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by Ted Ingraham

Laminate Flooring – Exceptional Durability

Laminate flooring offers exceptional durability. Laminate floors are remarkable for their unmatched reliability and affordability, these very factors account for their immense popularity.

Unlike hardwood, laminate floors aren’t pure wood. Instead, they consist of a wood composite base over which come layers of melamine-impregnated paper covered with a scratch-resistant layer that contributes to their amazing durability. The advantage they possess over hardwood is that the scratch-resistant wear layer is immune to dog claw scratches and all kinds of other scratch marks. Laminate flooring is also less expensive and easier to install than hardwood. But it still adds elegance to the room and lends the impression of real wood; therefore, this type of flooring looks much more expensive than it actually is.

Exotic Impressions from Armstrong is an example of wonderfully durable laminate flooring. The elegant finish it’s provided with gives it an appearance of exotic hardwood, and it is available in great wood-inspiring colors such as exotic walnut, cherry bronze, and cherry natural. It also comes with a 30-year limited warranty. Pergo’s Prestige is extremely attractive and resistant to scuff and stain. It’s also effective against moisture. It has a 25-year triple plus warranty and comes in colors such as savanna oak, Brazilian cherry and rustic oak.  

Laminate floors can be either attached to the sub-floor or its pieces connected to each other. The latter is a floating floor that can be replaced easily whenever necessary. Laminate flooring of the former kind is more stable and produces less noise. As it is moisture-resistant, there’s almost no place in a home where laminate flooring cannot be used.  

An online store can give you instant shopping and purchasing opportunities for all kinds of laminates. You can browse the range of colors and finishes offered and make your choice.

Find More Oak Laminate Flooring Articles

Tags: Durability, Exceptional, Flooring., Laminate
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by luluinnyc | Amy Dreher

Flooring Website Helps the Pocketbook as the Economy Takes a Dive

The flooring industry is feeling the squeeze of the economic downturn just like every other industry. Flooring retailers, installers and floor cleaning professionals – with few exceptions – are all struggling as jobless rates rise and people have less money to spend. Recent estimates suggest that a significant number of flooring businesses in the United States have closed their doors in recent months. It’s hard to put a smile on a number like that, but there is some comfort in knowing that there is some help out there.

“Like every industry, the flooring business has taken a hammering,” said Damien Patton, founder and CEO of FindAnyFloor.com™. “Flooring professionals who a month ago had a stable business are now lined up looking for work like so many other people. Given that, it’s gratifying that what we do at FAF can actually help them, as well as the people looking to buy flooring but not overspend.”

FindAnyFloor.com is the world’s largest flooring information website and it ranks in the top one percent of all searched sites on the Internet. Despite the woes of the economy, FAF has steadily grown in strength since it was unveiled in mid-August of 2008.

The “help” that Patton refers to comes in a variety of forms.

To begin with, the site runs very deep with information.  This is a benefit to consumers looking to save time and money by getting the right floor for their needs. And by using the site’s Find A Local™ search directory, customers can also access information on thousands of flooring professionals. By simply entering their zip code, site visitors can find the retailers, installers and cleaners nearest their home, which again translates to saving time and, very possibly, money.

Size Up That Floor or Reach Out to a Professional

The site’s state-of-the-art Quick Click Floor Estimator™ is an easy-to-use online tool for calculating the area, cost and waste factor of any new floor. By simply using the cursor to click and drag the provided flooring templates, any room configuration can be duplicated. From there, all kinds of options can be compared: for example, the cost of bamboo compared to cork; or angled tiling compared to having it laid straight across the room. So rather than taking a stab in the dark, the customer knows not only what outlay they’re looking at, but precisely what they’re getting for that outlay.

The latest addition to the FindAnyFloor.com “toolbox” is the Ask A Pro™ Live Chat. Site visitors just click on the Ask A Pro button which appears on every page, type in their flooring question, and receive a real-time response. It’s free of charge and requires no sign-up or log-in. In other words, it’s the simplest way possible to get unbiased flooring answers and get them fast. Of course, the key word is “unbiased.”

Sweet Deals and “Friendly Flooring”

Any way to save money helps these days. It all adds up. FindAnyFloor.com has developed strong relationships with the professionals listed on the site and offers a Discounts & Coupons section for those seeking flooring goods and services. Once again, it’s simply a matter of the consumer typing in their zip code to find the vendors in their area who are offering deals.

