Waterproof Laminate Flooring: The Latest Trend

Take a look at any of the high-end homes featured in magazines, or take a walk through an upscale house, and you are sure to find a common trend: the floors are covered with beautiful wood or luxurious marble tile, adding to the house’s ambiance. But for those of us who cannot afford the high-end price of wood or marble floors, laminate flooring is a great option. Laminate flooring replicates the look of wood or stone flooring, yet saves you big when it comes to the expense of the materials, installation, and maintenance.

Now, laminate flooring was, originally, merely water resistant, and this proved to be problematic when water or moisture leaked into the floor, buckling the laminate and eventually ruining the flooring.

In light of these issues, Waterproof Laminate Flooring has recently come into wide prominence. With water proof laminate flooring, you can replicate the look of wood and stone, save big cash, and don’t have to worry about water or moisture ruining your flooring.

Types of Flooring

These days, home owners are thus faced with three main options when it comes to their flooring choices: should you go with traditional wood or stone, should you go with the standard water resistant laminate, or should you opt for the waterproof laminate? Let’s detail these options a bit, and note the pros and cons of each.

Traditional

The look of authentic wood or stone on the floor is a timeless classic. Indeed, it is so timeless that the laminate alternative merely replicates this look. However, while laminate flooring can indeed replicate the look, it will not be able to replicate the feel or sound of wood or stone. This will take away from the ambiance these materials provide. For, when you walk on a laminate floor you will hear a hollow sound, much different than the full-bodied sound produced from wood or stone. Also, if you feel laminate with your hands, or walk over it without shoes, you will be able to tell that it is a manmade surface.

Water Resistant Laminate

Besides replicating the look, the most important benefit laminate flooring has over the traditional flooring is the price tag. With flooring, you pay by the square foot, and home owners are surprised at how quickly these things add up, especially when you plan on flooring several rooms. Add to this the cost of installation, and laminate flooring turns out to save you big bucks. For while you will surely have to pay for traditional flooring to be installed, laminate flooring is a common DIY project.

The most common type of laminate flooring is merely water resistant. This means that while the floor will not be damaged by a bit of water or moisture, a prolonged exposure to these may result in the destruction of your laminate flooring. While the surface of this laminate flooring is pretty much impenetrable by water, the same cannot be said for the gaps between the planks. What happens is that water can leak into these cracks and can be subsequently soaked up by the wood-filled core of the laminate. This will result in a buckling of the floor and eventual destruction of the laminate.

Waterproof Laminate

How then can the consumer get the beautiful ambiance of traditional wood or stone flooring, save some cash, and not have to ever worry about moisture or water? The answer is simple: waterproof laminate flooring. While much cheaper than traditional flooring, and a bit more expensive than water resistant laminate, waterproof laminate will not be too severe on your bank account. And unlike laminate that is merely water resistant, waterproof laminate will not soak up water if it leaks in between the cracks.

Due to the waterproof nature of this laminate flooring, options of settings are opened up. That is, people have often hesitated laying down traditional wood and water resistant laminate flooring in places with much water, such as kitchens and bathrooms. However, waterproof laminate flooring can take this water boldly head on, opening up the options of installing laminate flooring not only in common spots such as bedrooms and living rooms, but in the more uncommon spots such as kitchens, bathrooms and basements.

Waterproof Laminate Flooring Components

For those of us who want to understand the make-up of our material, we will run you through the components of this flooring. Waterproof laminate flooring is composed of four layers, each one contributing to the look, feel, or protection of the flooring. On the top is a transparent melamine wear layer that provides protection against water, damage, and other wear. Below this clear layer you will find the design layer, which has a superimposed image in high resolution. This is what gives your flooring that wood or stone look. The next layer is the inner core which is often made with high density fiberboard. This core is what provides support and absorbs the impact of those walking on it, and is normally covered with melamine plastic resin to ensure that the core itself is waterproof. Finally, you will find a bottom layer on the back that is designed to keep water from leaking in from the back.

Installation and Maintenance of Waterproof Laminate Flooring

As we mentioned, a benefit of waterproof laminate flooring is that it is quite an easy DIY home improvement projects, and yet makes such a difference. It should not take more than five hours to finish installing your waterproof laminate flooring into one room. Do not worry about messy glue or tricky nails, for laminate floor planks are simply snapped together, laid in place, and floated above a rubber layout you place on the ground. The result is a floating laminate floor that looks great and is unfazed by water. And if you thought installation was a breeze, maintenance is even easier. Just making sure that the floors are swept regularly, and maybe mopped occasionally with cleaning liquid, is all that is required to keep the floor looking like new.

Conclusion

Whereas it seems to be universally acknowledged that wood or stone flooring is best for the ambiance of your home, few can actually afford this flooring. Laminate flooring is the cheaper alternative, and replicates the look of wood or stone. Water resistant laminate flooring has been known to buckle over time, and thus waterproof laminate flooring has come into fashion more recently. Grab some waterproof laminate flooring today and have fun with a DIY home project.