Laminate flooring has been around for decades. Even today it is still one of the most popular flooring options for many reasons. It has an attractive price point for customers, and due to its constant improvement and ability to mimic nearly any type of wood, it remains one of the best options for almost any style. There are some things to note when choosing laminated flooring over other options, and knowing what you’re looking for and what you need is crucial. Here are a fewlaminate flooring pros and cons to help you understand better.
Pros of Laminate Flooring
Let’s check out pros from laminate flooring pros and cons.
01. Durability of Laminate Flooring:
One of the most convincing positives of laminate flooring is its well-known durability. Laminate flooring offers high scratch and wear-and-tear resistance at a low price point. The top layer of laminate flooring often offers good resistance to high traffic, a key factor to consider when dealing with pets or kids in your home.
The best laminate flooring options offer high UV resistance, and what does that mean for your floors? Well, that means your flooring will maintain its bright and beautiful color for much longer compared to other flooring options.
02. Easy To Install:
The quick and easy installation process is one of the major pro from laminate flooring pros and cons. Easy installation of laminate flooring helps to turn it into a DIY project. It also makes laminate flooring quite attractive to those looking for a beautiful flooring option. Laminate flooring installation is much cheaper, easier, and more time efficient, compared to many other flooring options that offer the same look.
03. A Decent Eco-Friendly Option:
In recent times laminated flooring technology has found ways to use recycled materials and has become a lot more eco-friendly. It is one of the major pro of laminate flooring. The eco-friendly laminate flooring feature for many people is one of the most important, especially as the need and want for eco-friendly practices rise. Many brands will now offer an eco-friendly certification with their laminate flooring products allowing you to ensure your choices are eco-friendly.
04. Easy On Allergies:
Laminated floors don’t collect allergens like carpet or other types of flooring. It’s a great choice for those who want to consider their allergies. Even with pets or increased dust build up in your home laminate flooring makes it easy to vacuum and alleviate some allergy causes in your space. Hence, laminate flooring pros and cons includes allergy free nature as an eminent pro.
In certain rare cases, people have shown allergies to the substances used in laminated flooring, so it’s good to know that your product is eco-friendly and right for your home.
05. Easy To Clean:
Cleaning laminate flooring is a simple and easy process that won’t take all day to clean. A simple vacuum and mopping are what it takes in most cases. Many laminate floor cleaning products, specifically designed to be used on these types of floors, make the process that much easier.
It is good to note that laminate flooring is quite sensitive to moisture.
When using a mop, it’s good to take caution and not use too much liquid. A damp mop is all it takes to get it clean this easy to clean flooring.
Cons of Laminate Flooring:
We should also have a look at the cons from laminate flooring pros and cons, so that you can make a conscious choice for flooring.
01. No Refinishing:
The hardwood floors can last for decades, and refinishing is always an option if necessary. Laminate flooring, unfortunately, does not offer this feature. Once damaged, will need to be replaced and cannot be refinished is a con of laminate flooring. Hardwood flooring, while much more expensive, can be refinished with re-staining or sanding. Choosing and installing hardwood floors can be a mission though and this does make laminate flooring a much simpler, more affordable option in the long run.
02. It’s Not the Real Thing:
Many homeowners want the best for their interiors, and in many cases, that may just be real wood. The question is, which is best for you, hardwood vs laminate?
Laminate flooring offers cheaper and more time-effective options, but it does come with its downsides. Solid hardwood offers a much more authentic feel and appearance. Homeowners love having the real thing and unfortunately, laminate flooring adds to the con from laminate flooring pros and cons. Real wood offers certain advantages and an authentic and beautiful appearance you won’t get with laminate flooring.
03. Lower Resale Value:
The lower resale value is a con of laminate flooring. Every real estate agent will tell you that people want hardwood, that authenticity attracts people. Having hardwood floors will always push up the resale value of your space. Although laminate flooring technology has become good at replicating the real thing, yet many differences can be spotted. Laminate flooring won’t fool anyone who knows what they’re looking for, so when you want to push up the value of your space hardwood is the way to go.
04. Susceptible to Moisture:
A laminated floor cons list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning its greatest weakness, moisture. Laminated floors, and wood floors in general, need to be kept away from moist or damp conditions at all costs. Any amount of water that seeps through the layers is guaranteed to cause swelling and splitting between layers. The defects like warping and swelling is caused in laminated floors of humid climate.
Last of Balancing Act of Laminate Flooring Pros and Cons
If laminated floors are the choice you’re going with, it’s necessary to be sure that it is installed and prepared properly. Also make sure that you’re aware of what kind of maintenance it needs. Make sure that you arrive at a reasonable conclusion are having a look at all the pros and cons of laminate flooring.
If you wish to know more about laminates, do check
Different Types of Laminates & Their UsesLaminate: All You Would Like to Know