Many people have special requirements when it comes to their floors. Perhaps they have pets or they suffer from allergies. Maybe they have some form of disability or are the parent of young children. Then again, they may live in a demanding climate or be very environmentally conscious. For just such circumstances, FindAnyFloor.com came up with its Friendly Flooring™ section. Site users in the aforementioned situations can now go directly to the flooring information put together just for them.

How does this save money? That’s a long list. For example, some floors are kinder to allergy suffers than others – which can mean savings on medicines. Other floors are resistant to damage that might be caused by pets or climate swings. And in the case of, say, toddlers, well a floor that is forgiving on their tumbles and falls can save on medical bills not to mention the anguish caused to both parent and child. No other flooring site can boast anything like Friendly Flooring.

Helping You Get It Right

Few things are more expensive than mistakes. Imagine buying flooring and then finding it didn’t suit your house or your needs. Or worse still, buying it and then trying to install it and botching the job. With FindAnyFloor.com’s detailed Buying Guides, do-it-yourself Installation Guides, and handy Buying Checklists, it’s hard to go wrong. All of the guides are available specifically for each of the major flooring types: bamboo, concrete, carpet, cork, hardwood, laminate, linoleum, rubber, stone, tile, and vinyl.

The Buying Guides cover all the main areas of floor purchasing: where to buy, questions to ask, installation considerations, and more. The Installation Guides come in short form for the more experienced do-it-yourselfer and a longer, more detailed form. A printable pdf version is available too, and once again, all the main floor types are covered. The buying checklists are a great way to move methodically through the purchasing process and make sure you don’t miss any key questions or decisions.

FindAnyFloor.com is also in the process of adding a series of installation videos to the site. Used in tandem with the installation guides, they make DIY jobs easier for the savvy homeowner.

Great Discussion Forums

FindAnyFloor.com’s Discussion Forums provide a community for flooring consumers. Site visitors can join one of the discussions or start their own. Naturally, the experience of others can be a money saver – and FAF even has a forum section specifically titled “Money Saving Tips.” Open it up and you’ll find a variety of subjects that can save you more than just nickels and dimes.

They say that knowledge is power. Well, when it comes to making major purchases in a shaky economy, it’s also a great insurance policy. With over 10,000 pages of flooring information, FindAnyFloor.com forewarns and forearms flooring consumers. Whether planning a major purchase or wondering how best to repair that pet-claw scratch, FAF is the premier website for getting the right, money-saving information.

“When I started FindAnyFloor.com I wanted it to be a thorough, plain-English resource that the average consumer could use and benefit from,” said Patton. “I didn’t want to have lots of pointless bells and whistles on the site or cater only to the high-end consumers or flooring initiates. This is a site for everyone. And with the things that are going on with the economy now, I know more than ever that I did the right thing.”

Economists aren’t predicting light at the end of the economic tunnel for some time yet. So if ever there was a time for doing the right thing with your “dollars and sense,” it’s now. It’s still possible to purchase within your means…with a little help from your Internet friends.

Tags: Dive, Economy, Flooring., Helps, Pocketbook, Takes, Website
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by TimmyGUNZ

Laminate Flooring – Things You Need to Know

INTRODUCTION TO LAMINATE FLOORING

Laminate flooring is a great alternative to hardwood when you want the warmth and beauty of wood flooring without the installation and maintenance hassles. This attractive flooring solution is available in a wide range of prices, colours and grains. It’s also more scratch and dent resistant than hardwood flooring, which makes it the perfect choice for homes with active children or pets. Laminate flooring is the one of the most versatile, durable and well-constructed types of flooring on the market today.

