the wall not the center. When the floor is installed, you can finish up with the base boards. Cleaning the floor is very vital and it will affect the longevity of your floor. You need to take several precautions and the first one is never to use abrasives to cleans the floor. Also harsh detergents will simply wipe the stains but are not totally good for your floor. A damp mop is always recommended and if you are not too happy with the result you can use a citrus based products which will leave you floor have prey.

The flooring comes in many colors or shades and you so not have to worry about the variety. To install laminate flooring is very easy and even compared to hard wood. The internet will give you more information and you can ask experts in the field if you need to have an in depth analysis. Remember, you might have failed in the installation and you need to trace your steps and find out what you did wrong. On this topic, there are very many images you can view of planks or laminates. they will help you make up your mind about getting them. It is so much fun.

Peter Gitundu Creates Interesting And Thought Provoking Content on Laminate Flooring. For More Information, Read More Of His Articles Here LAMINATE FLOORING TIPS If You Enjoyed Reading This Article, Make Sure You SUBSCRIBE TO MY RSS FEED!

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Gitundu

Technorati Tags: laminate floor repair

First let us analyze the warranty factors. An entry level laminate floor which sells for in the region of 0.89c s/f to $1.39s/f probably comes with a warranty ranging from between 10 to 15 years, as opposed to a better quality laminate that sells for more and carries a warranty ranging from 25 years to lifetime. A comprehensive laminate warranty covers the following aspects of the floors performance: factory defect, normal wear and tear, fading, staining, denting and water resistance. A lower end warranty might not cover all of these aspects, and although the advertised warranty states ten years, this might refer to manufacturer’s defects only, whereas the performance aspect of the warranty might only cover a five year period. Also consider that although the wear and tear aspect of a laminate warranty covers a certain period, this does not reflect the fact that the floor might start to show wear and tear or loose its original luster after a few years of use.

Today, most laminate floor surfaces are treated with Aluminum Oxide, which makes these floors highly durable in terms of scratching and denting. However not all floors are created equal in that certain laminates receive up to nine coatings of aluminum oxide, whereas a lower quality floor might only be treated with a few layers of Aluminum Oxide. This translates into a scenario where these few layers of Aluminum Oxide will wear through in a short period of time, and conversely a floor with additional coatings will perform better when subjected to heavy foot traffic, and for a longer period of time.

Laminate floor cores range in thickness from 7mm to 12mm, with a thicker core offering more stability, making it less likely to buckle if subjected to high levels of moisture in the air, as well as offering a floor that is quieter to walk on. The other aspect of laminate floor cores is the ability of the floor to resist swelling when affected by water and sub-floor moisture. A good quality laminate floor core is treated with water repellent chemicals, which protect the floor from swelling when breached by water or excessive levels of sub-floor moisture. A good core should be coupled with a tongue and groove configuration that is also treated with water repellent chemicals, such as impregnated wax, which will prevent topical liquid spills from penetrating through to the laminate core.

Joint integrity refers to the ability of the tongue and groove locking mechanism to withstand the weight of heavy objects, as well as perform over the life of the floor. The locking mechanism of a good quality laminate floor is designed to withstand the weight of heavy household furniture and fit tightly together negating gapping or separation. Since the advent of glueless laminate floors, many manufacturers have invested large sums of money in research and development in search of a locking mechanism that will not fail even when subjected to abnormally high levels of impact force or weight. The most successful configurations, in terms of binding strength and durability are patented and sold to other manufacturers.

Lastly, when purchasing a name brand laminate floor, one is not paying merely for the name, but for the quality of the materials, precise levels of engineering, and many years of research and development invested in the design and manufacturing process.

This flooring article was written by Barry H. Get more tips and techniques at: Online Laminate Flooring Resources

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barry_Hutch

Laminate flooring is the latest invention in floorings which are going to be put to a tough use. Laminate floorings are artificially made and therefore good amount of thought needs to be given while selecting laminate flooring.

There are several companies which manufacture this flooring. Therefore the best laminate flooring for you would be the one which gives the look and the durability to your place where you have decided to put this flooring may it is a home or an office.

Best laminate flooring come cheaper than any other types of flooring therefore it should be very easy for you to decide that you will buy only the best and not anything else. Bes laminate floorings cost up to 50cents to 60cents per square foot. There are a lot of advantages if you decide to buy the best laminate floorings.

Firstly, the flooring is durable and can be cleaned fast and efficiently, secondly best laminate floors do not require any maintenance. Maintenance would only mean the regular cleaning that you do for your home or office. Thirdly, laminate flooring is very easy to install. With a little help and tips about installation you can easily do it over the weekend. And last but not the least, you will find laminate flooring in huge variety of colors and designs, therefore choosing one of your favorite design and favorite color should not be any problem.

There are a lot of companies which claim that they manufacture the best laminate flooring. However, since there does not happen to be much information about the laminate floor and how to choose it available you should try and trust the branded stuff. Most of the branded companies offer incomparable designs for sale. Companies like Pergo, etc. also offer good deals which are inclusive of installation as well as a guarantee on the product.

Almost all the well known companies, offer life-time guarantee on their products, if used normally. Not just that, these companies also give you a 20 year guarantee on installation on the product, if used normally. In case of any damage, these companies take responsibility to replace or repair the flooring.

You know good quality when you see it. It is the same way for laminate floorings. You can identify the finish, the look and the design of a best laminate flooring pretty well. Therefore, it does not become very difficult a thing for you. The professionalism and the hard work put behind making each laminate are conspicuous by its look.

You will need to go through many shops if you want to buy the best laminate flooring for your home. However, you will also find good companies doing quite a bit of advertising in magazines, newspapers etc. However, if you are interested in a company’s product and would like to know more then you will require to do more research about the company.

You can also try to log online. Most of the companies have their own website where they advertise their products and also give information regarding the laminated Flooring and their designs.

Best Laminate Flooring can be a wonderful solution to many home improvement needs, learn about Flooring Solutions at http://flooringdude.com

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Roshard

Installing hardwood flooring can take place in several ways depending on the type of hardwood flooring that you have. If you have solid hardwood, you have to look at the type of wood you have. You can have parquet flooring, which usually comes in tiles of 6 inches by 6 inches or strips or planks that can be as much as 3 inches wide. If you have laminate wood flooring then you have to look at a different method of installing hardwood flooring.

