How to choose the laminate for the home?

Laminate has been in great demand for quite some time. It is a floor covering made on the basis of fiberboards, which is much cheaper than parquet, however, it imitates it perfectly. This is a multilayer material, including paper layers, fiberboard or chipboard, a wear-resistant protective and decorative film that mimics the texture of natural wood or stone. But on your own it is very difficult to understand all its properties and characteristics. Therefore, this article will be useful to many, because in it we will tell you how to choose the right laminate for home.

to contents ↑

Why laminate flooring?

It is no coincidence that many owners of city apartments and private houses prefer the laminate flooring in the process of choosing the ideal flooring. This is an ideal and worthy replacement for high-quality, expensive parquet:

• It looks great in residential areas, has good technical properties, durability, and practicality. The material consists of a base, decorative, protective and stabilizing layer. Moreover, each of them performs an important function.

Important! Mostly made of wood imitation boards, but you can find on sale models made of marble, granite, tile or decorative ornament.

• He liked consumers so much due to aesthetic qualities, there are no traces of sharp heels and scratches on it.
• To clean it from stains is quite simple, in addition, it is not afraid of high temperature. Even if a cigarette butt or heater falls on it, its surface will remain unharmed.
• More complex contaminants are easily removed with a solvent.

to contents ↑

How to choose a laminate for a house or apartment?

Many manufacturers advertise it as an environmentally friendly material, but you should be aware that the cheapest models may contain too much formaldehyde, the fumes of which are dangerous to human health. Therefore, if you want not only to figure out how to choose the laminate for the floor, but also to protect your family, pay attention to products from the middle price category, the package must always bear the E1 marking.

Important! Models with this marking fully comply with European quality standards, since the amount of formaldehyde contained in them is quite acceptable.

It is recommended to choose according to the most important criteria, which we will describe further.

Material class

In manufacturing enterprises, to determine the class of resistance of the laminate to mechanical abrasion, use special devices equipped with grinding wheels. So, it is assigned to the material, depending on how many revolutions the circle had to make before the top layer began to wear out.

Given that it can withstand such revolutions from 900 to 20,000, it is very important to figure out which class of laminate is best for the home:

• Models 21-22 classes are able to withstand from 7000 to 11000 rpm.
• From 23 to 31 class from 11000 to 15000.
• The most resistant 32-33 class - 15000-20000 revolutions.

Important! This material is released today in six different classes. To make a choice according to this criterion, you must determine how intensively you will use the flooring.

The main purpose

Each variety has a specific purpose, in fact, therefore, distinguish between models for commercial and domestic use:

• Models 21, 22, 23 classes are suitable for use in apartments.
• In commercial premises, 31, 32, 33 class materials are used.

Important! If you lay a commercial laminate on the floor of an apartment, then it will last much longer than a household one. That's just it costs a lot more, so its use in most cases is unjustified when it comes to home premises.

For example:

• In the bedroom you can use a product of class 21, because the intensity of walking in this room is minimal, it will last at least five years.
• In the nursery and living room it is better to lay a laminate of 22 class.
• Kitchens are characterized by the highest intensity of walking, so the 23rd class is most appropriate here.

Actually, thanks to this information, you now know how to choose the laminate in the apartment.

Thickness

Performance is affected not only by the class, but also by the thickness of the material. Therefore, it is imperative to dwell on this criterion.

Important! The thicker the laminate, the higher its heat and sound insulation properties, it is more durable and resistant to stress.

What to give preference to?

• For an apartment, an 8 mm thick material is ideal.
• In rooms with a low level of intensity, they cover a thickness of 7 mm.

Important! The thickest models are quite expensive, so it’s illogical to use them in rooms with a low level of walking intensity.

Laminate base and coating

As previously mentioned, this is a multilayer material. Its topcoat is usually made of melamine-formaldehyde resins. The basis is HDF, MDF, chipboard.

Important! The last two types of material used for the manufacture of laminate medium density.

Choosing it according to the density of the base, it is necessary to consider in what conditions it will be operated. Incidentally, the density of the substrate affects the following properties of the material:

• Moisture resistance.
• Shock resistance.
• Fracture strength.
• Resistance to loads.

Important! For hallways, the ideal option is the material with the highest level of density of the base, for bedrooms the same 0 with the lowest level.

The cost of coverage also depends on this parameter. If there are a lot of people living in your house, the floors are constantly exposed to heavy loads, then it is better to buy a product with HDF. Laminate is produced today by direct compression technology, that is, a layer of decorative paper is applied to the base, then a surface layer is laid on it, underneath the base is a stabilization layer. Then the products are pressed, they are sintered and as a result, monolithic sheets are obtained.

Panel joining method

How to choose a laminate for the floor by the method of joining the panels? The panels of such a floor covering can be interconnected by a lock and glue method. Therefore, when making a choice, it is important to decide on the most preferable in your case:

• It is easier to put it in the adhesive way, but such panels can no longer be replaced later, if suddenly during operation they are damaged.
• Locked parts are easily replaced. The locking method of connection is also divided into snap and padlocks.

Important! A simpler installation option with latches, moreover, they are less damaged.

to contents ↑

Stock footage

There are many criteria for choosing modern laminated coatings. But special attention should be paid to the quality of the material, its safety for others. When answering the question of how to choose a good laminate for the home, one cannot but mention the obligatory availability of a certificate from the seller, which would confirm its safety, environmental friendliness and compliance with generally accepted quality standards.