Not Your Grandma's Laminate
When you picture laminate flooring, it’s highly possible that nostalgic visions of muddy mid-century browns or ‘80s seafoam-green pastels come to mind, complete with antiquated floral patterns and peeling edges. It’s enough to send a shudder up anyone’s spine.
But you can forget those laminate flooring options of yesteryear—today’s laminate options are both strong and economically friendly while looking modern and stylish with hardwood tones and textures. They’re carefully designed to replicate the look of hardwood—as well as stone and even patterns—while offering the water-resistant, resilient properties of a laminate. What’s not to love? Let’s dive in deeper to look at a few of our favorite qualities of laminate.
This living room shows the warm, natural hardwood stylishness of a new laminate flooring with Barnwood Oak waterproof laminate flooring with attached padding.
Resiliency
The natural look of LL Flooring’s laminate is achieved through a highly-detailed, textured replica layer of a natural material—like stone or hardwood—that is bonded to several layers of protective, high-density synthetic material to create an impressively strong floor covering. The replica layer, or decor layer is covered with a protective wear layer infused with aluminum oxide. The materials of the core are mostly wood.
This dense construction makes laminate one of the most scratch-resistant flooring options, which is ideal for homes with pets or large families. Many can even be used in commercial spaces with more foot traffic.
Maintenance
Unlike its higher-maintenance counterparts, laminate requires minimal hands-on care to keep it looking its best. In fact, with proper installation, LL Flooring’s new Dream Home Waterproof Laminate does the work to ensure that liquids don’t seep into or between the boards and wreck your flooring. Unlike the peeled-up edges of laminates past, these boards are installed with a click-lock system that keeps out any moisture or dirt that could cause lasting damage.
The Dream Home line offers a wide array of hardwood looks, from the light wash of Village Frost Oak to the dark, deep tones of Barnwood Oak.
This bright kitchen shows off the modern wood look of Village Frost Oak, a waterproof laminate flooring with real wood character and texture.
Cost
Is laminate flooring expensive? Compared to hardwood or vinyl plank, laminate is one of the most affordable flooring choices, and proper care and maintenance can ensure a long lifespan.
At just a fraction of the price, it’s also easier and cheaper to install than other flooring types that require fixing to the subfloor—for example traditional hardwood, which requires gluing or nailing to the subfloor. Laminate floors are clicked together as a floating floor, making it easy for DIY laundry room or bathroom projects. And when combined with a quality underlayment for improved sound and thermal properties, look and feel amazing.
New laminates even give you stone looks with versatility and style, like in this kitchen featuring Twilight Terrace Stone water-resistant laminate.
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