Whether you choose laminate flooring or solid hardwood flooring, the directions for installing both of them are printed on the inside of the packaging. If you have previously installed hardwood floors and now you want to install glueless laminate flooring, you do need to read the directions for installing laminate flooring. When you are installing hardwood flooring made of solid wood, you have to open the packages and let the wood become acclimatized to the humidity and temperature of your home. With laminate flooring, you have to do the exact opposite. You should not take this flooring out of the package until you are ready to start installing.

Successful installation of hardwood or laminate flooring depends upon careful planning. Even if you are installing hardwood flooring over an existing concrete or vinyl floor, you do have to sweep and vacuum the floor to remove all the dust and dirt. If you are not sure of exactly how much laminate flooring you will need, the directions for installing laminate flooring also include directions for measuring the room to calculate the amount of flooring that you need. When you intend to install glueless laminate flooring, you can also bring your measurements into your local flooring store and have the experts do the calculations for you.

If you are wondering how to install glueless laminate flooring and be able to keep it on the floor, each of the planks lock together with the tongue and groove design. When installing hardwood flooring like this, you cannot glue, nail or staple it in any way. When you start installing always consider the way the light shines into the room. Begin laying the planks toward the light and in a hallway always install glueless laminate flooring lengthwise.

The directions for installing laminate flooring will tell you that you lay the first plank with the grooves against the wall. Place spacers where they are needed when installing hardwood flooring between the wall and the plank to maintain ½ inch extension gap. You will have to mark and cut the planks as you are installing the flooring because they are of random lengths. Always begin in a corner when installing hardwood flooring and the first board in the row should be a full plank.

To find out more about Wood Flooring visit Peter’s Website Wood Flooring Explained and find out about Hardwood Flooring and more, including Exotic Hardwood Floors, Wood Laminate Flooring, Refinishing Hardwood Floors and Bruce Hardwood Flooring.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Leigh

Technorati Tags: laminate floor repair

Less Is More

Although most laminate flooring is moisture resistant, avoid excess moisture being left on the floor. Wipe the floor with a damp mop or cloth to clean up spills and dirt. When you mop up, do not put on a large amount of water. Your laminate flooring will sparkle after this simple treatment.

Also, your laminate flooring has a permanent hard, shiny surface. You will not need to use waxes or polishes to make it look good. What is more, these products can cause damage and leave the surface looking cloudy.

Keep It Smooth

Any soft cleaning cloth will work to clear your flooring of the dust that accumulates naturally in homes. Use a special vacuum attachment or dust mop. Put a doormat outside the room so that abrasive dirt and sand will not be tracked in onto the laminate flooring. If you put any rugs directly on your flooring, make sure that they are made of a material that will not scratch the floor.

For any appliances that have levelers, use something to protect the floor underneath. Felt pads or castors may be used to protect your laminate flooring from dents and scratches. Move furniture around to different locations from time to time. This way, you will not have dents where the legs of couches and chairs have set for years on end.

When you do move furniture, always place it on a protective surface over your laminate flooring. Even if you use a moving dolly, the wheels can cause damage if you are not careful. Furthermore, it is not a good idea to walk around on your laminated floor in high heels as a rule. Frequent jabbing of the surface with these sharp edges may damage the floor.

Use the Right Products

Clean difficult stains by using nail polish remover or a similar product. This will get paint or oil off your laminate floor without damaging the surface. Do not use all the same kinds of cleaners on your laminate flooring that you would use on other types of flooring. Soap based detergents are a no-no. Nothing with a gritty texture should be used. Also, products that are meant to clean and add a high gloss shine at the same time are incompatible with laminate flooring.

When you do get scratches in your laminated floor, buy some floor repair paste from your flooring supplier to fill in the surfaces. Laminate flooring is not meant to be refinished. If you feel that your laminate flooring has seen better days, it may be time to think about replacing it. You will simply destroy the surface if you try to rework old flooring of this type.

You can have an attractive surface for years to come if you clean and maintain your laminate flooring well. The main thing to remember is that less is more: less water, less cleaning products, and less abrasion. It only takes a little knowledge and a small amount of work to have a floor you can look at with pride.

Glen Peebles is the owner of Loxy Gift Shop a website that provides High Quality Gifts and Outstanding Service – find gifts for all occasions such as Christmas, Anniversary, Birthday and more. You can visit his website at: Unique Gifts

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Glen_Peebles

Buying wide plank laminate flooring is the same as buying a narrow plank. The only difference will be price. The first thing that you will need to look for when shopping for wide plank flooring is the wood grain and finish that you want. It is a good idea to order samples of several different finishes to see which one will compliment your home the best. If you don’t know if a certain wide plank laminate floor product will look good in your home look at the sample floor in a flooring showroom. This should give you some idea of what it will look like in your home. If you are shopping online you can look for photographs of the product when it is assembled. Samples can also be ordered online or from a showroom for about $1 to $5 per sample. This fee usually covers the shipping cost.

The second thing that you will want to look for in wide plank laminate flooring is that they offer you a good warranty. Most hardwood laminates will offer a 10 to 15 year warranty. Before you buy a laminate flooring product make sure that you read through their warranty information. Make sure that you understand what is covered by the warranty and what is not covered by the warranty.

The final thing that you will want to consider when you are buying wide plank laminate flooring is its price. A quality hardwood floor plank will generally cost around $3.50. You can save money by waiting for a sale, looking for special flooring close out sales and by shopping at a flooring wholesaler.

Is wide plank laminate flooring right for you? Find out more at LaminateFloorsCheap.com – your source for handscraped laminate floors, do it yourself floor installation information and professional flooring advice. For more home decor and remodeling options visit the home and garden directory.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Freeland

Laminate flooring is a great way to improve the value and look of any room. However if your floor is installed incorrectly there are problems that can occur that will detract form its appearance. One of the most common problems is a buckled laminate floor.

A buckled laminate floor is caused by to much tension on the floor and is normally caused by flooring that was installed in before it was allowed to acclimate to the room temperature. To avoid a this problem you should always allow your floor planks to acclimate to the room temperature by letting them sit flat on the floor of the room they are to be installed in. This will allow them to expand or contract with the rooms climate.