HOW TO CHOOSE LAMINATE FLOORING

Laminates warranty range from 10 years to lifetime. Entry level laminates come with a 10 to 15 years warranty but they are designed for light traffic areas. Used in a high traffic area, they will begin to show wear and tear usually within 3 to 5 years. Remember that choosing the right laminate flooring is not as easy as it seems, but by doing that, you will save money in the long run. Just think of things like the amount of time you are planning on staying in that house or the amount of traffic, because there is no point in buying really expensive laminate flooring with extended warranty if you know that you are moving sometime in the near future. Also consider buying laminates with Paraffin wax impregnated joints, as this wax acts as a water repellent and prevents water from penetrating down to the core.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Laminate Flooring is made up of six layers, and comes in varying sizes of either planks or squares with a tongue and groove interlocking system. The surface layer of laminate is the melamine wearlayer, which is a tough clear melamine layer with aluminum oxide particles. When fused together with heat and direct to the core the wearlayer becomes an incredibly hard, durable finish. The resin-filled wearlayer is so dense it becomes extremely difficult to stain, scratch, or burn. The second layer is the Print Layer, which is the decorative layer giving the flooring its appearance of real hardwood or tile. The third layer is a clear thin plastic sheet that floats freely above the substrate before the laminate floor is floated. Melamine is a plastic-type resin used throughout the construction process to add durability and stability to the laminated planks. The thickest layer is the core, consists usually of high-density fiber board (HDF), particle board to add resistance and form the tongue and groove locking system. Melamine plastic resins are used to improve moisture resistance of the core by some manufacturers. A thing you should consider when buying laminate flooring for bathrooms or kitchens is it’s core. A thicker core is more stable, less vulnerable and sounds more like the real hardwood floor when walked on. Quality laminate cores are treated with water repellent chemicals. The melamine plastic backing is used to add more structural stability and moisture protection to the planks.

INSTALLATION

As glueless locking mechanisms has been introduced to the market, laminate flooring has become the perfect choice for households because it has a quicker installation, it’s easier to repair and it can be installed by people without experience or specialized tools. This will save you a considerable amount of money. Installing laminate floors eliminates the need to nail or glue your floor in place. It is also a very attractive, low cost and long lasting flooring option. With an easy to clean surface, impact and dent resistance, laminate flooring can be installed over many different types of subfloors and on all grade levels, making it a versatile flooring choice. Installing laminate floors can be used in any room in the house and in most commercial areas as long as they are flat and in solid condition. Installing laminate floors can be done over concrete, wood, ceramic tile and even your existing linoleum floor. Even though laminate floors can be installed in any room in the house, they should not be installed in garages or on outside porches. The biggest reason for this is moisture. Moisture and laminate floors do not mix. On a scale from one to ten, installing laminate flooring requires a skill level of about a four. The most challenging part of the installation process will be clearing your schedule for a couple of hours. The easy to follow instructions and simplified interlocking clicking system mean that most do-it-yourselfers will be able to install an entire floor in one afternoon. A laminated floor that is properly installed, protected and maintained will go a long way to help your laminated floor last as long as your home.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LAMINATE FLOORING

Laminate Flooring is available in one of 2 types, planks and tiles. Flooring planks can be interlocking or tongue and groove where flooring tiles have tongue and groove edges. There are many different manufactures of laminate flooring and as the laminate flooring producers continue to expand colors, styles and increase quality, the growth of laminate flooring industry will continue.

REASONS TO CHOOSE LAMINATE:

A laminated floor is tough and durable.

A laminated floor is chemical resistant and harsh household chemicals and cleaning agents will not harm your laminate flooring surface.

A laminated floor can resist dropped cigarettes for a time without burning the floor.

A laminated floor will keep its color or design for years. The surface will not fade even when exposed to direct sunlight.

A laminated floor is hypoallergenic, it doesn’t contain any hazardous PCB’s, dioxins, plasticizers or chlorines. It repels dust, dustmites and other allergy causing particles.

A laminated floor is stain resistant and can be easily cleaned. Cleaning up a spill on a laminated floor is as simple as wiping up the mess. Also, scuff marks can be easily cleaned off a laminated floor.

Installing a laminated floor is quick and easy. It can be floated over your existing K-3/lino, wood, concrete, tile or even low grade commercial carpet saving value time and expense. There is no need to wait, you can walk on your floor immediately after installation is complete.

A laminated floor comes in many different designs and colors.

A laminated floor is easy to care for.
 

If you are interested in Toronto Laminate Flooring, please visit Contractors Toronto – Toronto-Contractors.ca: Home Improvement and Renovations

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Tags: Flooring., Know, Laminate, need, Things
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Installing Laminate Flooring

You’ve heard your friends talk about it and you’ve seen it on commercials. But how easy is it to install laminate flooring? This article will let you know how to install your brand new laminate flooring and even let you know which brands are easier then the others. You’ve just paid your money for your laminate flooring so you may as well get it laid down.

