repair laminate floor – Laminate Flooring, A Floor For All Seasons?
Laminate Flooring, A Floor For All Seasons?
Laminate Flooring
Real wooden floors can bring warmth and comfort to a room, turning ordinary dwellings into cozy cottages, gray office quarters into lounge-like spaces, and a house into a home. But with the current shortage of trees, and with forests disappearing all over the world, hardwoods will be harder and harder to come by.
There is a substitute, however, for hardwood floors. Laminates are sold as planks or panels, and are fashioned to look like wood, stone, or tile. These planks are made of thick, water-resistant material, and are shaped so that they fit together like snug, interlocking pieces. They are fitted through the floating installation method, where they rest on top of a subfloor, which may be made of plywood, concrete, or existing flooring.
Laminates can be made to look exactly like your hardwood of choice, be it mahogany, oak, or cherry. Because they aren’t made of real wood, they can withstand extreme impact, scratching, cigarette burns, and exposure to sunlight, all without fading or being heavily damaged. Not much is needed to maintain a laminate floor: all that laminates need are regular vacuuming, or a wipe-down with a damp mop or rag, and with no wax or polish at that.
Because laminates are stress resistant, they can be engineered for use most anywhere in the home, including wet areas such as the kitchen. They can also be built over heated concrete slabs – an advantage when laminates have to be fitted in countries with very cold climates. Laminates can be easily installed, and as they don’t need much cleaning or protection, need not be covered with carpets or rugs, which can carry dust mites or allergens. Thus, laminates are not only beautiful and cheap, they can contribute to healthy living as well.
Laminates, however, also carry their disadvantages. They can be scratched if heavy objects are dragged across them, or if large domestic animals – such as big dogs or cats – trudge or paw their way through them. They may be largely resistant to sun and scratches, but laminates might not be able to stand moisture. The laminate inner core is made up of a special strong material which is not especially resistant to excessive moisture. If moisture does seep into a laminate floor, the planks may be deformed, and may no longer be as scratch-proof and burn-ready as before.
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Since laminates are installed above a subfloor, they can be noisy if walked on. As such, laminate manufacturers also provide special paddings to be installed in between the subfloor and laminate – not quite an advantage if you don’t want to spend more for a cheap, but nature-friendly hardwood finish.
Despite the fact that laminates are considerably cheaper than hardwood floors, and can be installed by most anybody who wants to fix their home up, any damage done to them is not easily fixed. Laminates are maintained through touch-up kits, or chip repair kits, but these kits are difficult to find, and are only designed to maintain the floor, not repair major damage.
Laminates have their goods and not-so-goods, but in the end, the decision all comes down to you. If you think you can install a floor on your own with minimal cost, and if you don’t have large animals for pets, then a laminate floor may be the best for your needs. However, if you aren’t quite sure what animals might come in the future, and if you are concerned about floorboards creaking, or getting misshapen from heat and moisture, then maybe cutting down a few trees won’t hurt.
Whatever the case, wherever you may be, laminates or not, hardwoods or floorboards, a house won’t be a home if the ground you walk on doesn’t appeal to your tastes.
By: joyce dietzel
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httpJoyce Dietzel writes articles for flooring.info a website dedicated to www.for-flooring.info/laminate.html” >providing info on laminate flooring
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If you are looking for some tips on how to cut laminate flooring, here are some things that could help to make the job easier and more professional looking.
Types of Saws
Some laminate floor installers like to use a framing blade, while others go with a fine-tooth paneling blade. I mostly use a framing blade because it lasts longer on the job. When I cut with a framing blade I make my measurement on the bottom side of the flooring piece, as this allows me a smooth finished cut on the top laminate side.
Straight Runs
On the straight runs when I come to the wall or baseboard I always measure from my last full piece to the wall and take off 1/4″. Then I take a new piece and cut that measurement off.
Ripping
When getting to a piece of laminate flooring that needs to be ripped, I follow the same procedure as above, allowing 1/4″ on the end and also 1/4″ off the rip thickness.
Cutting Around Door Jambs
When you get to door jambs, check to make sure that the piece of flooring plus the pad will fit under the jamb and door casing. If it fits, fantastic! If not, I suggest marking your jamb and door casing and cutting them with a jamb saw. Doing this will make cutting floor pieces around doors easier and give a more finished look.
When the cutting of the door jamb and casing is finished, measure the piece that needs to go between the door jamb and the full piece that it will connect to and add 1/4″ to your first cut or notch and subtract 1/4″ from your second cut or notch. This should leave you with a “U” shaped cut (but the bottom of the “U” would be flat instead of rounded). I then take a saber saw or hand jig saw and cut out the “U” shaped piece and install that piece.
I hope that these tips on how to cut laminate flooring helped. If you have any questions for me on this topic, or any other part of installing a laminate floor, please visit my website.
Al Condon is a master crafstman with 27 years of experience repairing and remodeling homes. He has a website on how to select and install laminate flooring at http://www.laminate-flooring-diy.com
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