If you do experience a buckled laminate floor there is a very easy way to fix it. The first thing you will want to do is to remove the base trim from around the perimeter of the room. Next use a small pry bar to remove the spacers that are between the wall and the laminate flooring. After all the spacers are removed you will need to press down on the buckled sections of the floor to make them flat again, if you are not heavy enough a small rubber mallet can be used to lightly tap the floor flat. When the buckled laminate floor is once again flat you will need to install new spacers that were custom cut to the new width between the wall and the floor. The last step is to replace the base trim and clean up.

Although a buckled laminate floor seems like a major problem it is really an easy fix, if you are unsure on how to repair it your self always seek out a qualified flooring contractor.

Learn more about Wood laminate flooring and read about floor Cleaning and Care Tips

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darin_Sewell

Technorati Tags: laminate floor repair

Laminate wood flooring is much less expensive than hardwood

flooring, it’s very durable, and it comes in almost endless colors

and patterns. Laminate flooring can fool the most finicky of

friends. Your friends may very well compliment you on your

beautiful wood floors! You’ll have to decide whether or not to

confess that your floors are laminate.

Most often, friends will be very curious about your laminate

floor and its installation. They will be impressed when they find

out just how easy it is to install a laminate floor — and that

you did it yourself!

Here are five simple steps to follow when installing your new

laminate floor:

1. Prepare the Sub Floor

Since laminate flooring is a “floating” floor your preparations

will be minimal. The “sub floor” is the floor you are installing

the laminate flooring on. You can install laminate flooring over

tile, vinyl, concrete, natural stone, etc. The main point to

ensure is that the floor is level and flat. Make sure that you

remove any old carpet nails or lumps of glue that are ¼ inch high

or higher. Any holes that are larger than three inches should be

filled in. Be sure to clean the sub floor — remove debris,

dirt, dust, etc before beginning your project.

2. Determine the Amount of Flooring Needed

Measure the length and width of the room where the new floor will

be installed. Multiply the width times the length to get the

square footage of the room.

For example, a room that is 12 ft wide and 14 ft long would be

168 square feet. To simplify, round off the number to 170 square

feet. If the brand of laminate flooring you are using comes in

planks in a box of approximately 17 square feet, you will need

about 10 boxes of flooring. You will need to add 5-10% more

flooring due to waste when the boards are cut or for the few

mistakes that may occur as you are learning. To be sure you will

have enough, and extra is always better than running out, you need

to buy about 20 boxes of laminate flooring for the 12 ft by 14 ft

room.

Don’t forget to buy the under layment – a 1/8 inch thick

cushioned plastic that goes under the laminate and works as a

moisture barrier and a sound barrier. The under layment comes in

rolls about three feet wide by about 150 feet long. You will need

the same number of square feet of flooring and under layment.

3. Determine Which Direction to Lay the Floor

Generally, you will want to lay the floor planks parallel to the

light that enters the room.

4. Start Laying Your New Laminate Floor

Roll out the under layment across the length of the room in the

direction you will be laying your floor. Cut the under layment

to fit all the way across the floor with an overlap of about an

inch on each end.

Lay out a row of planks to determine how many will fit.

Beginning in the corner, lay the first plank on top of the under

layment. Place ¼ inch spacers between the plank and the wall on

the end and sides of the plank. Make sure that the under layment

comes up higher along the wall than the laminate plank. Lay the

second plank along the short side of the first plank and snap them

together. Continue this until you can no longer place a whole

plank on the floor.

At this point, you will need to measure how long of a plank you

will need to fill the remaining spot. Using an electric handsaw,

you can easily cut the plank. Snap that piece into place and your

first row is completed.

Use the cut piece as the first plank in the second row. On this

row and continuing rows, you will snap the plank onto the long

side of the previous row. The subsequent planks will be snapped

into place on the long side of the previous row but than also must

be snapped into the short side of the new row. You will need to

use a hammer and a special block to gently move the new plank into

position. Continue this process until all rows are complete.

5. Finish the Edges

Now all you need is to finish the edges. Add baseboards or ¼

round trim to the edges of the room to create a finished look.

Also, install door jams to separate your new laminate flooring

from other types of flooring.

At this point, your floor should look fabulous. Congratulate

yourself on a job well done. Replace your furniture and invite a

few friends over to enjoy your new floor with you. Chances are

you will receive many compliments.

Don’t choose your new laminate wood floor, or any other flooring, without taking a few miniutes to find out what’s available and what will fit your lifestyle and budget the best. Learn more tips for making home improvements and learn more about laminate wood flooring.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marie_Stark

Laminate Flooring has made the most significant change to the flooring industry in the last 25 years and continues to make tremendous changes and improvements over is hard surface counter parts.

In Europe they have been enjoying its features and benefits for several decades but not as laminate flooring as we know today. Decorative laminate was really the origins and the beginning of what now is known as laminate flooring. The decorative laminate was widely used in kitchen counter tops and furniture. As the technology evolved in the counter top laminate industry it clearly became apparent that with the endless number of decors that could be created, could also be created and used on the floor.

The idea of laminate flooring was born. There have been many technical challenges the first of which was how can you take a simple counter top laminate and create a flooring product, the flooring product will take far more abuse by being walked on and a wear layer was created.

There has really been no stopping the technical tidal wave of improvements and ideas that followed. Led mainly by the European countries laminate flooring gained more market share year after year, no market experienced such rapid growth as North America. Massive marketing campaigns led by such brands as Pergo who are now synonymous with laminate flooring introduced laminate flooring to the American Public in the early 1990s.

The actual history of laminate flooring is quite short in North America, because Pergo had achieved household recognition with the new flooring products Laminate flooring in North America was widely referred to as “Pergo” floors again the synonymous status and the ‘holy grail’ of all brands.

In 2000 laminate flooring was a glue product; even so the market share within the flooring industry in North America continued to grow at a double digit pace. Many of the other US traditional floor covering manufacturers of carpet and vinyl added laminate flooring to their portfolio of products.

Then so was born the private label laminate. Laminate flooring was easy to private label you simply changed the insert or the packaging and then that created another brand or line of flooring. This was especially useful for the hardwood and carpet manufacturer’s to get on board with this new product. The traditional manufacturers of carpet and hardwood have huge distribution networks and with their own branded line of flooring were able to place thousands of new flooring displays in a matter of months and new brands started appearing everywhere. This continued to drive the growth in the USA.

As traditional US manufacturers of carpet and vinyl presented themselves as laminate flooring manufacturers, advertised the products, placed laminate flooring displays and drove sales.