Some people think that all you have to do is line up the pieces and then CLICK- in it goes. If only it were that easy then we would all be doing it like that. The truth is that not all companies will provide you with the easiest to install laminate flooring. You will curse and you might cry, but once it is all done you will definitely marvel at your new floor.

Obviously before you start you must clear the room. Nothing should be in your way. Your master piece is about to be made and nothing must be in your creative space. A little tip when you are deciding which way you want the grain to face: the manufacturers recommend that the grain faces the same way that the sun comes in just to make it look even better. If you have a video tape that was included with the laminate flooring then it is highly recommended that you view the tape before installing the laminate flooring, just so you know what might be coming.

When you are installing laminate flooring remember to have a checklist of the tools that you will need. This will save you from having to go to the hardware store during installation. When you are installing you laminate flooring the first thing you must do is tap the short ends together. However- DO NOT tap them too hard. Doing so could damage them, so just tap gently and wait for the seam to close.

Next, always keep the tongue towards you as you are installing the laminate flooring. NEVER tap against the grove. Make sure that you overlap the seams by at least 16-18 inches, if you don’t then you might void your warranty.

To install the first row always start from the left and then tap the short side of another board with the first one. This will create a link between the two. Repeat this until you are near the end of the room. Then check the space left (it should be 5/16 inch.). After that you can then put in the spacers along the wall and the laminated board.

As you are installing the rows of laminate flooring, hinge the long sides and allow them to simply fall into place. Then simply tap the short sides together. There is a 2 part bonding agent placed on the tongue and on the groove of the short sides of the laminate flooring boards. Once the boards have been in contact for at least 20 minutes, the chemical reaction using the agent should begin to strengthen the boards. After 24hours the process is complete.

If you are reading this article before purchasing any laminate flooring then you may get confused with all this talk of long and short sides. But once you have purchased your laminate flooring and got it out of the packaging you will start to know what those words mean. The videotape provided with your laminate flooring will also help you if you get stuck at any point when installing your laminate flooring.

Following these simple steps will help you achieve the perfect laminate flooring in your home. Laminate flooring is becoming very popular these days and more and more people are deciding to make the switch from carpet to laminate flooring. If you want to make the switch and would like to know a brand that has become quite popular, try Quick Step laminate flooring. They will provide you with quality laminate flooring and easy to follow instructions. Laminate flooring is the definitely the way to a much cleaner floor, no more trapped dust in the carpet!

Tags: Flooring., Installing, Laminate
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by Hendrixson

Renovate Your Home With Discount Flooring

One of the most important aspects for any house is the flooring. Not only is the flooring going to bring a certain atmosphere and feeling of decor to the room as a whole, but  even started to bring in another aspect which is warmth. Some of the discount carpet or discount flooring products found online are rubberized on the bottom or insulated, that is a really great option in homes, particularly houses that have wood floors or have floors that oftentimes become cold in the winter months.

Discount flooring comes in a range of materials like vinyl, carpet, ceramic tile, hardwood, laminate, natural stone, cork, etc. But, they also come in an array of sizes and colors as well which is a nice fit for any home as now you could fit it in with your sense of style. It does not matter if you’re Art Deco or a traditionalist; you’re bound to find a discount flooring style to suit all your requirements! The really nice thing about looking for discount carpet and discount flooring on-line is that many of these stores will offer cheap carpets.

This has nothing to do with their quality and everything to do with the carpet cost itself. While other stores might sell you flooring for a much more expensive price, these discount flooring stores purchased their products wholesale from another organization, that is very beneficial to you because now they would be able to afford to sell it to you for a lot lower cost than you would anticipate! Cheap carpets are a great idea to look into especially if you have to set a budget for your carpet or if you have a lot of space that requires discount flooring. One of my favourite materials by far is the wood flooring. I consider this brings friendliness and luxury into a home, plus, they are extremely effortless to clean – a lot more than a carpet.

Certainly few people would purchase some different discount flooring products for their house if they are doing a whole renovation. Possibly a carpet for living and dining room, ceramic for the kitchen, wood for the hallway and stairway, etc. It actually depends on you and what kind of style you would desire to form with your home as a whole. You could end up having a lot of enjoyment with this!

Take your time, look at some of the stores on-line that provide discount carpet or discount flooring and most importantly, inquire if they have any samples available! This will offer you a good possibility to see and feel what goods they offer and if it would be a good fit for your house.

