The beauty of laminate flooring is more than just skin deep. Laminates are composed of 4 main parts, the wear layer, decorative paper, core layer, and the stabilizing layer (backing layer). The wear layer is provided by a melamine resin which is highly wear resistant and scratch resistant. The decorative paper gives the laminate a high definition wood or tile look. The core layer is made of High Density Fiberboard or Medium Density Fiberboard. The stabilizing layer is the bottom layer of the laminate and it helps provide stability and moisture resistance. The texture is added to the wear layer through a process called “embossing”, which involves pressing patterns into the surface. The best quality laminates use a process called “embossing in register”, where the textured pattern actually follows the grain in the image, creating an even more realistic looks and feels.

Laminate flooring is long-lasting and highly durable. The surface is made with aluminum oxide which is one of the hardest substances on earth and provides a very robust and wear resistant surface relative to other types of flooring. The core is made out of high density fiberboard that makes laminate flooring highly dent resistant. However, they are not indestructible; care should be taken to help avoid scratching and damage. With a small amount of maintenance, laminate floors will last a very long time.

Both laminate flooring and hardwood flooring are made of wood but are fundamentally different. Hardwood is wood in its natural form, cut and finished to be installed as a floor. Laminate is refined wood compressed together with a printed paper providing the visual. The advantages of laminate are that it has superior wear properties over hardwood and can be produced at a much lower cost. Laminate flooring’s durability is better as it is engineered to have excellent wear properties where wood flooring can be enhanced but is generally limited to the natural values of the wood. Wood dents and often changes color with sunlight, unlike laminate. This is part of the natural characteristic of wood and is part of the attraction of a natural product. Laminate, due to its engineered properties, can be installed below grade (in a basement). Laminate flooring has a great flexibility in design as any color or design can be printed. Laminate can provide exotic wood looks without the harvesting of rare or potentially endangered species of wood. The visual for hardwood is provided from nature.

Laminate floors are installed as a floating floor, meaning that they are not actually connected to the subfloor. The laminates lay on top of the subfloor and are cut during installation to allow an expansion gap around the edge of the flooring installation. Note that it is essential that a 3/8” space be left around the perimeter of the floor. This allows the floor to expand and contract with changes in humidity and temperature throughout the year.

Yes, laminate flooring can be installed on stairs. The planks should be glued down with construction adhesive and a stair nose transition used. The stair nose should also be glued and nailed to the subfloor to ensure stability of the installation.

Yes, if a plank is damaged and needs replacement there are two options. The floor can be uninstalled and reinstalled. Alternatively the plank can be cut and removed.

Laminate floors are very easy to keep clean because of their stain-resistant qualities. Like all floor surfaces though, you need to clean up spills and keep excessive water off of the floor. For general maintenance, we recommend that you vacuum or sweep up dirt/dust regularly. When needed, you can also use a special laminate floor cleaner to take care of any film that may be building up and to keep up the natural shine on the floor. You will find them in our Laminate Floor Care section of our website.

Most "Quality" laminates today use the best technology available. The top layers are designed not only to look just like real wood flooring, but also to help protect the color and pattern against UV rays.

Laminate floors are highly durable, but they do have limits. If you drop or drag something heavy on a laminate floor, it will leave a mark. Manufacturers generally will have a touch up kit available for their specific color lines. If the damage cannot be fixed with a simple touch up kit, replacing the damaged board is always an option.

ince laminate flooring is installed using a Click Loc type floating method and are not attached or glued directly to the subfloor. You can un click the flooring starting from the last boards installed, back to the damaged board and replace it. Then you simply re click the boards into place.