Time Line in the US Market The next stages of growth were equally fast and I will break them down chronologically:

2000 was particularly painful for the Carpet Manufactures in Dalton, Georgia they were completely blindsided by the aggressive marketing of laminate flooring against their carpet and that is where the laminate took most of their market share from touting the Laminate Flooring product as hypo allergenic and showing close ups of carpet mites and bugs did nothing to help the domestic carpet manufacturers.

All hard surface flooring companies benefited. It was an exciting year for laminate flooring salesmen, even with terrible installation demonstrations and glue together flooring.

2001 Every year that preceded 2000 involved new, exciting and innovative changes to the laminate flooring market. The first change really started in 2001 glue free laminate. This was first introduced with metal clips on the back and during sales presentations as you tried to put it together you almost needed a sledge hammer, it was more difficult than the glue together method. Not very popular but the concept was created all we needed was the design and solution.

2002 A year later the technology of glue-less laminate flooring arrived, introductions of glue-less laminates began again revolutionizing the floor covering industry. Unilin Industries of Belgium introduced Quick-Step into the US market. Quick-Step utilizes the patented Uniclic joint system. Several other manufacturers bought licenses to use the Uniclic joint technology thereby acknowledging Uniclic as the industry standard for Glue-less technology.

Still 95% of the USA market was using glue together laminate, it took yet more aggressive marketing and this time mainly led by the home centers with names like ‘Easy-Lock’, ‘Quick-Lock’, ‘Speedy-Lock’, etc, to drive the consumer towards the exceptionally friendly D.I.Y. glue-less laminate flooring ranges.

It was predicted in 2002 that buy 2004 100% of the laminate flooring industry will be glue-less.

2003 This again proved to be a dynamic year within the laminate flooring industry, sales of the product per square foot continued to climb, but lawsuits with regards to patents over the locking system and who created and who could use it surfaced and would continue on for many years. Aside from the lawsuits the technology now happy with the glue-less free install and now a particularly D.I.Y. friendly product focused on creating the product to be as realistic as hardwood as possible.

2004 This saw some dramatic changes in the quality of the laminate product itself. The standard glue-free laminate flooring product was 7″ wide by 54″ long and it had a light ‘ticking’ effect, the panels went together with glue-less free locking system. Mostly all of the products were imports and mainly from Europe.

Towards the end of 2004 laminate flooring factories (though not fully integrated and small in comparison to the European counterparts) started appearing across the USA. The larger US manufacturers of carpets invested in laminate flooring facilities though they were not fully integrated (we can explore the importance of vertical integration later). But this showed the US retailer and distributor that the product was here to and it was time to start backing a horse.

This led to more innovation from overseas, the first was a wood grain texture – the laminate itself had heavier wood texture but it was random and not too realistic in effect a modest upgrade, at first all manufacturers tried to sell this improvement for $0.20SF to distribution but the reality was their was no manufacturer cost increase to produce this texture – it was just a different pressure plate.

2005 The lawsuits over the locking system continued, incidentally the locking system lawsuit is not about the easy angle long joint of the laminate flooring, all the law suits focus on the end locking joint.

The chase to create an exact wood replicate of hardwood flooring continued and this led to a technology called ‘Register and Emboss’ or ‘Embossed and Registered’. The idea of this was for the pattern of the oak for example to be perfectly indented into the wood panel, so the grain of the Oak or Cherry was realistic to the touch.

All the manufacturers soon chased this technology, it required a relatively simple process, create the correct paper (décor pattern) and then have a press plate and the end of the manufacturing process to match that paper décor and then you have the grain embossed.

Legal arguments over who came up with that technology all ensued.

2006 The year of branding, distributors with ‘own brand’ tried to position themselves as manufacturers – one of the biggest being a vinyl manufacturer tried to position themselves as market leaders. Acquisitions also followed, Mohawk Industries bought Unilin ‘Quick-Step’ in 2006. This also became the year of the home center business, where having your labeled product in one of the three main US home centers was the ultimate goal.

One of the major carpet manufacturers and distributors with there factory in Dalton gained the business with Home Depot. Pergo was well positioned with a vinyl manufacturer you had private labeled their laminate line into Lowes Home Improvement Stores. Being a vinyl manufacturer and not a laminate manufacturer create a major problem and a crucial weakness as Lowes Home Improvement shifted their purchasing policy to ‘only’ buy factory direct.

A major Swiss group and manufacturer of laminate flooring also with the world’s largest factory in Heiligengrabe, Germany had been quietly building a factory in Barnwell, SC and at the right time were able to replace the vinyl manufacturer as supplier to Lowes Home Improvement.

2007 This really saw the legal issue on the locking system end as two legal systems emerged, one under Valinge Innovation and Uniclic Licensees each with approximately 100 partners paying royalties of roughly $0.04SF to $0.07SF. Licensees were granted all over the world and this led way to the re-emergence of Chinese laminate flooring.

In the mid 1990 China was one of the fastest growing laminate flooring markets in the world and most of this was supplied by shipping in container from Europe, there were huge distributors in China 100 containers a month in size – or 2,400 pallets a month. It did not take long for Chinese ingenuity to copy the process and buy 2001, China had a slew of factories (with large Government subsidies), some of this product came back as imports in to the USA, but the legal issues with locking systems and potential freezes of stock, cease and desist letter flying about scared off most distributors.

2008 China was back, this time the large factories had license agreements and were legal, the machines that made the laminate flooring were from Europe and the product quality was excellent.

There market tactics were equally excellent, instead off going after the low end dog fighting market of the 7mm and 8mm, they created a new look. A narrow plank and beveled the edges, this new narrow plank was approximately 5″ wide compared to the standard 8″ from Europe, the 5″ wide was a one plank look and combined with the bevel, register and embossing they had created the ultimate flooring.

This was it, everything over the last 25 years culminated to this point a flooring that had a narrow board look 5 inches wide, beveled or micro beveled on all four side, realistic textured surface and a lifetime warranty.

The European’s adjusted, but they were for once on the back foot, China instead of going after the low end market aimed high with a high quality, the highest quality laminate you could buy and they could make it and make it affordable to the US market.

