How To Choose The Right Laminate Flooring For Your Floor

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 22:24

Distinctive features
Coating thickness
Installation process
Children's room laminate
Hallway floor
Underfloor heating system

An excellent option for flooring in an apartment would be a laminate. It has excellent performance characteristics, as well as very simple installation, which is fashionable to carry out on its own without the participation of specialists. But at the same time, it is very important to make the right choice in favor of one or another laminate option, depending on the existing base, its qualities, as well as the room itself where the work will be carried out.

Distinctive features

If the choice falls on a high-quality laminate, then hardly anyone can distinguish it from natural wood. In addition, the flooring is presented in various structures, with the presence or absence of various patterns, shades and colors. During operation, it does not emit any unpleasant extraneous reserves, chemicals, that is, it is completely safe for the health of people and others.

It doesn't take any serious knowledge to keep a good laminate flooring constantly clean and tidy. To do this, it is enough to periodically clean it with special tools or simply wipe it with a damp cloth. This quality will be very important with young children.

When buying, you should pay attention to the class of the floor covering, which indicates its strength and ability to withstand external loads. The highest class is also generally matched to the device of any type of warm floor in the room. The higher the class, the longer its operational period. So, class 31 of the laminate can last for 12 years, and if class 34 is selected, then within 25 years.

Coating thickness

The laminate layer should be selected individually. Everything will depend on the conditions of its operation, the condition of the subfloor and other factors, including the presence of heating pipes or other options for heating elements. The optimum lamella thickness should be 7-8 mm. The cost of the used flooring will also differ from the thickness. But you should not choose less than these parameters.

The thermal conductivity of the laminate will also depend on the thickness. The thinner it is, the colder it will be. But this indication is typical only for the classic use of flooring on a concrete or wooden floor. If you pay attention to the device of warm floors, then everything is somewhat different, or rather, in general, the opposite.

If thick lamellas are chosen, then the heating elements will not be able to immediately warm them up, and, therefore, heat will be lost. In addition, you will have to increase the power supply of the coolant or electricity in order to effectively warm the air in the room. This all causes additional costs and constant loss of money.

But too thin a laminate is not worth buying, since under the influence of external factors, in the form of massive furniture and interior items, as well as constant walking, it will quickly fail, the castle joints and the surface of the flooring itself will collapse. You need to know exactly how to choose a laminate for your floor in order to enjoy it for a long time.

Installation process

The installation of the laminate will largely depend on the tank connection option. It is fashionable of course to do without it, but then you will have to use additional special glue, lubricate the end parts of each laminate element, spend much more time on installation.

There are two types of locks:

Click. Laminate with such connections is easy to install. The locks themselves are located at an angle of 45 degrees. It is this angle that should be chosen when placing the next row in the grooves of the previous one. The advantage also lies in the fact that some errors in the evenness of the base are allowed. For each running meter, a height difference of 3 mm is allowed.

Choice of laminate
Lock. The most basic requirement of such locks is a high-quality base. Otherwise, there can be no question of any quality. Yes, and it will not work to lay laminate with such locks. Their cost is lower than that of the first version of the lock connection. But it is unlikely that the first time it will be possible to install the floor covering without errors. So you have to seek help from specialists.

Children's room laminate

Here the choice should be such as to purchase an exceptionally high-quality, environmentally friendly coating. After all, children will constantly be in their room, including walking on the laminate.

When buying, there are main points that you should mainly pay attention to so that you do not regret anything during operation:

You should not choose dark flooring tones, since in most cases children's rooms are small. Not only will this indicate a certain amount of light in the room, it will also visually make it somewhat smaller.
Light colors, even very light ones, are best bought in low light conditions in a tough room.
Particular attention should be paid to the presence and design of furniture and other interiors in the room. Laminate should not only be matched to them, but also be combined with them, to some extent even complement.

The floor covering must also be practical and safe. In this case, attention is paid to the following points:

Formaldehyde emission class. In its composition, formaldehyde contains HDF board, which is most often used as a base for laminate flooring. The level of this component should be checked without fail, or rather, just look at the certificate of conformity for the product. In it, this indicator is indicated as E1 (0.124 is possible per m3). Some do not even want to purchase this parameter for laying on the floor. Then go ahead for the purchase of laminate with an indication in the certificate E0. This is the safest type and is perfect for a child's room.

Choice of laminate
Children will never sit still. They are constantly on the move, running. If the laminate is very slippery, there is a high probability of falling and injury. For this reason, it is worth checking the surface yourself for sliding or purchasing an anti-slip version.
Anti-static. Specific laminate models are capable of not collecting dust. This quality increases prices and the ability to make easy cleaning of the room. At the same time, the children themselves will feel comfortable, and not breathe dust while playing and being in their room.

In addition, you can purchase a certain amount of laminate with a water-repellent effect. As the water develops, it will simply remain on the surface. As for the classiness of the flooring, the best option is 32. It will even allow you to do without a warm floor system in a hard room. Comfort and coziness for children will be provided.

Hallway floor

The use of laminate flooring in the hallway has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include the ability to create a real durable coating by purchasing 33 and 34 class laminate. In this case, external loads, as well as constant walking, will not be afraid.

As for the surface of the flooring, it is best to choose the matte option. This is due to the fact that a glossy or even lacquered surface will create inconvenience when moving due to excessive slipperiness. This will be especially evident in the winter season or in wet weather.

The biggest drawback is the inability of the laminate to actively resist moisture. After all, we go into the hallway in shoes, which can be not only wet, but also with particles of snow and ice. Here, of course, a glossy or varnished surface would not be the best option. In this case, it is immediately worth mentioning about security, which will be impossible to achieve.

When choosing, you can focus on manufacturers. The quality of the products, as well as their cost, will depend on them. When finances are available and there is a desire to purchase a really high-quality floor covering, then the look should be stopped on the laminate of manufacturers from Germany, Belgium or Austria.

Underfloor heating system

Everyone wants to have a high-quality floor base in their apartment or house, which will also be warm and comfortable. It is in this case that a different type of floor heating system is selected. In this case, it is worth paying special attention to the floor covering, on which the durability of all the underlying layers of the structure will depend.

But which laminate to choose for your floor? This will help the sales consultant, who has certain knowledge in this direction. It will not be superfluous to seek help from specialists. The correct choice and marking on the packaging from under the floor covering will tell you. The information sheet, which every manufacturer must attach, provides information on the material.

First of all, the laminate must withstand certain temperature conditions emanating during the operation of any kind of underfloor heating system. A separate category is a water heat-insulated floor, where the inscription H ² O should be on the laminate under the image of pipes.

During operation, the floor covering should not emit or emit at a minimum into the environment toxic substances harmful to the human body. This will tell you the class of laminate, which is best to choose E0 (complete absence of formaldehyde emission).

If in the process of using the laminate the requirements from the manufacturers are violated, then there is a high probability of its failure. In this case, the manufacturer himself will no longer bear any responsibility to the contractor and the buyer. This is more true for the temperature modes of operation of the warm floor, which usually varies between 27-29 degrees. So it is necessary to correctly configure the very operation of the base heating.

To get a really high-quality subfloor in a room, you need to pay attention and some time to choosing a laminate flooring. The service life and durability of the entire “pie” will depend on its quality and manufacturer, especially if it contains additional components that require external protection from damage. When all the points have been observed and consultations have been made with specialists in the choice of flooring, you can start laying it in stages and sequentially.