The contents
During the selection of flooring for every owner of a country house or apartment trying to find the best option. But what material is preferred? One of the best flooring is the laminate that does not require careful maintenance. While its exterior blends beautifully into your room with different design.
It is worth remembering that the choice of laminate for apartments should be made based on several characteristics. It depends on them, in what conditions will exploit the material. In an example, the laminate for the kitchen.
Parquet Board or laminate ↑
In the market of building materials a large number of flooring, to whom might feel lost every customer. The most common variants are made parquet and laminate flooring, which worked well in various conditions. To make a selection, you need to consider the differences between these materials.
Parquet Board is made from natural wood and laminate is created by gluing several artificial elements. The basis of the slats is a wood-fiber material, which is covered with a decorative and protective layer, and the bottom is moisture-proof Foundation.
If you compare laminate flooring at a price that you should pay attention to the low first cost, due to using cheaper materials. That is why it is chosen by many of those who are going to transform your apartment. Durability both considered of floor coverings is high, so their lifespan is large enough.
Speaking of the time of operation, it is worth mentioning that the flooring will last longer, but it must be constantly monitored. Laminate is maintenance free, but has a limited service life. Before buying you should consider the maintainability of the material. After the appearance of serious damage on the surface of the laminate to remove them will not work. Floorboard in that case, just sanded and re varnished.
Another factor that concerns buyers is the complexity of installation of the floor covering. Before you buy floorboards, we should remember that the setup can take a whole day. The installation of the laminate occurs within a few hours.
Based on what criteria is the choice of laminate ↑
To correctly select the floor covering, it is necessary to consider its main characteristics. These include:
- the thickness of the laminate,
- class,
- the type of connection of the parts of the floor covering,
- the type of the used substrate.
All these parameters are important as gender in apartments is very different, and in order that the laminate was installed more securely, you need to know about the impact of these characteristics.
Class material ↑
There are several classes, based on which you are installing the material in a particular room. For the bedroom, for example, fit the floor covering 21, which is designed for small loads and can last for about 4 years. But because of the low quality buy it rarely.
All classes from 31, can be used not only in the apartment, but also in places with a large cross people. If you buy it for home use, the service life increased to 8 years. 32 class well suited for the kitchen or living room, as it can withstand heavy loads and resists moisture. Material with a higher value can last up to 15 years, that speaks about its high quality.
Thickness ↑
When buying laminate flooring, you notice that its thickness is in the range from 6 to 12 mm. Many prefer coverage from 8 to 12 mm, as it is able to withstand heavy loads. Bet this styling thick slats is easier than using thin variants.
This parameter affects the reliability during long-term use. When the thickness is less than 8 mm between the parts of the coating can form cracks, which leads to the ingress of moisture and dirt. While thick laminate provided with a sound insulating layer that helps create a more comfortable environment.
The types of locks ↑
Ease of installation of laminate flooring allows installation on their own, without attracting specialists. It is enough to know the type of connection of the parts of the floor covering and their connections. There are 2 main types, called Click and Lock. But some of them give preference to? Types of laminate differ in the way the dock.
Locke-locks are more common and economical option. They represent a special thorn and similar groove. The connection of the parts takes place by hammering one piece of flooring to another. This is done to a tight connection of the individual slats. The disadvantage of this lock is that with extended use between elements of the coating can be formed cracks. Another disadvantage to this type of connection cannot be substituted partially.
Click-lock is more modern and has a special hook that allows you to securely connect each piece with each other. It eliminates the occurrence of cracks even after long period of operation. To assemble the panel, you need every part first tight stitch with the previous one, and then raise it about 45 degrees, whereby adjusting the hook and its intended groove. Subsequent lowering of the slats tightly connected, making a characteristic clicking.
To disassemble the coating and set it back about 4 times. For reliability, the scarf joint is usually treated with sealant. If necessary, this composition can be easily removed from the groove.
View of substrate ↑
From the choice of substrate under the laminate depends on the duration of its use, the appearance and microclimate of a room. Therefore, at the time of purchase of this material should pay attention to the features of each option:
- Cork substrate. They are the most expensive and are made of chips of oak bark. This material can be completely natural or mixed with other compounds, giving it strength and elasticity. The advantages of cork underlay is the durability, environmental friendliness and good insulation of the floor. But to use this material is not recommended in the kitchen because he’s afraid of water.
- The polyethylene foam. The substrate of this material is the cheapest and is suitable for placing in locations with high humidity. Its weight compares favorably with other types of material. But it is worth noting that over time the foam loses its original shape, thereby deteriorating the appearance of the floor.
- The polystyrene foam. The material combines some of the characteristics of the two described species and is therefore considered optimal. This panel has good sound insulation, it is easy to lay and it is combined with Underfloor heating. The disadvantages include loss of the previous forms in the process of operation.
The choice of laminate for the rooms ↑
To flooring used as long as possible in advance to consider the types of laminate floor depending on the room in which it will be installed:
- Kitchen. A feature of this room is high humidity, suggesting the need to use a certain type of laminate. To keep from slipping in the kitchen, you should pick up not smooth but textured coating.
- Bathroom. For this room you need to choose a specialized water-resistant laminate. The characteristics of this coating are close to ceramic tiles.
- Living room. When choosing a cover for a bedroom, nursery and other rooms, it is necessary to consider this parameter as the attenuation. This property depends not only on the thickness of each component, but also on the presence of specific substrate specified by the manufacturer.
- Corridor and hallway. For these rooms is selected the most durable finish which can withstand exposure to moisture, sand, dirt and large load.
Laminate flooring in the interior ↑
When choosing flooring it is important to think not only about its strength and durability, but also about the appearance. But how to choose the color of laminate? It depends on what kind of clearance is available in the apartment. Laminate flooring allows you to choose any color and texture from a variety of options that helps to register the apartment in your desired style.
If you create an interior in the country style, then you need to buy a coating that mimics the rustic wood. The color is dark, and the texture must match one of the known types of wood.
Provence – style that emphasizes simplicity, naturalness of materials, and comfort. The floor color should choose lighter. The ideal option would be the use of coatings with aged and distressed texture.
The room in Japanese style requires the acquisition of coatings that mimic bamboo. A variety of color options allows the selection of laminate flooring for the home in accordance with the overall color balance of the room.
The design of the apartment in a minimalist style the material is bought in black, white or grey
Laminate for floor ↑
Before you choose laminate under floor heating, should pay attention to its characteristics. If you take any kind of such flooring indiscriminately, it can harm their health, because if the temperature is above 25 degrees, the material starts to produce harmful substances. It does not matter if the laying is carried out on a standard basis, which may not have such a temperature. But in the case of Underfloor heating it is necessary to pay special attention.
While purchasing laminate flooring is to ask the seller, the suitability of this material for installation on a subfloor with Underfloor heating. In addition, you need to know about such characteristics as thermal conductivity. This figure should not exceed 0.15 m2 x K/W. The ideal value become features in the range from 0.05 m2 x K/W to 10 m2 x K/W.
At the time of purchase of the material please view the information offered by the manufacturer. All data is terms of use of the floor covering, so mistakes will be difficult. After installation, the laminate should not be used approximately 48 hours and to be within a room temperature.
After the installation of the coating, many are asking – what kind of MOP to choose for laminate? You can use a variety of tools, but it is better to choose those that are easy to press, which eliminates the ingress of large amounts of moisture.