2009 It is not clear where we can go from here, but the same was probably said in 2005, laminate flooring is now so good in appearance that you cannot tell it apart from real hardwood, the only clue is the price laminate flooring is far less expensive than real wood with more color choices. 2009 will be a difficult economic year and so will 2010. Consumers will focus on quality and price. Brand will become less important as the consumer becomes more educated. The huge price fluctuations four sided beveled and narrow plank from one distributor priced at $5SF and from another $0.89SF and yet absolutely no technical difference in the product. Consumer will research and the gap will close.

Laminate flooring in the US market is a remarkable story of growth and ingenuity. I do not think that a couple of tough economic years will have much impact on its future survival. It is an excellent product and with some effort and research by the consumer you can get incredible value.

2041

For the best in Laminate Flooring products at the lowest possible price please visit http://www.buildersdepotdirect.com/

Kronotex Laminate Flooring only $0.75SF

Original Article from James Adverto
Contact: james@buildersdepotdirect.com

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Adverto

In discussions about laminated vs engineered floor some might like to put engineered hardwood in the laminate flooring category. Some might suggest engineered is just an inferior version of solid strip hardwood flooring. But in reality it is neither. In fact, the original engineered hardwood floor was a sophisticated answer for difficult installation environments, environments where solid wood could not be used.

It was designed for the wood snob, those that enjoyed fine wine and had an Audi parked in the driveway, clients that owned high rise condominiums in exotic locations. They decorated with silk Venetian blinds, and cultured marble fixtures. For their floors they were looking for real wood with all its subtleties of colour and richness of grain. These clients wanted the Real Thing but couldn’t install it!

Suggesting a laminate floor for them, was like saying all wine is “fine” and all cars are a Lamborghini! Laminate flooring is made by taking a picture of a real wood and reproducing it photographically on the surface of plywood. It offers some great features (and some poor ones) but it’s not the real thing, any more that U-brew can equate to a find bottle of Australian Shiraz.

So engineered hardwood flooring came to be! Wood techies took a slice of real wood, whether that be a traditional American red oak or an exotic wood like Brazilian cherry and found a way to adhere it to a wood underlay. But why would you bother? Why couldn’t these clients just use regular strip hardwood flooring?

The answer is easy. Condominium dwellers have cement floors, likewise for those sophisticated builders that install in-floor heating systems on poured cement foundations. Standard Strip flooring cannot be nailed over a cement slab. Engineered floors offered a solution. They are designed for glue down or floating applications so that clients get a real wood floor with a design that fits their installation needs.

Now that’s not all that is great about engineered hardwood flooring. Its greater dimensional stability also allows it to be installed in a basement, or adjoining sun rooms. It is the perfect answer for decorative borders. It offers wide plank options that would not be wise in environments where the humidity is in constant flux.

So sure you can put in laminate flooring but that’s not the real thing! Engineered hardwood flooring is a solution that allows you to install real wood in areas where solid strip hardwood is not suitable. So in a comparison of laminated vs engineered floor, these are two different products like buying ceramic tile versus real marble slabs. Your choice!

Having said all that, the actual construction of an engineered floor can be flawed or fantastic, just depending on who and where it was made. It is critically important to know what to look for.

Some of the more recent entries into the engineered flooring market have been made with an eye to saving money and not with the original intend to produce a superior dimensionally stable product. Do your homework and find out everything there is to know about engineered wood flooring

Karen Lacasse draws on 25+ years of woodworking experience, both as a woodworking teacher and industrial woodworker/owner of Lacasse Fine Wood Products. She is the author behind woodsthebest.com where you will find articles and resources to help with all your hardwood flooring purchases and for that matter anything else you would like to know about wood. ENJOY!

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Lacasse

Technorati Tags: laminate floor repair

What kind of padding goes under laminate floors? What's the best padding out there?

If you are thinking about investing in do-it-yourself laminate flooring then you should learn a little bit about this home improvement product. First you need to know where laminate flooring can be installed. Laminate flooring has been constructed to resist water and moisture. This means that you can install it in bathrooms and kitchens, as long as you take a few precautions to protect the flooring from excessive water exposure. To determine what diy laminate flooring product to buy for your home you need to look at its AC rating. If you plan on installing your laminate flooring in a bedroom or den then an AC rating of AC1 or 2 is fine. However, if you will be installing your laminate flooring in a high traffic area like a living room or entry way, then you will want to look for a laminate flooring product with an AC rating of AC2 or AC3.

If you have decided to install a laminate floor then using a do-it-yourself laminate flooring kit is a great option. These kits will generally include the underlayment, the floor planks and the instructions. You should know that in addition to your diy laminate flooring kit you will also need to purchase matching floor boards, grate covers and transition strips. After you have all of these items you will be ready to install your floor.

Do-it-yourself laminate floors offer home owners an easy installation process. First you will need to prep your floor by removing the old floor covering, removing nails and staples, and making sure that the floor is dry and clean. Next you will need to make sure that your floor is level. You may need to sand down high spots of add sub floor to repair damaged areas of your sub floor. Next you will install the vapor trapping film and underlayment. DonÕt overlap the edges of the underlayment. Instead simply meet the edges of the underlayment and tape it together. Next you can snap together your laminate flooring and finish it by installing the base boards, grate covers and transition strips.

Is laminate floors right for you? Find out more at LaminateFloorsCheap.com – your source for cheap laminate floors, do it yourself floor installation information and professional flooring advice. For more home decor and remodeling options visit the home and garden directory.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Freeland

Isn't this fun Callipy?? lol… we are supposed to be able to read the minds of those who wrote the question… lol

I'm assuming the question is about how to repair chips and scratches…

Ok… IF this is a solid surface counter top, you can have a solid surface installer come out to repair it for you. They can fill in gouges / chips, and sand/polish out scratches.

IF this is a laminate counter top – then your options are a bit more limited. If the laminate is chipped out thru the color, that is, to the brown backer portion, then you can use a product like SeamFil. You may want to call in a specialist for this, as there is a lot to getting it right. SeamFil comes in many colors, and can be mixed to match any laminate.. literally… so there are a lot of combinations. You also need to match the 'gloss' of the laminate. When properly done, the repair is very hard to see. Ive not tried their 'scratch filler' for laminate flooring yet, but I've been very successful with the SeamFil product line.
http://www.kampelent.com/products.html

IF this is a wood counter top, you can sand it down, and refinish it. Large gouges and chips can be repaired by splicing in matching wood, smaller repairs could be filled in with a resin, or putty.