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Tags: Discount, Flooring., home, Renovate
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Aqua Step Laminate Flooring

Aqua Step Laminate flooring

Aqua Step laminate flooring is the innovative flooring product that offers a 100% waterproof guarantee. Aquastep have developed this great product to appeal to bathroom and kitchen floors, which are susceptible to water leaks and spillages, which puts Aqua Step as a cut amongst the rest in regards to the laminate flooring market.

Aqua-Step, with its complete range of 100% water-resistant flooring, provides you years of comfort and a worry-free future. Aqua-Step is perfectly resistant against floods, moisture or condensation. It is suitable for kitchens, bathrooms, laundries, hallways, cellars, Aqua-Step is made of high quality synthetic resins. It contains no wood components. Aqua-Step has 0% swelling in all atmospheric circumstances. Aqua-Step is also recommended for project applications such as fitness rooms, restaurants, shops, as it meets all necessary technical specifications.

Aqua-Step can be cleaned with water and soap which results in an extremely hygienic floor. The floor stays bacteria free and is completely mould resistant (ideal for allergy sufferers). The high density surface coating and the perfect waterproof seams prevent dirt from penetrating the floor.

Aqua-Step is 30% more sound absorbing than traditional wood laminate. Moreover, Aqua-Step adapts itself to the surrounding temperature in an exceptional manner which makes it feel comfortably warm and cosy.

Inspired by nature, Aqua-Step waterproof flooring specialists transferred the honeycomb structure to a completely new flooring concept: a hollow floor structure that absorbs sound, conducts floor heating and outperforms on product strength. The core of the board is made of a high quality synthetic resin in combination with a honeycomb structure and results in an IC3 strength classification, the highest rating in its category. It withstands heavy loads and falling of objects.

The wear-resistance of AC4 is guaranteed by the wear resistant surface in combination with the hard core. The flooring is suitable for heavy domestic use and general commercial use like fitness centres, restaurants, shops, offices…

Aqua-Step fits quickly and easily thanks to a special co-extruded joint in combination with the integrated world famous patented Uniclic locking system, the best in its category. The result is a floor with perfect waterproof seams. This very flexible installation system even allows you to re-install your floor several times.

With Aqua-Step you can cover large surfaces up to 900 m2 (30 m x 30 m), without the use of intermediate expansion profiles. From bathroom to sleeping room, from kitchen to living room… resulting in an aesthetical enhancement and enlarging your room optically. Thanks to this easy and fast installation no extra accessories are required.

So Aqua-Step really is the best choice for flooring as it is 100% waterproof, easy to lay, extra strong, sound absorbing, easily cleaned and extremely hard wearing.

Tags: Aqua, Flooring., Laminate, Step
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by timber_floors

What Is Solid Wood Flooring?

Solid wood flooring is a type of flooring that you install or have installed in your home.  This means that you are usually putting down hardwood flooring such as oak in your home.  It is more costly to put down wood flooring than wall to wall carpeting at first, although after a period of time, the cost of the carpeting is more than that of the floors as carpeting needs to be replaced every few years. 

Cleaning wood flooring is much easier than cleaning carpeting as well.  Unlike carpeting which tends to hold onto stains and often needs to be professionally cleaned, solid wood flooring can be cleaned on your own and will usually last for the lifetime of the house with proper care. Even if you do have some damage over the course of the years with wood flooring, it can be sanded and re-stained so that it looks like new when you so choose.  For this reason, wood flooring is the sound choice when it comes to the type of flooring that you should choose for your home.  On top of that, solid wood flooring will not harbor bacteria or dirt like carpeting, making it cleaner than carpeting and easier to maintain. 

You have many choices when it comes to wood flooring for your home.  Solid wood flooring is made from hardwoods that will hold up over a long period of time. Just as your house structure holds up for the lifetime of the house, so will oak floors.  When you are looking for wood flooring for your home, one of the best woods to choose when seeking solid wood flooring is oak.  This is a hardwood that will withstand the test of time and will usually last for the lifetime of the house. 

Installing solid wood flooring is not usually considered a do it yourself project any more than installing tile or carpeting, although those who have good carpentry skills and the tools needed can usually accomplish this project.  Because solid wood flooring is not cheap, you want to make sure that it is installed correctly by those who know what they are doing in the field and are better off to at least get help from someone who has the tools and has installed this type of flooring before.  A carpenter can usually install wood flooring in a home with no problem at all and usually has all the tools needed to not only install the floor, but make sure that the underlay is in good condition as well as the trim and the shoe that goes on the bottom of the floor. 