IF this is a concrete, or stone counter top, you're going to have to call in someone who works with such materials, as they use special polishes to buff the stone (diamond paste for example).

Remember — Better Questions Yield Better Answers!

Have Fun

Technorati Tags: laminate floor repair

I just recently replaced my carpet with wood floors. I have been trying to find a product that cleans the floor, without leaving streaks and nastiness. Any suggestions?? Thanks!

The first thing to remember is that tools can be dangerous and should not be thrown at one another. We did not actually throw any tools at each other. And we had been married long enough when we installed our laminate flooring to know that yelling at each other gets us no where. But there were some tense moments. We were fortunate that our only real injuries were an assortment of aches and pains in new and not so interesting places.

Have a plan. The flooring we selected was not wood grain. It looks like tile and has a very strong pattern. That was our first mistake. With a wood look alike, it does not so much matter where you begin and end.

If your laminate has a strong pattern, take a good look at the room and decide what the focal points are and how you want the pattern to look in those areas. Also, you might want to measure the room and figure out how many planks across it is. You will want to “hide” any thin pieces behind furniture. Also, do not just stagger the planks as a brick layer staggers bricks. Sometimes you will come up to an end wall and have just a little sliver of the end of a plank to put down. These will not stay in place well and you end us saying things to your spouse like, “It was your job to keep that in mind” and “What do you mean it was my job, you never told me that.” Then he tries to make it better with a compliment, “Well, you’re the one with the good memory.” So each time you begin a run, check to see how it will end and adjust the starting plank by trimming the starting end that butts up to the wall appropriately.

If you will be laying laminate in more than one room, as we did, and these rooms connect, give some thought to how you will want the transition to look. There are threshold pieces that allow you to stop and start up again in a new room as long as the pattern is not definite. We had to blend everything together and I have to tell you that going around corners gave us fits. You have never heard so much cursing. If you have to go around corners, have lots of paper handy. Large sheets are best. Make templates. A good rule of thumb for the whole project is to “measure twice and cut once”. Even so a lot of exasperated groaning will occur. Do save the pieces you cut incorrectly, you may be able to use them later. Do not try to work on your floor after you have put in a long day at your paying job. That is when we made the most errors. But we did not have much choice about it because our days off did not have much in common.

Once you have figured out how you want it to look (remember to maintain some flexibility on this issue), it is time to take a really good look at your floor. If your house is built on a concrete foundation, most likely your floor is nice and level. Sing Hallelujah. Ours was not. Our house is built on a raised foundation and there was a sizable drop off from the kitchen to the dining area, from the kitchen to the nook and a good dip in the living room. These had to be leveled before we could begin putting down the flooring. Pray that your floor is level.

There are a number of products made just for this purpose. They are supposed to be self leveling. Right. It is not always good to follow the directions. But this is my natural tendency. As my husband finally figured out, it is better if the leveling compound is thinner than recommended than the other way around. My penance was to do a lot of sanding. Drywall sanding sheets worked best for me. Avoid this step if you possibly can. Believe me, if your floor is not level, it is best to just live with no carpeting or whatever for a while than to begin and figure that you will level it as you go along. That dip in the living room that I mentioned, well, it was very late one night and we just wanted to finish the living room. We went right over the dip without thinking. Luckily, laminate flooring is somewhat flexible and the dip is not too extreme. But do not believe it when the salesperson tells you how flexible it is, it’s not as flexible as they say. We try not to walk over that spot too much.

If you do not have a nice big truck, have the flooring delivered. Do not try to get it home in your Jeep Cherokee, especially if the store is more than a few minutes from your home and you have to make several trips. That was so not fun. Buy more flooring than you will need to cover all your floors. The exact amount extra you will need depends on how many mistakes you will make and how strong a pattern you are working with. The more definite the pattern, the more extra you will need. Luckily for us, the new batch that we had to order matched the old batch nicely enough.

There are a number of special tools the salesperson will want to sell to you. Buy them. That way you will not have to go back later and get them anyway. We used a circular saw to do the simple trims on the planks. Buy several replacement blades ahead of time. Laminate flooring is really tough and just eats up your blades. For the fancy cuts around corners and such we used one of those rotating plunge cutters/saws. My husband could tell you the name of it. I love my jewelry making tools and can name them all. That I can not name all other tools appropriately is not a defect on my part.

We sacrificed our garage for a time and parked our cars outside. We set up the garage as our workshop. That meant we did not have to bring all our tools in from outside each time we stopped working on the floor. You do not want to cut the flooring indoors. The dust that is created is phenomenal. Be sure to close the door from your house to your garage before you start cutting. Even then, you will have to wipe down your walls afterwards. Cover your furniture with drop cloths. I really wish someone had told us that.

We also made a cutting table from a large piece of plywood and saw horses. Make sure the horses are stable and level. Temporarily attach the plywood to the horses with screws. On one long side of the table, screw down two 2×4’s parallel to each other along the full length about five inches apart. This makes the long cuts along the length of the planks easier. Wear eye and hearing protection while cutting. Seriously.

For the rest of it, just follow the directions (especially the one about the spacing between walls and flooring. Oh yeah.). And yes, I know what I said about directions earlier. We love our laminate floor. We are glad that we did it. You will be too.

1fab

http://www.syzygyjewelry.com

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dianne_Lehmann

my front room is 11ftx12ft and my hall is 21ftx4ft how many square meters would i have to buy to cover it all

thank you

Technorati Tags: laminate floor repair

I've got several planks of my lamenate that have water damage , their curly up, how do I repair this?

As with all DIY projects–especially around the home–what you save in dollars (if you install your own laminate floor) will cost you in time. Only you can determine if the savings are worth the cost, so let’s look at some basic numbers.

What Can I Save in Dollars?

If you do your own installation, you’ll save at least $300 to $500 which is the minimum fee for most installers. And of course, the larger the job the greater the savings. An installation fee of $2,000 for 600 square feet of laminate is not unreasonable–but also represents substantial savings for the do-it-yourselfer.

You may need to factor in equipment rental or purchase if you don’t have the requisite tools, but you can usually borrow what you lack. Don’t forget that if you’re removing a carpet you’ll need access to a dumpster. If you’ve got the tools — power saws are the main requirement — then the other consideration is whether you have the time.

What Will it Cost Me in Time?

The time it will take to install your laminate floor depends on the size of the job, whether you have help and your skill level. Two professional installers can install 600 square feet of laminate in two working days. Realistically plan for an extra day or half-day to do a similar size of installation with help–assuming you’re both fairly handy. If you don’t install every day it takes a while to get into the rhythm of the work.

If you’re doing a standard bedroom of 120 to 150 square feet, the installation itself will take a good half-day with help. This assumes that the floor surface is already prepared, the furniture moved, the doors and baseboards removed.

Obviously, if you can block out a chunk of time–a day or two in a row–the job will get done quicker, but laminate installation is a forgiving process. If evenings and weekends are all you have, and your family/roommates can live in chaos for a week or two, the time is well worth the savings.

Tip: none of the above factors in the cost of beer and pizza for your helper!

Marion Taylor is an experienced writer who has combined skills and resources with her husband–a flooring retail owner and operator–to create a series of how-to flooring videos. Their latest effort is a laminate flooring how to video.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marion_Taylor

I had painters paint my bathroom, and they taped their plastic to the wood laminate on the side of my vanity. When they picked up the plastic, the laminate ripped right off.

I'm wondering if Old English Furniture polish would at least help make it not so noticeable, at least until I can figure out what to do with it.

Technorati Tags: laminate floor repair

Mohawk Flooring’s flooring core strength is its phenomenal flooring expertise built up over more than a century. What these guys don’t know about flooring, isn’t worth knowing. Mohawk flooring covers from laminates to ranges of Mohawk carpets and rugs. Just follow your feet to Mohawk comfort and style.

Why is Mohawk Flooring found in thousands of upper-class homes? Why do interior designers keep the Mohawk laminate flooring number handy? Why are do it yourself novices smiling when they hear the Mohawk Industry name? Why does many a dynamite decor diva pledge loyalty to Mohawk Flooring? Ten reasons for choosing Mohawk laminate flooring come to mind.

1. InstaClic Installation By Mohawk Flooring

When glueless laminate flooring installation was invented, it changed the face of home improvement all over the world. Every manufacturer has its own unique tongue and groove system. Mohawk Flooring uses the patented Instaclic glueless system for super-fast fitting. Boards can be joined at an angle, or simply slide together and snap firmly into place. With Mohawk laminate floors you never get into too tight a spot.

2. Interior Decorating Delights From Mohawk

Whether you are into rustic comfort or contemporary minimalism, you will find a color, style and texture perfect for both your taste and your budget in the vast Mohawk Flooring collection. From real wood, to tile or stone are introduced with grace and finesse. The embossing emulates the natural textures for a highly realistic, warm vibe.

3. Mohawk Flooring Effortlessly Fits Into Every Nook And Cranny Of Your Home

With innovation and classy finishes, Mohawk ensures that its products will happily adapt in every room of your home. Cover up old, dry concrete slabs, give wooden sub-floors a new life, or practice plastic surgery on vinyl or tiles. With proper preparation, installation and maintenance Mohawk will flourish anywhere. Follow installation instructions closely for the best results.

4. The Mohawk Mentality Is Lean And Mean

Tough as nails Mohawk Flooring has been designed to laugh off high heels, cigarette ash, and kiddy calamities. Scuffs and scratches will encounter well-muscled resistance, although it is recommended that you keep pet claws trimmed to be on the safe side. There is very little inclination to allow indentations. However, use common sense to extend the life of your flooring, for example make sure you have felt pads under furniture feet.

5. High Level Mohawk Flooring Glamour With Low Level Maintenance

No overloaded, working parent has time for finicky flooring. The Mohawk Flooring industry understands this. No messy waxes are necessary. A damp mop is just about all you need. Dedicated laminate flooring cleaners are available and stains are often tackled with good old nail polish remover. Always check with your supplier to ensure that you use the recommended cleaners, otherwise you may be voiding your warranty.

6. Mohawk Isn’t Super-Sensitive To Sunlight

Mohawk Flooring’s technology is such that the finish is fade-resistant. You will never have to worry about color changes due to sunlight. There will not be tell-tale faded spots when you move furniture.

7. Minimal Moisture Menace With Mohawk Laminate Flooring

A moisture resistant core if vital if you want durable laminate flooring. Mohawk Flooring has a superb reputation in this regard. Use it with the Mohawk Silentgard or Moisturegard underlayment or padding, and you can count on the 25 year moisture warranty.

8. Cover Mohawk Flooring With A Lifetime Structural Warranty

A Lifetime Structural Warranty (33 years) accompanies the Mohawk Flooring residential collections. To make the most of the warranty, follow installation instructions to the letter. The warranty refers to factors such as wearability, staining, fading and moisture resistance.

9. Mohawk Flooring Comes With Padding In Place

Some Mohawk lines even come with a pre-attached underlayment. This is a tremendous time-saving treat. With an underlayment such as Silentgard, the irritating hollow sound of laminate flooring is diminished significantly. The padding also makes the floor more comfortable, especially in areas where you will be spending hours on your feet, such as in the kitchen. This vital layer also adds warmth.

10. Mohawk Flooring Becomes A Complete Interior Design Solution

Mohawk now offers such a wide range of products, that it is on its way to become a one-stop interior design supplier. It covers every type of floor with a diverse range of flooring decor. Mohawk Laminate Flooring now also treats their loyal customers to ranges of Mohawk Tiles, Mohawk carpet creations, woven bedspreads, a variety of colorful tapestries, pillows and throws to cozy up to, and even window blinds. What is more, the products are available from all major retailers, such as Home Depot, Bloomingdales, Lowe’s and Macy’s.

Mohawk Flooring has grown up to become a home remodeling and decor giant.

Awnings-and-Blinds.com – Don’t start your laminate flooring installation before reading the laminate flooring installation secrets article.