If you are looking for a way to make sure that you update your home so that it looks more attractive as well as will have flooring that will last a longer period of time, then you should look for wood flooring for your home.  You can go online and take a look at the options that are available when it comes to solid wood flooring for your home and then take your pick as to which is the right one for you. 

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by UIC Digital Collections

Versatile Wood Flooring With Click Technology For Easy Installation

Wood flooring is becoming increasingly popular amongst homeowners due to its versatility, low maintenance and high quality appearance. Unfortunately, installation can be reasonably difficult; this often puts people off opting for wooden flooring.

For individuals that are new to DIY, this can be particularly daunting, especially if they choose to purchase their new flooring from an online retailer. However, there are specialists that have a solution to this problem, click wood flooring. This innovative product is simply clicked into place with no need for nails or glue.

The click wood flooring that they supply is incredibly easy to install yet it offers the same look and feel as standard wooden flooring. They even provide solid wood click flooring, so customers do not have to compromise on quality.

What’s more, as they are primarily based online they are able to keep costs low, meaning that customers do not have to pay over the odds for their wood flooring. Prices start from just £26.79 m², almost half of the usual retail price.

Wood flooring can add a touch of luxury to any home; it can add a traditional look to new-build homes and enhance the appearance of older properties. Their click wood flooring is available in both lacquered and oiled varieties, and in rustic forest or brown oak.

In addition to click wood flooring these specialists also offer a range of flooring to suit many different styles and budgets including engineered wood flooring, laminate flooring, karndean and solid wood flooring.

If you are looking for a stylish new floor that is relatively hassle free to fit, even if you are a DIY novice, take a look at the wood flooring available from online suppliers, or give them a call to discuss the products that will suit your home best.

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Tags: Click, Easy, Flooring., Installation, Technology, Versatile, Wood
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by <3 Amber Marie

How to get discount laminate flooring?

If you are actually planning to get laminate flooring for your house or office, the first thing that you would try to do is to get discount laminate flooring. We all try to get the best quality and value for the money we’re spending. That would be our foremost priority. So when it comes to laminate flooring, there are quite a lot of choices in all price ranges. But you don’t need to think that the most expensive ones are the best ones always. See if you can actually spend some time in order to take the right decision, then you can definitely find discount laminate flooring for a better price. This way, you can definitely save a lot of time and money.

There are lots of advantages if you can actually get discount laminate flooring. The first thing is that you can get very good quality for a better price. Discount laminate flooring comes with all the features and also cost effective of all other expensive options of flooring. So if you can actually make a wiser choice, then you can definitely have the right kind of product with you for very less amount of money. This is the reason why you always need to look for discount laminate flooring if you’re actually thinking of updating the flooring at home.

So make sure that you take some time off in order to get the discount laminate flooring. If you can actually go to your nearest stores and talk to a couple of merchants then you will definitely come to know more about the discount laminate flooring. You actually need to understand about the AC ratings. Make sure that you bargain for better prices after you understand about the basics of discount laminate flooring.

When you are actually renovating a house, you would like to spend each and every penny in the right place so that you can get the best out of what you’re spending. So if you can actually do a bit of research at home then you can definitely avoid spending too much in the wrong places. Make sure that you go online and check for various websites which have lots of information about discount laminate flooring. After that, look for those merchants who actually offer discount laminate flooring on the Internet. Nowadays even buying on the Internet has also become popular. You can go through various merchants who can actually offer you better prices. Try to get quotations from a couple of merchants and compare them. If you can actually get good discount laminate flooring at a very cheap price from any merchant, then you can definitely place an order. Or else, if you actually want to buy discount laminate flooring off-line, then you can actually approach merchants in your vicinity. Most of the merchants or manufacturers try to clear off old stock. So, in order to do that, they actually give massive discounts on most of the products. If you don’t mind going for those, you can actually save a lot of money.

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by ASurroca

Wood Flooring – Everything You Need To Know

The elegant look of a hardwood floor can add warmth and character to any room in a home. The natural characteristics of wood add depth and a visual appearance that many other types of floors try to duplicate. With the demand for hardwood flooring growing manufacturer’s are enhancing their ranges to meet this demand, with better quality finishes and superior construction techniques.