The author, Rika Susan also offers more flooring information in the Milliken Legato Carpet Tile article at http://Awnings-and-Blinds.com. Copyright of this article: 2007 Rika Susan. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rika_Susan

wilsonart flooring—panama city, fl

the following test was used to show the difference between direct pressure laminate (dpl) and high pressure laminate (hpl). laminate flooring planks were laid on wilsonart 2-in-1 pad and placed on concrete. a simulated can weighing 396g …

Fall Home Owners Checklist « Mike Adams-Internet Real Estate …

We also will work closely with apt complexs "(We give labor discounts on multiple units)" Services include: -Complete Home Rehab -Interior/Exterior Painting -Drywall Hanging And Finishing -Trim Work -Hardwood Laminate Flooring -T […] … F. Sparks General Maintenance Repair Hvac-r, Electrical, Plumbing, Carpentry, Appliances, Duct-Work, Fabrication, Doors And Windows, Drywall, Paint, General Maintenance Repair House And Apartment Rehab Property Preservation Maintenance …

how to fit your own laminate flooring step by step

installation preparations 1 1 acclimatisation of the panels before starting the installation the flooring has to be brought into the room where it will be installed or in a room with the same climate condition the acclimatisation will …

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

Technorati Tags: laminate floor repair

how to repair laminate

fortunately, this situation is easily remedied with the aid of a laminate floor repair kit, available at your local flooring store and all online retailers. these kits may include acrylic or latex putty, wax pencils or crayons and are …

DIY-This weekend’s home decor and repair sales – On Sale

And there's 10% off all hardwood, tile, laminate and vinyl flooring. The Brick is introducing Trump Home – a signature Serta mattress collection — yes, we're talking the Donald here. And IKEA is offering 10% back in gift cards on …

Parquet and marble floor restoration / polishing – Singapore Forums

A-Class Services specializes in flooring services such a marble and granite restoration, maintenance and polishing, parquet repair, restore and varnish services for both residential and commercial. We also provide laminate floor laying. …

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

Laminate flooring has several advantages over hardwood flooring. This is why it is currently more popular among consumers. Laminate flooring is composed of four different layers. One of these layers is the design layer, which determines the look of the flooring. The design layer has a photographic image on it that allows laminate flooring to look very similar to natural hardwood flooring right down to its grain, color, and knots. Because the look of laminate depends on a photographic image on the design layer, laminate can have many more design options than hardwood. But there are still differences between the way the two look. The same grain patterns are repeated throughout the laminate flooring. In contrast, there is a little more variation in the grain patterns for hardwood flooring. This means that it is easier to find replacement laminate planks that will not contrast with the existing planks.

Laminate flooring is about twenty five percent cheaper than hardwood flooring. This means that you can get a floor that has the visual appeal of a hardwood floor at a much cheaper price.

Laminate flooring is much easier to install. The reason for this is because of the invention of glueless laminate flooring. Because it uses a locking tongue and groove design, you can install glueless laminate flooring by attaching the laminate planks together. This is much easier than using glue or nails to install hardwood flooring. It is also much easier to clean up after installing laminate flooring. Using a locking tongue and groove design instead of glue also means that you can immediately use your flooring right after the installation is finished because you do not have to wait for the glue to dry.

The installation of laminate flooring will also occur more quickly than with hardwood flooring. This is because the planks used for laminate are wider than the planks used for hardwood.

Laminate flooring is more durable than natural hardwood flooring. It is about fifteen times stronger. It is much easier to damage hardwood than laminate. Hardwood will not tolerate heavy foot traffic as well as laminate. This is why you will find that laminate often comes with a ten or fifteen year warranty. Warranties for hardwood are much shorter. However, if it is necessary, you can resand and refinish a hardwood floor as many times as is necessary. This will allow your hardwood floor to last for many years. Because of its design, you cannot resand and refinish laminate.

Another advantage of laminate flooring is that it provides ultraviolent (UV) protection. This gives laminate flooring the ability to block UV rays from the sun which will prevent the flooring from fading. Since hardwood flooring does not provide UV protection, you will have to spend a lot of money on maintenance costs to make sure that the hardwood flooring looks as good as it originally did.

Laminate flooring is much easier to maintain. Since it does not trap any dirt, the daily maintenance of laminate would only require the use of a brush or dust mop. If any water gets on the laminate, you can clean it up with a sponge, paper towel, or mop. Cleaning hardwood flooring is more time consuming and usually requires the use of relatively expensive cleaning products.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Flooring

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

We are about to finish the floors in our basement and the guy at home depot suggested engineered wood floors instead of pergo type floors. They r real wood, do you know if this is a good product, and any negative things about it. Also the guy said it could be refinished, but it looked too thin for that to me.

Technorati Tags: laminate floor repair

Traditional hardwood floors are nailed to the sub floor which keeps the boards in place. Swiftlock laminate flooring like some others uses a floating floor technique which means that the boards are not nailed or screwed to the sub floor. When laying the boards, it is quick and easy as the boards simply lock together. There is no nailing or gluing to worry about. Just leave space along the outsides to allow for expansion and contraction with temperature and humidity changes.

Swiftlock laminate flooring is great for any room in your home including the bathroom. Installation techniques are a bit different if you choose to lay it in the bathroom. In this case, it is suggested that a thin bead of flooring glue is run on the top of the tongue to ensure the boards remain in place due to the higher humidity content and to protect against water spills. Other than that, installation in other rooms is quick and easy and many people are able to do it themselves over a weekend.

For more information on Swiftlock laminate flooring, hardwood floors, carpets and tiles, check out

the links below.

Amy-Jo Strutt is a home decorating expert and has written many articles on how to improve your home for less. For more information on flooring, go to http://www.laminate-flooring-wood.com/

Check out other great home renovation ideas for windows at http://www.window-blinds-shades-shutters.com/

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amy-Jo_Strutt

Important Carpet Decisions – Issues to Think About

While small attention is paid to floor coverings in day-to-day life, they're an extremely important part of a home. Whether carpet, hardwood flooring, laminate flooring or ceramic flooring, all of the different flooring options have …

Vinal Plank Flooring, Repair Vinal Flooring, Install Vinal Flooring

Vinyl linoleum Flooring ★, ★ Tell ★, ★ Homepage ★, ★ Wearlayer ★, ★ Today ★, ★ Flooring Vinyl tiles ★, ★ Different ★, ★ Tile ★, ★ Textures ★, ★ Vinyl laminate Flooring ★, ★ Learn ★, ★ Gt ★, ★ Plank ★, ★ Wyoming …

Oklahoma City Flood Damage Repair (405) 213-1781 – Flood Control …

… Wet Hardwood Floor Removal, Wet Laminate Floor Removal, Wet Tile Floor Removal, Wet Flooded Carpet Removal, Wet Kitchen Cabinet Removal, Wet Furniture Removal, Flood Damage Cleanup, Flood Cleanup, Flood Damage Repair, Flood Cleaning …

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

Technorati Tags: laminate floor repair