Hardwood floors come in a wide variety of wood species, colours and widths. Besides the classic hardwoods (like red oak, white oak, maple and ash) many manufacturers now offer exotic hardwood species from all over the World. Exotic hardwoods give homeowners the chance to better express their own personal decorating tastes with a more unique looking floor. With so many different types of hardwood flooring now available it is sometime hard to choice which is best suited to you.

Different Types of Wood Flooring

Solid wooden floors are one solid piece of wood that have tongue and groove sides and come in either pre-finished or unfinished styles. Solid wood floors are sensitive to moisture and it is not recommended to install these floors below ground level, or directly over a concrete slab. These floors are for nail-down installations only. You can refinish, or recoat solid wood floors several times, which adds to their appeal and to their long life. There are solid floors that are over 100 years old and are still in good condition.

All solid wood floors will react to the presence of moisture. In the winter heating months, moisture leaves the wood causing the floor to contract which leaves unsightly gaps between each plank. In the summer months when the humidity is higher the wood will expand and the gaps will disappear. If there is too much moisture it may cause the wood planks to cup, or buckle. This is why it is important when installing a solid strip floor to leave the proper expansion area around the perimeter and to acclimatize the wood prior to installation.

Engineered wood floors – These floors are constructed from several wood plies that are glued together. The centre core is generally a softer wood material and is used to make the tongue and groove. A hardwood finish layer is glued on top of the centre core and another softer wood ply is attached underneath the core. This top ply is also called the finish layer and can be constructed of almost any wood specie.

Wood always wants to expand in a certain direction. In the presence of moisture solid wood planks will always expand across the width of the planks, rather than down the length of the boards. To avoid this problem, manufacturers of engineered planks place each ply in the opposite direction of each other. This is called cross-ply construction. Once the wood layers are glued together the plies will counteract each other which will stop the plank from growing or shrinking with changes in the humidity. Engineered wood floors are designed for the floating installation and can be glued together or some now come with a click system.

Veneer wood floors are very similar to laminate floors. The only difference is that with a veneer flooring to top wear layer is a thin piece or real hardwood instead of a photographic image as in laminates. Veneer flooring is usually around 8mm in thickness with the top hardwood layer being around 0.7mm. Advantages of a veneer floors are that they are fast and easy to install and you have a real hardwood floor.

Factory Pre-finished Wood Flooring

Most factory finished hardwood floors have several coats of finish applied to the wood’s surface. As example, many wood floor companies are applying 6-10 coats of a ultra-violet (UV) cured urethane. This would be extremely difficult for someone to duplicate on a job site finish, not to mention how many days it would take. This is one of the reasons why many flooring mechanics, flooring retailers, and builders are pushing pre-finished hardwood floors. Instead of taking several days to install and finish a new hardwood floor a pre-finished hardwood floor is generally done in one day.

The most common finishes are:

UV-cured – Factory finishes that are cured with Ultra Violet lights versus heat.

Polyurethane – A clear, tough and durable finish that is applied as a wear layer.

Acrylic-urethane – A slightly different chemical make up than Polyurethane with the same benefits.

Aluminium Oxide – Added to the urethane finish for increased abrasion resistance of the wear layer, which is becoming extremely popular on the better grade wood floors.

Acrylic Impregnated – Acrylic monomers are injected into the cell structure of the wood to give increased hardness and then finished with a wear layer over the wood.

Unfinished Wood Flooring

If you want a custom stained hardwood floor, or a wood floor to match existing trim than a unfinished hardwood floor is your answer. Unfinished means you start with a bare hardwood floor and than the floor is sanded, stained, and finished in the home. This can be quite a mess and the process does take several days, but your floor will have a finish to you requirements.

Installation Options

Nail Down – Secret nails are used with a wood flooring nailer and mallet to attach the flooring to the sub floor. Solid Strip floors or Plank floors can only be installed on wooden sub-floors or on batons.

Glue Down – Engineered wood floors and parquets can be glued down. This is when you spread the recommended glue all over the sub floor and lay the flooring into the glue.

Floating – This is when a thin underlay is placed between the wood flooring and the sub floor. A recommended wood glue is then applied in the tongue and groove of each plank to hold the planks together. Engineered

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